While the Grammy Award-nominated “Fuel” might be one of the most recognizable singles off 1997’s “Reload” album, it also comes across as the unwanted soundtrack to what happened to James Hetfield at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
On August 8, 1992, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses were deep into their co-headlining tour, but, as per Loudwire’s retrospective report, it wasn’t without incident as there had been a few hiccups along the way, including Axl Rose’s inability to read the time on his watch. On this fateful evening, Metallica played first, but their set ended much sooner than anticipated as Hetfield accidentally found himself trapped in a shower of pyro, causing him to be rushed to the hospital to be treated for second- and third-degree burns.
Instead of Guns N’ Roses doing Metallica and the audience a solid by playing a longer set, the band showed up late onstage, then Rose cut short his band’s performance after less than a hour due to alleged voice issues. This act incensed the audience, per The New York Times, as the 53,000 fans rioted and rampaged, causing significant damage to the venue. Needless to say, this isn’t a moment that’s fondly remembered in either band’s glittering career.
