The Guardian – by Katie Rosseinsky
An online petition has been launched by animal rights activists to ban Metallica from performing at Glastonbury later this month.
Since it was announced last month that the American heavy metal band would headline alongside Kasabian and Arcade Fire, the booking has been met with controversy, with artists and commentators claiming that their sound was not in keeping with the festival. The storm surrounding Metallica’s booking has now increased, with festival goers taking issue with frontman James Hetfield’s support of bear hunting.
The singer, who is also a member of America’s National Rifle Association, will narrate an eight-part History Channel TV series called The Hunt, which documents the killing of Kodiak brown bears in Alaska.
In response to this announcement, an online petition is now demanding that Metallica be banned from playing at Worthy Farm. The Facebook page ‘Remove Metallica from Glastonbury festival for their support of bear hunting’ has generated more than 13,000 likes since it was created on 25 May.
The page administrators describe the petition as “an appeal to the organisers of Glastonbury to remove Metallica from their line-up due to James Hetfield’s support of Big Game Hunting.” They add: “We believe this is incompatible with the spirit of Glastonbury and brings its good name into disrepute.”
There has been no response to the petition from Hetfield as yet. Instead, the band have answered criticism of their booking by suggesting that they might open their set with a cover of Oasis’ Wonderwall.
Speaking to the Guardian, drummer Lars Ulrich said: “Jay Z came out and played Wonderwall, right? So maybe we gotta go out and do our rendition of Wonderwall. We’ll start with Wonderwall and we’ll take it from there.”
Ulrich also claimed that the band’s headline performance would be a “straight-up Metallica setlist,” put together around half an hour before the band go onstage.
Metallica will headline Glastonbury alongside Kasabian and Arcade Fire from 26 to 29 June. Other acts performing include Lana Del Rey, Pixies, Dolly Parton and Jack White.
I don’t think of hunting as a sport! Killing is not a sport. I never want to learn to enjoy killing the living. Hunting can become necessary for food. I would kill to protect myself if some animal wants to eat me! I lived in some remote villages in Alaska where there was a Black Bear behind every bush, they usually run from you unless their eating. Sometimes they had to be shot if they got aggressive near peoples homes. I love my big cat & love my dog.. they are better than a lot of people I’ve known in my time!! That’s my 2 cents worth, spend it however you want.
“I lived in some remote villages in Alaska where there was a Black Bear behind every bush, they usually run from you unless their eating.”
I was born in Fairbanks, KP.
I was born in Seattle #1 I enjoyed my times in Alaska as a refrig. engineer and pipefitter welder. Have seen many towns along the coast but have never been to Fairbanks. It’s been over 10 years, hope to travel there again someday. But now with the Fukishima disaster it’s probably not going to happen.
I don’t care much about metallica either way, they are making millions living the dream whatever.. I don’t envy their lifestyle. If you ask me someone owns them, so f*ck em & pay the fiddler! No one owns me!!