James Hetfield Hearts Green Day!

After Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s on-stage meltdown last month, the group had to cancel several shows including their headlining appearance at the New Orleans Voodoo Music and Arts Experience this past weekend. Enter Sandman Metallica, who stepped in at the last minute to take Green Day’s place.

How crazy is it that Metallica — METALLICA! this band — are now basically interchangeable, in terms of their widespread appeal and audience familiarity, with Green Day? It’s not as if thousands of Metallica fans suddenly snatched up tickets when they were announced (well, maybe a few did); for the most part, these are people who bought tickets to the festival expecting Green Day… and they got Metallica. And were perfectly ok with that.

ANYWAY, a particularly lean and svelte-looking James Hetfield had some kind words to say about Billie Joe and Green Day from the stage during Metallica’s set that night:

He’s there getting help, gettin’ it sorted out… hopefully he gets it together. Because the world needs them, alright? I think so.

After which the band played about 30 seconds of Green Day’s “American Idiot” — which must’ve taken them all of 5 minutes to learn before the show — before launching into “Creeping Death.” Bassist Rob Trujillo actually had the most interesting contribution of all, with a short rendition of the mid-song bass solo of “Welcome to Paradise.” Watch:

Insert joke about Lars Ulrich’s drumming here.

Thanks: J.A.M.