Watch Metallica’s Televised Central Park Set, Read James Hetfield’s Statement on Why the Band Will Never Play the Super Bowl

This past weekend, Metallica played at the Global Citizen festival in New York City’s Central Park. Pro-shot footage of the performance can be watched below. Definitely check it out, it’s all classic stuff.

Meanwhile, Metallica frontman James Hetfield also spoke out on the fact that the band has repeatedly been ignored as a possible Super Bowl halftime act, much to the chagrin of Carlos Santana. Hetfield said the following to Nikki Sixx on his Sixx Sense radio show:

“I can’t dance, I can’t jump around, I’m not an acrobat, I’m not a variety show, you know? We are artists. We’re a band. We love playing songs. We’re not gonna fly through the air on a sparkly star with a unicorn.

“It’s become less about music unfortunately and more about just the spectacle. When we played for the fiftieth anniversary of the NFL… right here in our hometown and they didn’t have us do it… that would have been the time. Maybe that time has passed?”

Which is pretty spot on. The Super Bowl halftime is more about a big sparkly show for kids and old-timers to watch without being freaked out or challenged. An actual band playing actual songs isn’t what that performance is about anymore (and maybe it never was).

What Hetfield neglects to mention is that the NFL is also desperately trying to maintain a family-friendly image, because a) they want to sell merch to moms, who they know do a lot of the Christmas shopping for most families and will therefore be deciding whether or not to get their kids those Eli Manning jerseys; and b) because they run a flesh mill where grown men give each other permanent brain damage for sixteen games a season. Hosting a band associated with heavy metal who have a song called “Creeping Death” is, to Roger Goodell & Company, another chance for viewers to recognize what the League really is.

Anyway, hopefully opinions will be swayed and we’ll get to see Metallica play the Super Bowl someday (though they’ll probably make them play with Bruno Mars). Meanwhile, enjoy the clips below. Metallica’s newest album, Hardwired… To Self Destruct! drops November 18th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shL4feATeLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owMrLbJqOhM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Mc_7EiOAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNBMZGGOzOw

[via Rock Feed]