METALLICA TO REUNITE WITH JASON NEWSTEAD AT ROCK HALL CEREMONY

As James Hetfield alluded to earlier this year, Metallica will in fact jam with former bass player Jason Newstead when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (according to Blabbermouth), even though his likeness isn't included in thier Guitar Hero game. That's cool: he's being inducted as a former member (as is the late Cliff Burton, of course) and should be included. I wonder if Robert Trujilio is being inducted? He has only played on one album, their latest, Death Magnetic. But that album has, for sure, proved their relevance, and I doubt the guys would show up if he wasn't going to be included. (The Rolling Stones threatened not to show up when the Rock Hall said that Brian Jones and Mick Taylor, but not Ronnie Wood, would be inducted, so the Hall relented, and rightfully so).

But it's gonna be awkward I bet: I can't imagine anyone fitting in as well as Trujilio has, and I doubt that the other guys want Jason back. But if you've seen Some Kind Of Monster, you can tell that when he quit, he kind of wanted the guys to ask him back, but they never did.

METALLICA AT THE ROCK HALL: NO DRAMA!

The guys from Metallica were on hand at the press conference announcing this year's inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. How many other artists use their Rock Hall induction as part of the promotion for an album that has debuted at #1?  Probably only U2. 

Anyway, they were asked about something that I was wondering about: will they perform with former bass player Jason Newstead? James Hetfield said that they'd extended the invitation, and that the band wanted to avoid the weird drama that surrounded past inductees like Blondie and Van Halen. 

I've been listening to tons of Metallica lately, and I'm always blown away by how great their first four albums were. I've also been watching the doc Some Kind Of Monster, and it's interesting: their then-long-time-producer Bob Rock says that he doesn't think they'll ever have a permanent bassist to replace the late Cliff Burton: but he turned out to be wrong. Jason was probably the perfect replacement for Cliff, but Robert Trujilio is just as perfect for the band. I wonder if Robert will be included in the induction, and every member of every band isn't always included (i.e. only the original four members of Black Sabbath were inducted, not all 50-whatever people who have played with the band). I gotta think the band has told the Rock Hall that if Robert isn't included, they wouldn't play: I think the same thing happened with The Rolling Stones and Ron Wood. 

I wonder what will go through Jason's head, playing with the band he spend so many years in and walked away from.  I wonder if they would include Dave Mustaine: probably not, since he wasn't on any of the band's albums, although a lot of the songs that he co-wrote were on Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning. Still, it would be cool to see Metallica jam with Mustaine.