Lars Ulrich doesn't see Metallica announcing a farewell tour anytime soon. In fact, the drummer hopes fans have many, many, many more chances to see his iconic band.
In a recent radio interview from backstage at Metallica's recent stop in Philadelphia, Ulrich suggested the band could smash through its 50-year anniversary in 2031, and maybe even keep going beyond that.
"A lot of people are retiring, and we feel very energized and rejuvenated," Ulrich said. "I mean, we wanna go a long time. We hope we can get another 20, 25 years out of [Metallica]. I don't know what it's gonna look like, I don't know what it's gonna sound like, but that's in our heads. So we're not sitting there thinking retirement or this or that; we're sort of more the opposite. So I would say, for us, everything we do is kind of a long game."
Ulrich turns 55 in December, meaning his hope is to continue playing thrash metal on drums until he's about 80.
Such longevity behind the kit, playing such demanding music would be almost unprecedented. Granted, thrash hasn't been around as long as other styles of rock music.
Metallica front man James Hetfield is on the same page as his drummer. Hetfield, who has suffered various heavy metal-related injuries in his career, often says he intends to keep playing until he can't any longer.
But while singers' voices tend to lower as they age, there's no equivalent on drums for changing the key of a song. Many drummers retire from the kit well before 70 as percussion-related maladies accumulate and make it difficult to play.
For example: Rush drummer Neil Peart retired at age 64 due in large part to chronic tendinitis. Phil Collins stopped playing drums around the same age due to a back injury.
Metallica is currently on the second North American leg of its WorldWired tour. Get all the tour dates here.
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