The awkward show that spelled the end for Jason Newsted in Metallica
Jason Newsted always had a tremendous job on his hands. Joining his favourite band, Metallica, in the wake of bassist Cliff Burton’s tragic death in 1986, he didn’t just have giant boots to fill; he had to contend with a band still emotionally reeling from the loss. Additionally, he faced intense hazing from his bandmates as they tested whether he genuinely had the resilience to be a long-term member.
You have to feel for Newsted. Much to his credit, he wasn’t swayed by the shadow of the late Burton and firmly put his own slant on the role of Metallica bassist. Bringing natural heaviness to the group’s sound, their first album together, 1988’s …And Justice for All, demonstrated that the quartet were moving forward following the death of their old friend and refining their fierce thrash formula. The record features a string of their best-loved tracks, including ‘One’ and ‘Eye of the Beholder’, and remains one of thrash metal’s definitive releases, arriving at a time when the genre was at its peak.
Naturally, some longtime Metallica fans were unhappy with the direction the 1988 album took. Unfortunately for Newsted, his bass didn’t sit in the mix as prominently as Burton’s distorted, lead-like lines, leading some metalheads to criticise him for being too lightweight. As a sign of the creative differences to come and the dominance of frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich in the decision-making process, Newsted claims it was their deliberate choice to bury his bass in the mix.
According to the man who mixed the album, Steve Thompson, Ulrich was to blame for the thin sound of Newsted’s contributions. Thompson even wanted to quit when the drummer presented his production ideas, but was not allowed to leave. As a further insult, he took all the criticism for the poor sound after the release. Despite these behind-the-scenes issues, the album hit number six on the Billboard 200 and catapulted Metallica up the musical pyramid.
Newsted went on to play on Metallica’s 1991 self-titled mainstream hit, which saw them become a global juggernaut and remains their best-selling album to date. He also contributed to 1996’s Load, 1997’s Reload, and the following year’s Garage Inc., his last full-length studio effort with the band. His final studio appearance with Metallica was the aptly named 2000 single ‘I Disappear’, featured on the Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack. The track’s leak on Napster led to the band suing the service, sparking an adverse reaction that had some bearing on his departure.
The Napster debacle came at the wrong time for Metallica, who were already fraying at the seams due to frontman James Hetfield’s various addiction problems and personal issues that had been mounting over the years. With public opinion at an all-time low and the creatively proficient Newsted, who has foregone getting married and having children to follow his artistic ambitions, wanting to concentrate on his Echobrain project for a year, it became clear that his time in the band was up.
Despite playing on two Corrosion of Conformity albums himself, Hetfield was totally against Newsted pursuing Echobrain, claiming it detracted from the power of Metallica. This caused ample frustration for Newsted, and his last show with them was on November 30th, 2000, at the My VH1 Music Awards. There is was clear to everyone that all was not well in the Metallica camp.
That evening, Newsted was removed from his other bandmates, and he’d already made it clear to guitarist Kirk Hammett on September 27th that he wanted to leave. The trio took their assigned seats in the hall at the show’s start while Newsted stayed backstage. During a 2003 MTV interview, Hammett described the bassist as “very incommunicado” at this point.
When Metallica won ‘Best Stage Spectacle’, all four were on stage, but Newsted blanked Hetfield and Ulrich and pointedly squeezed Hammett, the only man who had ever taken him seriously and had listened to his thoughts two months prior about wanting to leave. Following the speech, they performed ‘Fade to Black’, where the bassist was noticeably subdued. Then, when Hetfield sang, “Now I will just say goodbye!” Newsted, who had been staring at the floor, gazed up at the camera and waved.
Due to the uncomfortable division, Metallica had previously agreed to meet after the performance and clear the air, but Newsted was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t want to ruin anyone’s Christmas, he later maintained. The group then met on January 17th, and the refreshed bassist walked in, told them he was quitting, and that was it. A flagging Metallica was now on its knees. The nadir of Metallica’s career followed, with Hetfield checking into rehab, and their next album, 2003’s St. Anger, is one of their very worst. They would not recover until the end of the decade.
