Bassist Robert Trujillo talks about life as the newest member of Metallica

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
Updated ·7 min read

Metallica’s current tour, which hits U.S. Bank Stadium on Aug. 16 and 18, sees the metal titans play two-night stands in 22 cities around the world over the course of 18 months. Even with shows taking place on weekends, it’s not as easy as it might look.

“When we are on the road, we are committed to it,” said bassist Robert Trujillo during a phone interview prior to the band’s pair of shows in Foxborough, Mass. “There’s really not enough time to go home. Monday ends up being a travel day, Tuesday and Wednesday you’re prepping for the next show, Thursday takes you into the gig on Friday.”

A California native, Trujillo began his career playing with Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves and later went on to perform with Ozzy Osbourne, Jerry Cantrell and Black Label Society. He met Metallica when Suicidal Tendencies toured with the group in 1993.

Three years after Metallica’s bassist Jason Newsted quit the band in 2000, they offered Trujillo the job. In the time since, Trujillo has performed on three Metallica albums and toured the world, including a one-off show in August 2016 when the band became the second act (after Luke Bryan) to headline the then-new U.S. Bank Stadium.

Here’s what Trujillo had to say about life as a member of Metallica.

On whether or not he still feels like the new guy:

There are moments when I feel like the new guy and moments where I feel like I’ve been around for almost 22 years now. It’s an interesting thing, feeling new kind of never really goes away. At the same time, I feel important to the cause.

On what it’s like to prepare for the tour:

The stage is massive, so a certain amount of physical training goes into it. We had three festival shows in a row in Europe. Festival stages are pretty big, but when I got back to our stage, I was pretty winded. It’s kind of like half the size of what we would normally deal with.

It’s a bit of a workout, (which is why) there’s a recovery day (between shows). It sounds crazy, but it works for us. We’re not 21 anymore.

On choosing the set lists:

We challenge ourselves. We don’t play the same set two nights in a row, we switch it up and get into deep cuts and instrumentals. There’s a lot of material, we have a lot of choices. We are excited about our new songs and play a handful of those per show. It keeps things interesting, combining the older material with the newer stuff and everything in between.

On what it’s like to be a member of Metallica:

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People don’t always understand, but when you’re in a band like this, it’s about more than just playing and performing the music. That’s incredibly important, but it’s also about the relationship, your role in the band and keeping the family together. It really is like a family. You have to be patient, you have to know the personalities and everything. It’s a life thing — family, job, it’s no different in a band. You try to make it work and keep it together. There’s a lot of responsibility in that. Being able to write and record is the icing on the cake. Touring and keeping the band together, not everybody can handle that.

On navigating the personalities in one of the biggest bands on the planet:

You find your place. Everybody’s an important ingredient to the recipe. Each member of the band is completely different than the others. We come together and make this music. We get up on stage, we have fun. But that doesn’t mean when we’re away from Metallica we’re still hanging out. We’re friends, we have a lot of respect for each other. At the same time, we’re individuals. Everybody has a different lifestyle. It’s about mutual respect and being flexible, patient and solid at what you do.

On mounting what they call Metallica Takeover Weekend, with band-related activities around the city on the day between shows:

My son Tye has a band, Ottto. James’ son (Castor) also has a band. They play their shows on the day between our shows. It’s fun and it’s exciting. That’s what it’s supposed to be. Come see Metallica, see what we have to offer and then enjoy the city. It’s about being festive.

In Europe, we saw a lot of new faces, but also people who had been traveling around to each show. That was their summer vacation. Everybody seems to be having a really good time and enjoying the experience.

On what advice he gives his son:

He’s 20 now and doing his own thing. He’s working and that’s what he loves. It makes me happy, makes my wife happy. That’s how we roll.

Sometimes, as you probably know, young people need to do their own thing and sometimes make mistakes. It’s important for them to learn from the mistakes and have their own experience. As parents, we can’t help but say maybe you want to make this decision, but we’re not telling him what to do. It’s an interesting time for him, his early 20s becomes about making a lot of important decisions. I try to help when I can.

On his memories of helping christen the Vikings stadium:

Everything about that was memorable, even the surreal imagery of that stadium, looking like a big ship. Everything was fresh and new and the crowd was amazing.

The Vikings have always been an interesting team for me, with my history of loving football. I grew up in the ’70s being a Rams fan. My cousin was a Vikings fan, so there was a rivalry between us.

I have an incredible amount of respect for the Vikings and also just Minneapolis as a whole. Playing at First Avenue was always a main stop for me back in the day. That was a place you had to play, like a rite of passage in rock and roll. I have a lot of really incredible memories of the awesome people. And the great music. Prince has always been a huge inspiration for me. He was amazing.

Metallica

Lineup: 6 p.m. Friday with Pantera and Wolfgang Van Halen’s band Mammoth and 6 p.m. Sunday with Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills.

Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave., Mpls.

Tickets: $225-$54.75 via ticketmaster.com.

Metallica Takeover Weekend on Saturday

Metallica Film Fest: Screenings of the Metallica films “Cliff ‘Em All,” “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasion Y. Gloria: Tres Notes En La Ciudad De Mexico,” 11 a.m. at Riverview Theater. Tickets are $15 from riverviewtheater.com.

“The Black Album in Black and White”: Longtime Metallica photographer Ross Halfin will be on hand to share his work and sign books, 2 to 5 p.m. at Minneapolis Institute of Art. Tickets are $20 via artsmia.org.

Bowling Takeover: 93X and Metallica crew invite fans out for a day of bowling, 3 to 6 p.m. at Memory Lanes. Live performance by Metallica cover band And One for All on the lanes at 8 p.m. See memorylanes.com for details.

Bastardane and Ottto: A live concert from Bastardane (with James Hetfield’s son and drummer Castor Hetfield) and Ottto (with Robert Trujillo’s son and bassist Tye Trujillo), 7 p.m. at the Varsity Theater. Tickets are $19 at ticketmaster.com.

Metallica Takeover at Smash Park: A free event with ax throwing and a Metallica Name That Tune contest, 7 to 11 p.m. at Smash Park in Roseville.

Minneapolis events tied to Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey

Pre-show happy hour with master distiller Rob Dietrich; 2-6 pm. Friday; Bar Rufus, 527 S. Marquette Ave.; barrufus.com.

Pre-show happy hour; 5-8 p.m. Friday; Mackenzie Pub, 918 Hennepin Ave.; mackenziepub.com.

Whiskey dinner guided by Dietrich; 6-8 p.m. Saturday; Miaou Miaou, 527 S. Marquette Ave.; miaoumiaoumpls.com.

Dietrich meet and greet; 8-10 p.m. Saturday; Living Room and Prohibition, 821 S. Marquette Ave.; thelivingroom-prohibition.com.

Pre-show happy hour; 5-8 p.m. Sunday; Bar Rufus.

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