James Hetfield has revealed that Metallica asked Turnstile to open for them on tour – but the punk rock band turned them down.
Speaking on his James Hetfield’s Riff Life radio show, the Metallica frontman says he and his bandmates are fans of the Baltimore band, leading them to approach Turnstile about appearing on their M72 tour.
“We have seen them live, we wanted to get them on tour, and they said no. They’re doing good on their own already.
“But man, what a vibe they bring. They are so fun. Go see them play if you can. Just like many, many bands, they sound great on their records and recordings, but man, when you see them live, you totally get it.
“We’ve hung out with them a bit. Super cool guys, super fun. They’ve got a gal in the band now playing, which is fun.”
Not opening for the world’s biggest metal band doesn’t seem to have affected Turnstile’s rise. The band’s most recent album, 2025’s Never Enough, reached No.9 in the US Billboard charts.
In the past few years, Turnstile have collaborated with everyone from Elton John to Paramore’s Hayley Williams. They recent tapped death metal veterans Obituary to open for them at a US show.
Metallica are currently in the middle of a much-talked about run of shows at the Las Vegas Sphere. They resume their M72 tour in 2027, presumably without Turnstile on the bill.
