“I went out in the crowd of 40,000 people to try and beat somebody up”: Robert Trujillo compares supporting Metallica and Guns ’N’ Roses in the ’90s

Robert Trujillo in 2023, next to pictures of James Hetfield and Axl Rose in 1992

(Image credit: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic | Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has said it was “way funner” supporting the band in the 1990s than it was playing with Guns ’N’ Roses.

Truillo, who joined Metallica in 2003, toured with the two heavyweight hard rock bands in prior outfit Suicidal Tendencies in 1993.

Reflecting on the experience at a recent Q&A, the bassist says (via Blabbermouth), “So, basically 1993, 1994, Suicidal Tendencies supported Metallica.

“We came through Europe with Metallica and we also did the States. And that was my first introduction to massive production.”

He continued: “And the interesting thing is, in ’93 in Europe, we were actually going sort of back and forth between Metallica and Guns ’N’ Roses.

“So we would do two weeks with Metallica, and then we’d do two weeks with Guns ’N’ Roses.

“And what I found was that our two weeks with Metallica were – no disrespect to Guns ’N’ Roses – but man, way better, way funner, better for us, better crowd.”

After calling the Guns ’N’ Roses gigs “varied”, Trujillo reveals that he and Suicidal Tendencies vocalist Mike Muir once leapt into a crowd to fight somebody who threw a sandwich at them.

“I remember one show, somebody threw a sandwich,” he recalls.

“And it hit me, and I got really mad, and then Mike and I went out in the crowd of 40,000 people to try and beat somebody up that we couldn’t find.

“But all of a sudden, we were signing autographs, and it’s, like, ‘Wait a minute. We’re supposed to be pissed off.’

“So, it was weird. There were good days and bad days.”

Metallica are about to wrap up their 2024 tour of Europe with two dates at Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on July 12 and 14.

Next month, the band will start a run of shows in North and Central America.

For the full list of upcoming Metallica tour dates, see below.

The band are performing to promote their 2023 album 72 Seasons.

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Metallica 2024 tour dates:

Jul 12: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain
Jul 14: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain

Aug 02: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA, USA
Aug 04: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA, USA
Aug 09: Chicago Soldier Field, IL, USA
Aug 11: Chicago Soldier Field, IL, USA
Aug 16: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN, USA
Aug 18: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN, USA
Aug 23: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, Canada
Aug 25: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, Canada
Aug 30: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 01: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 20: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 22: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 27: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 29: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.