The “doodle” streak keeps rolling. During their Melbourne stop at Marvel Stadium, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo dropped a surprise cover of The Living End’s 1998 anthem Prisoner of Society, sending the crowd into full sing-along mode and adding a new twist to one of the most talked-about traditions of the M72 World Tour.
Each city on the Australian leg has had its own local flavour. Perth kicked things off with a John Butler Trio cover of Zebra while Adelaide followed with a mash-up of INXS’s ‘Need You Tonight’ and The Angels’ ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’. Melbourne’s choice was perfect – a nod to the city’s punk roots and one of its most important bands. As soon as Hammett tore into that unmistakable riff, 50 thousand fans roared it back.
Prisoner of Society launched The Living End into the global spotlight in 1998, blending punk attitude with rockabilly swagger and Melbourne grit. For The Living End, hearing Metallica blast their signature track in front of 50,000 people at Marvel Stadium has to feel pretty surreal. The jam was short and loose, with Trujillo singing and Hammett clearly having the time of his life.
The doodle wasn’t the only moment tying Metallica to Melbourne. Earlier in the day, James Hetfield visited AC/DC Lane to check out a new mural of the late bassist Cliff Burton and to pay his respects at the Bon Scott statue , a small, human moment before the stadium roar.
This run of city-specific jams has become a signature of Metallica’s Australian Tour. You can catch up on the earlier stops with Perth’s photo gallery and Adelaide’s photos and setlist, or see everything you need to know about the Melbourne show.
It might have only lasted a few minutes, but Melbourne’s doodle hit harder than most encores – two legends from San Francisco tipping their hats to three from St Kilda.
For more from Metallica’s Australian Tour, visit the Metallica tag archive.
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