Metallica bassist recalls tour with Guns N’ Roses

Robert Trujillo, known as Metallica’s bassist for over 21 years, recently shared his thoughts on opening for Metallica and Guns N’ Roses with Suicidal Tendencies in a recent interview. He described how playing with Metallica was a much better experience compared to Guns N’ Roses.

Back in 1993 and 1994, Suicidal Tendencies toured with Metallica in Europe and the United States. Trujillo recalled these tours as his introduction to big productions and huge crowds. They also had a unique schedule where they alternated between opening for Metallica and Guns N’ Roses every two weeks. Trujillo admitted that while both bands were massive, the shows with Metallica were more enjoyable. He explained that Metallica’s fans connected better with Suicidal Tendencies’ music and style.

“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. 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.”

On the other hand, the gigs with Guns N’ Roses were more unpredictable. Trujillo recalled a strange incident where someone threw a sandwich at him during a show. This angered him and the band’s frontman, Mike Muir, even went into the crowd to find the culprit. However, the situation quickly turned around when they ended up signing autographs for fans instead.

Metallica bassist was hit by sandwich on tour

Trujillo noted that despite the ups and downs, touring with both bands was a great experience for connecting with new audiences. He emphasized that while Guns N’ Roses was incredibly popular at the time, the synergy between Suicidal Tendencies and Metallica made those tours particularly special.

“With GN’R, it varied. I remember one show, somebody threw a sandwich, and it hit me, and I got really mad, and then Mike [Muir] 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. But it’s always great to do these kind of tours anyway, ’cause you’re connecting with new fans.”

“But the Metallica fans were more kind of in our wheelhouse. But Guns N’ Roses was huge back then, so, of course, we had to take that tour. It was a great experience.”