In 2004 just as Metallica was set to take the stage at the Download Festival in England, it was announced that Lars Ulrich was hospitalized and therefore would not perform. Ulrich’s inability to appear alongside his bandmates was later revealed to be a panic attack, with the drummer blaming it on exhaustion caused by their tough tour schedule and the end of his seven-year marriage.
As the show must go on, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, and Ulrich’s then-drum tech Flemming Larsen filled in for him, with Jordison playing the majority of the set.
Now, in a recent appearance on “The David Ellefson Show,” Lombardo recalled that day, saying:
“Well, fortunately Joey, he had a Metallica cover band when he was young, before Slipknot or maybe even during Slipknot. And so he was very familiar with a lot of their newer albums. I was into, obviously, the first three four — I think up until ‘Master Of Puppets’. And then while at first I wasn’t into the ‘Black Album’ eventually the ‘Black Album’ grew on me, ’cause it is a masterpiece. And so I was more familiar with their earlier stuff.
“And so when I saw the setlist, I was, like, ‘Okay, well, I could do these,’ which was ‘The Four Horsemen’ and ‘Battery’… So, when they told me, I said, ‘Look, I can do the two. I could probably figure out some of the other ones.’ But they had me just go up and do the first two, and then Joey, and, obviously, Flemming went up and finished the rest of the songs. So I was grateful. I was awesome. I have a picture in a frame, personalized frame, with all their names and everything, saying how grateful they were that I came up, I stepped up and helped them.”
He continued: “One of the real special moments was in the rehearsal. We were in one of those — I guess it was a small portable rehearsal room. They have a drum set in there, they’ve got their amp, they jam, get warmed up, get ready. And we were in there, and I could see their excitement when I was playing the song. They were really into it.
“And I kind of sped everything up a little bit, just kicked them in the ass a little. And it was fun, man. It was that moment that was really special. Then we went on stage. And obviously professional mode steps in, and you really have to focus and make sure that everything’s right and you kick ass for the moment. But it was a challenge — exciting, fun, grateful moment in history that will never be repeated again.”
Lombardo then remembered some feedback he received from Metallica after the performance.
“Some of Kirk’s [Hammett] commentary, which I’ll keep private, was really, really funny and very complimentary and very kind from them,” he said. “I have nothing but respect for those guys. I have absolute respect.”
