The riots Metallica (accidentally) caused at Monsters of Rock 1988, LA Coliseum

In this clip from Gibson TV’s Icons with Kirk Hammett, the Metallica guitarist shares an unforgettable story from the Monsters of Rock Festival at the LA Memorial Coliseum in 1988 — a moment when a simple crowd call during Creeping Death turned into a tidal wave of mayhem as thousands of fans surged forward, flooding the field and creating total chaos.

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As Kirk says, the band walked onstage and opened with Metallica’s classic tune, “Creeping Death,” encouraging the crowd to “Sing!” But the audience interpreted that as a call to storm the field and trash the stadium. Within seconds, the empty space in front of the stage was flooded as fans jumped the bleachers, toppled rows of collapsible chairs, and pushed forward in a frenzy.

“We were just going, ‘Sing,’” Kirk says. “But it was like a dam busted — thousands of bodies just flowing out with no order whatsoever.”

Chairs flew through the air, the band had to stop playing mid-song, and for ten minutes, the scene teetered on the edge of mass hysteria. It was intense, dangerous, and unforgettable, making it one of the most talked about festivals in music for decades. “It’s a scary thing to see,” Kirk says, “but at the same time, it was incredibly awesome — and I never use that word.”

Whether you were there at the Monsters of Rock show in 1988 or not, this is one of those legendary moments that captures the raw energy and unpredictability of Metallica live at their most explosive.

In the full episode, through archival and never before seen photos and video, Kirk takes viewers on a ride through his 37 years as lead guitarist of Metallica while sharing personal stories about his childhood, getting his first Gibson Flying V™, the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton, and the recording of the group’s pivotal albums including Kill ’em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice For All, and The Black Album.

▶ Watch the full episode of Icons with Kirk Hammett: https://youtu.be/bPy8YyUgxyA

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▶ Watch The Collection: With Kirk Hammett: https://youtu.be/NR5kZ4U3p58
▶ Kirk Hammett shows Mark Agnesi his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard "Greeny": https://youtu.be/AtIc24l2ryw
▶ Watch Kirk Hammett in ICONS: https://youtu.be/bPy8YyUgxyA

Photo/video credits in order of appearance:

Monster of Rock Tour - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Photo Credit: David Madison (Getty Images)

Metallica Monsters of Rock Tour 1988
Photo Credit: Michael OCHS Archives (Getty Images)

Metallica Monsters of Rock Tour Video
Courtesy of Blackened Recordings

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