Kirk Hammett Says Metallica Doesn’t Tour Enough: “What It’s All About Is Playing Guitar and Writing, Recording, Going Out on Tour”

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has expressed his desire for the heavy metal giants to spend more time on the road.

During a recent episode of Metallica’s official podcast, The Metallica Report, Hammett, who has been with the band since 1983 and played on all their studio albums, shared his thoughts on their touring schedule.

“I’m just happy to be out here and bringing the music to the people, man, like I always am,” Hammett said when asked about returning to the road last month after a six-month break from live shows (per Blabbermouth).

He continued, “And I’m happy having the feeling of, like, Metallica is a working, touring band, ’cause sometimes I miss that feeling, ’cause I don’t believe we tour enough. But that’s just how it is.

“So, what I can get out of this, I’m always up for it. It’s just, like, ‘Yeah, bring it on.’ ’Cause this is what it’s all about, is playing guitar and writing, recording, going out on tour. It’s what it’s all about. And I don’t feel that there’s enough of it in my life right now.”

According to setlist wiki setlist.fm, Metallica has significantly reduced their touring schedule since the 2010s. The band played 95 concerts in 2009 and 63 in 2010, but have not played more than 50 shows annually since then.

By comparison, their busiest year was 1992, when they toured extensively to promote their self-titled album (also known as The Black Album), playing 168 dates.