METALLICA: Pro-Shot Footage Of 'Spit Out The Bone' Performance From Paris

May 21, 2019

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Spit Out The Bone" on May 12 at Stade De France in Paris, France can be seen below.

METALLICA played "Spit Out The Bone" live for the first time ever in October 2017 at The O2 Arena in London, England. The track is taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016. Frontman James Hetfield told Colombian radio station Radioacktiva that the songtitle was inspired by how people are connected to each other through mobile devices and how everyone is becoming more dependent on technology. "[It] is getting rid of the human flesh part," he said. "And machinery is so much more efficient. And ourselves as people, [we're] very… I don't know… We want things quicker, we want the convenience of technology, but at what point is convenience leaning into dependency, and we need it, or else we don't know what to do."

The original version of "Spit Out The Bone" was close to 10 minutes long before METALLICA realized it needed to be trimmed, making it leaner and thinner, more concise. Drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone: "That was just an adventure, man. I have versions of that song that are two to three minutes longer. We just kept going and going and going. That was also the first song where we went, 'Wait a minute. Is there too much of a good thing here?' And then we started peeling it back.

"It was one of those where you just keep going to different universes and different modes and areas because it was super fun," he continued. "It was like this journey. Old-school MERCYFUL FATE–type stuff was kind of the inspiration for that."

Hetfield spoke in more detail about the song's meaning during an interview with METALLICA's fan-club magazine So What!

"This is a little different, just the wonder and fear of, again, what's happening to man," he said. "Without future tripping too much, just the possibilities of 'Terminator', stuff like that, you know. We're wearing smart watches, things are getting closer and closer to just being in us.

"Why would I not have the Internet in my head all the time? Why do I have to worry with all these 'emotions' and stuff? Falling in love and getting your heart broken? That doesn't do anybody good. You know, the heart and blood? It's in the way of efficiency! We could be a much more efficient race if we just allow computers to help us.

"And yeah, they are helping us, but how far does that go? All of that craziness. So 'Spit Out the Bone' is that your bones aren't needed. They break!"

Hetfield reportedly lifted the title from legendary U.K. punk band GBH's 1982 track about the 1972 Andes flight disaster titled "Passenger On The Menu". James said: "Yeah, thank you, GBH, for the 'spit out the bone' line. I know their song was a little different. Their song was about the Donner Party and cannibalism."

METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour has played more than 130 shows across the world since its 2016 kick-off.

Last November, drummer Lars Ulrich told The Mercury News that the trek could last through early 2020.

Find more on Metallica
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).