The Metallica concerts in Edmonton provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans of all ages.
“That was my lottery ticket,” Ron Goltz told CTV News Edmonton after attending both the Friday and Sunday shows with his son.
Goltz splurged on snake pit tickets, placing them right by the stage as the band performed their favorite songs, “One” and “Creeping Death.”
But “Seek and Destroy” gained new significance after Friday night.
Lead vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield concluded that song from Metallica’s debut studio album with a solo on his knees, right in front of Goltz and 13-year-old Xander.
After finishing his final note, Hetfield handed Xander his guitar pick and extended the guitar toward him.
“Does he want me to touch it?” Xander wondered.
Hetfield made a strumming motion, encouraging Xander to drag the pick across the guitar strings, eliciting cheers from the surrounding crowd.
Hetfield gave Xander a high five, prompting the excited boy to turn around and exclaim to his dad and their nearby snake pit fans, “Sht!”
“I knew that stuff did happen to kids, like, James giving people guitar picks and stuff… I believed that could have happened. It was just a great shock that it was able to happen to me,” Xander said.
The night was already memorable, but it became even more special when Lars Ulrich handed Xander one of his drum sticks.
“It looked like he was going to give it to the person who was right in front, and then he again handed it to my son who was on my shoulders,” Goltz recalled.
“As a father, there’s nothing more you can ask for. It meant so much to me.”
“It was the best time of my life,” Xander shared.
Xander’s friend, Cruz Buchanan, another Metallica fan who once performed “Enter Sandman” with Xander as an airband in Kindergarten, was amazed by his friend’s luck.
He too, however, was fortunate enough to receive one of Ulrich’s drum sticks on Sunday night when he attended the concert with his own dad.
“(After Friday) I was like, ‘No way, you got a drum stick? That’s like one in a million chances,’” Buchanan told CTV News Edmonton. “And the next night, I have one in my hand.
“It was just crazy.”
Both boys credit their fathers for introducing them to Metallica. Buchanan says they listened to the band on the way to hockey to “get pumped up.” Xander’s earliest memory of Metallica’s music is from playing on the Stern pinball machine his dad bought when he was a toddler.
They both agreed their dads were part of what made the concerts so special.
“It was so cool hanging out with my dad, jamming out,” Buchanan said.
“I was so happy that I was able to do it with my dad,” Xander added.
“I didn’t think my love for the band could get larger. They were already probably my favorite band in the world, and now it just means so much more,” Xander’s dad said.
