Metallica frontman calls Ukrainian fan special friend as stadium erupts in applause
James Hetfield (photo: instagram.com/metallica)
James Hetfield, the frontman of the legendary American band Metallica, made a touching address to a Ukrainian woman during a concert in Berlin, according to TSN.
The performance took place on May 30 as part of the M72 World Tour. Nearly 95,000 people attended the concert, and it was before this crowd that the musician introduced a woman named Maryna as his "special friend from Ukraine."
According to Hetfield, he had personally spoken with the Ukrainian woman before the show.
During the concert, the musician decided to address her directly from the stage and asked the audience to support Maryna.
"I want to introduce someone very special whom we met before the show. She came from Ukraine... Maryna, we love you, and it was so wonderful to talk with you," the musician said.
After these words, the packed stadium erupted in applause. Hetfield also expressed hope that he would see Maryna again at future Metallica concerts.
Metallica (photo: instagram.com/metallica)
It is known that the Ukrainian woman uses a wheelchair. Due to her health condition, she was unable to be in the fan zone, but she still received special attention from the musicians.
How Metallica supports Ukraine
Metallica's support for Ukrainians has not been limited to this moment on stage.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the band has repeatedly joined charitable initiatives aimed at helping Ukraine.
In April 2022, the musicians supported the #ChefsForUkraine campaign organized by the charity World Central Kitchen. Metallica made an initial donation of $500,000.
The campaign later succeeded in raising $1 million to help Ukrainian refugees.
The band also joined the #StandUpForUkraine initiative. In May 2023, James Hetfield personally met with wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in the United States.
James Hetfield and Roman Denysiuk (photo: instagram.com/metallica)
In addition, Hetfield and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett took part in charity auctions.
Their legendary guitars were sold at these auctions, with the proceeds directed toward supporting Ukrainians.
In 2024, the musicians also introduced their millions of followers to Ukrainian serviceman and musician Taras Stolyar. He performed the song Nothing Else Matters on the bandura.
Metallica shared a video of its performance on its Instagram page. At the time, the band had more than 12 million followers.
In the post, the musicians spoke about Stolyar's service in Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces as well as the activities of the Cultural Forces initiative.
Despite their strong connection with Ukrainian fans, Metallica has not performed in Ukraine for nearly three decades.
The band's only concert in Kyiv took place on June 27, 1999, at the NSC Olimpiyskiy as part of the Rock Kyiv festival. Since then, the musicians have not returned to Ukraine for another concert.
