Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich made an unexpected cameo at Austin City Limits Festival over the weekend, sitting in with Sunday headliners Mumford & Sons for a performance of their Wilder Mind cut The Wolf.
Although Mumford and Metallica ostensibly sit on opposite sides of the musical spectrum, The Wolf proved to be a fitting middle ground with its relentless stomp and gigantic chorus. As a fan-shot video shows, Ulrich was fully in it, grimacing with intensity and delight as the song hit is final peak and a shower of sparks rained down above his kit.
Mumford & Sons ACL Fest set capped their latest North American tour in support of their most recent album, Delta, which arrived last November. The band will return for a handful of holiday shows in New York, San Jose and Chicago in early December.
As for Metallica, the band recently revealed that they would be playing two-night headlining slots at five music festivals in 2020, starting May 1st and 3rd at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The announcement came just weeks after Metallica canceled an upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand after James Hetfield returned to an addiction treatment center.
Speaking with USA Today over the weekend, Ulrich offered an update on Hetfields progress saying, Hes doing what he needs to; hes in the process of healing himself. I feel bad for everybody down in Australia and New Zealand, but were excited to get back to full force and come back stronger and healthier than ever. Along the way, theres obviously an occasional bump in the road. But its been an incredible ride, and were looking forward to getting back down there, hopefully next year.