Metallica Reunites With Jason Newsted at Anniversary Gig

Celebrating their 30th anniversary last night (Dec. 5) with the first of four special shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Metallica reunited with Jason Newsted, the bassist who, over the course of 14 years, played on their biggest-selling records.

Newsted, who's performed with Canadian tech-thrash pioneers Voivod since leaving the group in 2001, joined his former metal brethren for 'Harvester of Sorrow,' a song from 1988's '...And Justice for All,' Rolling Stone reports. Afterward, at the urging of frontman James Hetfield, he stuck around for one more, 'Damage Inc.,' a 1986 track recorded before he joined the band.

Newsted's predecessor, Cliff Burton, died in a bus accident in 1986, and at Monday's anniversary show, the late bass great's father, Ray, was among the special guests.

Others included Metal Church guitarist John Marshall, members of Diamond Head and Saxon singer Biff Byford, all of whom surfaced during the second half of the six-hour event, as Metallica took the stage and ripped through a set packed with rarities.

At one point, drummer Lars Ulrich announced that the band would play 'Lulu,' their much-derided Lou Reed collaboration, "in its entirety," but luckily, he was only kidding. Even at a gig attended by super fans, he might have started a riot.

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