Cliff Burton's First Shows

​March 5, 1983, Cliff Burton performed with Metallica for the first time. The gig was at The Stone in San Francisco, California, with guests Lååz Rockit and Exodus (featuring guitarist Kirk Hammett). By April, Cliff was playing in New York and New Jersey on Metallica's first East Coast tour.​

IMAGES:​

Black and white photograph of Cliff Burton performing in his fifth show with Metallica, The Showplace, Dover, New Jersey, April 16, 1983. Photo: Kevin Hodapp. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich​

Flyer from The Stone, San Francisco, March 5, 1983, Cliff Burton's first performance with Metallica. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich​

​Color photographs of Cliff Burton performing for one of the first times as a member of Metallica, 1983. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich ​

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton, and Dave Mustaine in front of the Metallica backdrop, April 9, 1983. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich

AUDIO:

Audio clip of an unreleased interview with Ron Quintana about Cliff Burton's time in Trauma, his earliest days with Metallica, and how his musical taste influenced the band. Interview by Steffan Chirazi originally intended for the SiriusXM Mandatory Metallica channel, 2021. From the Metallica Collection​