Kirk Hammett's First Shows

April 1, 1983, Exodus founder Kirk Hammett received a call to audition for Metallica. He quickly flew to New York to meet the band at a rehearsal spot in Jamaica, Queens. His first audition song was "Seek & Destroy," and he noted while the group was playing that James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich kept smiling at each other. Kirk later said that he was thinking, "Wow, they must really enjoy this song - or maybe there’s something else going on that I don’t know about."​

Kirk's first show with Metallica was at The Showplace, Dover, New Jersey, April 16, 1983. The band started recording Kill 'Em All together May 10, 1983. It was then Kirk realized that he probably got the gig.​​

IMAGES:​

Kirk's first show with Metallica, The Showplace, Dover, New Jersey, April 16, 1983. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich​​

Black and white photos of one of Kirk Hammett's earliest shows with Metallica, circa 1983. Photos: Kevin Hodapp. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich​

​Color photos of Kirk Hammett's earliest shows with Metallica, circa 1983. From the Collection of Lars Ulrich