By the end of Day 2 at Boston Calling, things looked a lot different than the organizers had originally planned.

Of course, the headliners for Day 1, Friday, May 27, were going to be Foo Fighters, but following the tragic and unexpected death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, they canceled all of their live shows for the rest of the year. In response, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails stepped up to the plate to help out the Foos, covering the headlining slot.

But then as the festival kicked off last week, it was announced that due to a positive COVID case, Saturday's headliners, The Strokes, had to drop out, too. Reznor and company filled in, headlining a second night.

Get our free mobile app

As the final day of Boston Calling kicked off on Sunday, May 29, fans weren't sure if another lineup change or some other surprise might pop up, but fortunately, the day rolled on pretty much as expected with performances by bands like Japanese Breakfast, DJO, Modest Mouse and Weezer.

This also meant that Metallica were still on track to close out the weekend.

As many in the audience noticed, it seemed like Metallica drew the biggest audience of Boston Calling this year. They performed with an obvious enthusiasm and energy—and the crowd responded in kind.

Now, fans can stream and download the full performance of the recent New England gig at LiveMetallica.com and nugs.net.

LiveMetallica.com - Boston Calling
LiveMetallica.com, Blackened Recordings
loading...

While the setlist didn't include any huge surprises—though, who can say no to a live performance of "Holier Than Thou" or "Battery"—the band played with a distinct excitement. The last time they were in Boston, or anywhere near New England, was five years ago when they played Gillette Stadium on their WorldWired tour.

Metallica were clearly grateful to be back in Boston, and the tens of thousands of screaming fans were obviously excited about their return, too.

There were some really amazing performances of classic tracks like "One" and "Master of Puppets," but two of the highlights came courtesy of the humanity of James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett.

First, during "Fade to Black," Hetfield addressed the crowd and encouraged them to trust their friends and family if they ever "felt the struggle." It was a powerful, unforgettable moment, and though Hetfield has shared similar sentiments at previous shows, you can never hear his message of hope enough. You can see the video via our Instagram below.

Watch James Hetfield Share Some Hope With Boston Calling Audience

Second, and on a much lighter note, during the band's encore, Hammett messed up the intro of "Nothing Else Matters," and he totally owned it. He fell to the ground and then jumped back up and told Boston he got distracted by how "kick ass you are." You can see the video and read more about the performance here.

With BottleRock and Boston Calling in the books, Metallica are preparing for their next shows. They kick off their European run on June 15 with a stop at Copenhagen's metal festival known as Copenhell and then will hit the Netherlands, Italy, Czech Republic and plenty of other countries, wrapping things up on July 8 at NOS Alive in Lisbon, Portugal.

As of now, they only have three remaining shows in the U.S.: July 28 at Lollapalooza in Chicago; Aug. 11 at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo; and Aug. 14 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Watch Footage of Metallica Performing "Sad But True" at Boston Calling

Here Are Some of Our Favorite Metallica T-Shirts

Metallica have not only created some of the best heavy metal in the last 40 years, they've also created some of the most iconic T-shirts. In the last four decades, they've worked with incredible artists like Pushead, Brian Ewing and others to bring their songs and albums to life. In the gallery below, we've picked out some of our favorite T-shirts that are currently available at Metallica's official online store. Which one is your favorite?

Some of Our Favorite Live Photos of Lars Ulrich

As iconic as James Hetfield is, as much of a shredder as Kirk Hammett is and as crazy as Robert Trujillo is onstage, there might be no member more associated with Metallica than Lars Ulrich.

Afterall, he's the reason the band even exists. He's a major part of the songwriting process. He's the voice that stood up for Metallica and musicians across the globe in the wake of Napster.

After hours and hours of rifling through photos of Ulrich, we whittled this list down to just a few of our favorite live shots from the last 20 years. Of course, there's no way to encapsulate Ulrich in a mere photograph, but as you will no doubt be able to tell, you can get pretty close.

More From Ultimate Metallica