Roger Waters Slams James Hetfield's 'Apolitical' Sphere Speech
Roger Waters attacked Metallica frontman James Hetfield over his October 10, 2026 speech at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Hetfield made the remarks during the fourth of Metallica's 10 scheduled Sphere concerts.
What Hetfield said and the Macklemore context
Hetfield thanked fans for the time, travel and money they spent attending the concert. He said Metallica was not there to influence listeners with other entertainers' “bullshit,” but wanted the audience to forget the outside world. He described the band's agenda as “love, energy and heavy music.” Hetfield named no artist, though many people interpreted his remarks as a possible reference to Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour. Macklemore was removed after making pro Palestinian and anti-ICE comments onstage. The other support acts and Sheeran's backing band later left the tour in solidarity.
Waters' response
Waters answered during an appearance on The Katie Halper Show. He called Hetfield a “prick,” said he had an “IQ of about three,” and dismissed him as a “nobody” and “no musician.” Waters also claimed that Metallica's acoustic playing was “appalling.” He argued that kindness mattered more than loud music and movement onstage, then ended with a call for Palestinian solidarity. Critics contrasted Hetfield's position with political and social subjects in Metallica's catalog, including the environmental destruction addressed in “Blackened” and the horrors of war depicted in “One.”
What comes next
Metallica's Sphere residency continues through March 2027. Waters is scheduled to begin his Pink Floyd Legacy tour in February 2027.
Why this matters to guitar players
The dispute raises a direct question about how players interpret the message behind the music they perform. Hetfield framed Metallica's concerts as an escape centered on love, energy and heavy music, while Waters argued that musicians should take an explicit position on Palestinian solidarity. For guitar players studying Metallica's riffs and songwriting, the debate also puts the subjects of “Blackened” and “One” back beside the band's public comments. Those songs address environmental destruction and war, respectively.
(Compiled)