Hetfield with the VH4 in the new album teaser.

[scottph]

There's not really that much to share actually. It's not what most people would think it is. It's very busy, not a lot of time to hang - especially with the band. They are very guarded in the sense that they don't "hang out" with the crew. Only few people have actual access to them, although we all have AAA-passes.
Specific questions would be easier to answer...

I can share some nice pics, although I think I posted some of them before:

This is from the Novarock Festival near Vienna in 06:

Berlin 06 before the crowd got in:

Berlin 06 setlist and the place I worked at:

Berlin 06, me in the background filming the M&G for Metontour:

Me in Arnheim, Holland in 06:

Again Arnheim and the place I worked at:

Some backstage stuff Arnheim and Novarock in 06:

07 tour stuff:

Lisbon 07:

Vienna 07:

London 07:

Oslo 07:

Can't find Stockholm 07, but Helsinki:

Same ol same really - nothing spectacular.

 

[diezel&gas]

maybe i'll go to theBologna cocert in July here in Italy. i live in Sardina, a little far from Bologna

 

[petereanima]

vienna 07 was absolutely awesome!

and is that mastodon @ london using the VH4-stack?

 

[Joeytpg]

Nice Scott...looks like you had some fun.

Some specific questions then:

1) How did you score the job for MetClub?

2) Which one of the band members you dug the most after "hanging out" around them for a while?

3) Talk to me about James' and Kirk's rigs.

3.1)How much is James' tone VH4 for real (because he has those Triaxis which he blends with the Vh4)

3.2)What was Kirk using? The same Rect rack with the Mesa poweramp?

 

[flownomis]

awesome, thanks for the pics, nice to know that brend hinds REALLY uses th vh4, i only speaculated about it.

once agaan thx for the pics, if you have more, show them
the metclub forum is to unübersichtlich geworden

hattest du da nicht mal nen thread mit bildern aus dem hq oder so? du hattest sowas doch mal angedeutet das du bilder vom equipment hättest. wär der hammer wenn du die mal posten könntest.

 

[scottph]

vienna 07 was absolutely awesome!

and is that mastodon @ london using the VH4-stack?

Yep. Brend uses it live. I did have some closeups and you can see it's mic'ed.

 

[scottph]

Nice Scott...looks like you had some fun.

Some specific questions then:

1) How did you score the job for MetClub?

2) Which one of the band members you dug the most after "hanging out" around them for a while?

3) Talk to me about James' and Kirk's rigs.

3.1)How much is James' tone VH4 for real (because he has those Triaxis which he blends with the Vh4)

3.2)What was Kirk using? The same Rect rack with the Mesa poweramp?

I'll try to answer as best as I can:

1. I have known the guys at the club for a long time, the past guys like Nic that is. After Nic left in 04 other people took over, and I offered my services and they took me onboard. There's been some "differences" in 07, so I doubt I'll work there on the upcoming tour.

2. Tough question...they all have their positive sides. Kirk for example is extremely mellow, easy going. Very well-mannered. Lars is absolutely unbelievable. He'll remember you after years, most likely by name, and definately where he saw you before. Unreal - very smart guy, and extremely helpful. James, the new James that is, is...well...a presence so to speak. The man fills the room...all eyes are on him. Just a very strong presence. Rob is very laid back, very talkative, an all around nice guy. Now, keep in mind that this is from random encounters over a period of many years. My first "work" on a tour was in 03, but I have met them as early as 85.

3. Rigs...mostly speculation with some facts - I haven't talked to either Zach or anyone else about this, just stuff I heard and observed. James cleans come mostly from the Roland. The distortion is pretty evenly split between the VH4 and the Mesas. Most of the "hard" distortion comes from the VH4...St. Anger and the downtuned stuff, but also some of the other songs. As for Kirk I'm not really sure...I saw his rig, but forgot to take pics...it's pretty busy back there and you don't want to get in the way. I'm pretty certain it's been Mesas for the most part. In the tuning room James uses a DualRec T-verb 2x12 combo mostly.

 

[scottph]

awesome, thanks for the pics, nice to know that brend hinds REALLY uses th vh4, i only speaculated about it.

once agaan thx for the pics, if you have more, show them
the metclub forum is to unübersichtlich geworden

hattest du da nicht mal nen thread mit bildern aus dem hq oder so? du hattest sowas doch mal angedeutet das du bilder vom equipment hättest. wär der hammer wenn du die mal posten könntest.

Ich schau mal bei Gelegenheit was ich so finde.

 

[Joeytpg]

Thanks for sharing Scott.

In the Book Joe Berlinger wrote "This monster lives" he says that james has a very very strong presence, it'l like the room stops when he enters. A real true rock star.

 

[scottph]

That's definately the case. I witnessed this on several occasions during M&G's and other events. In 06 when they played Novarock in Austria there was this area backstage which was for the other bands and everyone was hanging out in there, like Motörhead, Stone Sour, BFMV, and so on, and when James showed up in there to say "Hi!" everyone was just in shock - literally. You could have heard a needle dropping to the floor. All those "rock stars" had this look on their face - you know "Damn it's Hetfield! :-O" It was pretty funny.

 

[Sam Laming]

vienna 07 was absolutely awesome!

and is that mastodon @ london using the VH4-stack?

Yep. Brend uses it live. I did have some closeups and you can see it's mic'ed.

That was his first time using it live though I believe, Jamie of Diezel UK told me, he was there side stage!

 

[Joeytpg]

That's definately the case. I witnessed this on several occasions during M&G's and other events. In 06 when they played Novarock in Austria there was this area backstage which was for the other bands and everyone was hanging out in there, like Motörhead, Stone Sour, BFMV, and so on, and when James showed up in there to say "Hi!" everyone was just in shock - literally. You could have heard a needle dropping to the floor. All those "rock stars" had this look on their face - you know "Damn it's Hetfield! :-O" It was pretty funny.

Yeah that's EXACTLY how Joe discribed it. The first day of filming (when S.K.O.M. wasn't even a "movie") they were in a hotel room waiting to start the therapy with Jason (he wasn't even officially out of the band yet), JAmes was running late and when he entered the room, it's like the time stopped. Everyone simply shut up and stared at the mighty Het.

You know, knowing this now gives me a better understanding on how difficult was it REALLY for JAmes to get over some of his "selfishness" and "mightiness", it must have been very hard to get rid of this "larger than life frontman of metallica" image man. I've heard that after therapy and all that James really humbled A LOT and he's WAAAY more open and "human" now, and EVEN AFTER ALL THAT, the guy still holds that "greek god" type of vibe.

It must be REALLY cool to presence that (what you shared), specially after seeing James since I was 15 and pretty much idolizing him. I find it dissapointed when you look after someone and they end up being a totally wrong person you though they were.

 

[fearhk213]

vienna 07 was absolutely awesome!

and is that mastodon @ london using the VH4-stack?

Yep. Brend uses it live. I did have some closeups and you can see it's mic'ed.

That was his first time using it live though I believe, Jamie of Diezel UK told me, he was there side stage!

So was he running it together with the Marshall too, or was he switching between the two?

 

[scottph]

That's definately the case. I witnessed this on several occasions during M&G's and other events. In 06 when they played Novarock in Austria there was this area backstage which was for the other bands and everyone was hanging out in there, like Motörhead, Stone Sour, BFMV, and so on, and when James showed up in there to say "Hi!" everyone was just in shock - literally. You could have heard a needle dropping to the floor. All those "rock stars" had this look on their face - you know "Damn it's Hetfield! :-O" It was pretty funny.

Yeah that's EXACTLY how Joe discribed it. The first day of filming (when S.K.O.M. wasn't even a "movie") they were in a hotel room waiting to start the therapy with Jason (he wasn't even officially out of the band yet), JAmes was running late and when he entered the room, it's like the time stopped. Everyone simply shut up and stared at the mighty Het.

You know, knowing this now gives me a better understanding on how difficult was it REALLY for JAmes to get over some of his "selfishness" and "mightiness", it must have been very hard to get rid of this "larger than life frontman of metallica" image man. I've heard that after therapy and all that James really humbled A LOT and he's WAAAY more open and "human" now, and EVEN AFTER ALL THAT, the guy still holds that "greek god" type of vibe.

It must be REALLY cool to presence that (what you shared), specially after seeing James since I was 15 and pretty much idolizing him. I find it dissapointed when you look after someone and they end up being a totally wrong person you though they were.

It wasn't as "bad" before the therapy though man. Het was way more into the touring thing back then and it was easier to hang with him if you got backstage - chicks mostly...the good ol' times.

I imagine it's really difficult for him to still have that aura - even more so imo after he sobered up.

Btw, don't get the wrong idea: It's not like I'm "buddys" with those guys. I know em, and they usually remember me. Just to make that clear.

 

[Joeytpg]

sure thing man....you never said you were friends with them hehehe.

But you''ve met them before, a few times so of course you have more based than other that have only met them for minutes at time.

 

[scottph]

True.

 

[4nkam]

I got to look at James' rig last night and yeah, the VH4's are still there. The only major change is that he's using the 290 poweramps instead of the Strategy 400.

 

[4nkam]

Here's a pic I took of james' vh4s last night

 

[frantic77]

do you have pics of the VH4 settings too?

 

[scottph]

I got to look at James' rig last night and yeah, the VH4's are still there. The only major change is that he's using the 290 poweramps instead of the Strategy 400.

Thanks for that info Monty!