As our own Sam J. reported the other day in a VIP post, Metallica frontman James Hetfield slammed entertainers who use their concerts to promote their political views. "Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bulls**t," Hetfield announced.

Ethnomusicologist and heavy metal journalist Dr. Laina Dawes heard that and concluded that "there are always politics at play, especially in metal" (especially in metal?), adding that she had never been called the N-word as many times as she had at a Metallica show she was photographing in 2010.

Community Notes questioned her story:

Readers added context they thought people might want to know

Metallica played no regular public concerts in the US in 2010, only a private event. The author previously described a similar incident at Metallica shows she covered in Toronto in 2009.

This was the doctorate in ethnomusicology speaking, not the heavy metal journalist. We even doubt the "heavy metal journalist" credential at this point, given the claim "there are always politics at play, especially in metal." It's boomers like Bruce Springsteen who pull up a chair to give political lectures in the middle of shows.

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