TBS Report
18 October, 2026, 09:35 pm
Last modified: 18 October, 2026, 09:35 pm
The row began at Metallica's residency at Las Vegas's Sphere. On 10 October 2026, frontman James Hetfield told the crowd the band were not there "to influence you with their bullshit", adding that Metallica's "agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby". He named no one, but many read it as a swipe at musicians who air political views onstage, coming weeks after a controversy involving Macklemore and Ed Sheeran.
Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd bassist and an outspoken pro-Palestinian campaigner, hit back on The Katie Halper Show. He branded Hetfield "a prick" and "a nobody", claiming he had "an IQ of about three".
Waters then questioned the band's musicianship outright: "He's no musician. I heard them playing acoustic instruments, and they couldn't. It was appalling." He added it was a shame nobody had taught Hetfield that "being kind is way more important than all that loud music and bouncing around".
Hetfield has not publicly responded. Despite talk of a feud, the barbs have so far flowed one way, and the clash is rooted in politics as much as music.