Did Metallica fake Lars drums in official video from Download Festival?

I've seen some discussion about whether Lars drums on the official live video of One is fake. I usually don't bother but I thought it was fun to compare the official video with a video recording from the audience to see if it differed.
Official video:
• Metallica: One (Castle...
Fan video:
• ‘One/Entersandman’ by ...
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#metallica #download #larsulrich

[@DEADLINETV]

I think they did "too good of a job", especially on the double kick part. Lars was never that tight so they should've programmed some inconsistencies too. It probably had to be done quickly, but it's now so obvious that people are noticing. But yeah, I get your point!

[@hoborec]

Yeah they could have easily programmed the kicks a bit more “realistic”

[@fam.hunger5244]

If you believe that, then I recommend you to take a look at the cell phone video shot by fans on the current tour, filmed from the Snake Pit.

[@stanfordkoch1271]

Glad when i saw them in amsterdam he really played the double bass as should. I think alot of bands these days do these kinds of stuff

[@slugcult-10_years_and]

Instead of Metallica spending tons of money on editing their live performances to make it sound good for their online audiences, Lars should pay attention to his drumming skills and practice more so he can make his performances sound better for his audiences that pay hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars to see him play alive. It's a disgusting spit in the face to his fans.

[@jordanalbano9780]

swing was set at 0

[@frankgrimes7388]

Justify it however you like, but Lars has always had problems with kick drums.

[@SEbdeViaje]

Minus 'kick'

[@amedeoconti9588]

Who are you? XD

[@shallex5744]

@@amedeoconti9588 ?

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

I feel like sample replacement isn’t faking it, as most things have separate video/streaming mixes than monitor mixes and FOH mixes. Often times the live feed is more of a ‘studio’ vibe vs FOH. So sample replacement makes sense to have on the ‘live’ feed as it often is delayed a bit and can have some latency and more plugins and what not on there for more polish. Altering performances is a no go in my book. That’s not right or fair to the fans. That being said, I’m okay with overdubs altered to the original recording and stuff like that to enhance the original live recording. But as soon as you change the live performance red flag for a live recording imo.

[@Jayteaseepiirturi]

I think I'm on your boat here. Lars has been pretty tight after the pandemic. As for what we heard here, it sounds a bit like a setup, mixing or miking issue, because in parts you can actually hear the triplets coming in as ordered. At least in the beginning of it. But perhaps a bit of a step back has happened for him. A also agree that... you know, I think we want to hear the gory glory of it. It's live music and that's what happens. It you mess it up, let us hear it. It's arguably the best part.

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve redone the drums. He messed up so much even my non drumming friends went ‘ooo’ at how badly out of time he was getting. We walked away early because it was just sad to watch the other 3 being dragged down so hard by him.

[@simplebutnotsolongname6642]

Have to disagree. Watched him live in theatres for the Texas show and he was excellent. And you can’t redo drums on the fly while broadcasting your show live without it being obvious.

[@jennaleigh5782]

You left the shows early?

[@Jimboishere11]

@@simplebutnotsolongname6642you’d be surprised at what can be done. Especially with Metallicas budget 😂

[@MikeOxlong-]

Hahaha! This way way too funny to stumble across. A time ago (2-3 years) I was rewatching a clip of Metallica live in Montreal playing AJFA (the background had pillars lit up in green and it was an outdoor show) - and I saw a number of oddities with Lars’s playing that I couldn’t get over. Right from the beginning too… and holy cow was o chastised by everyone in the comments over what I had to say. This all but confirms what I’ve been hearing since way back then (and that particular show has got to be 10+ years old)… The first thing you’ll immediately notice is how the toms sound. In his kit during their first 5 albums he had the 4 giant toms up front, and in AJFA they’re used extensively. Starting right in the beginning by hitting them from left to right creating a downwards tone or sound. Well in the recording of that show it was clear to me that not only were there phantom hits (visuals not matching the audio), but as he’s now only got the two toms up front he hits them multiple times where he should be hitting a tom that’s missing, yet you can hear the tone lowering in sound clear as day (along with several instances of hearing the sounds while nothing was being “played” visually)… It’s too bad you can’t leave links now, but it should be easy to find that video by my description. Check it out and have a laugh plus realize this has been ongoing for quite a long time now (at least since 2008 or earlier), whether people believe it or not (like it or not)!! At the time (not knowing what was possible) I remarked by saying that there was either someone else with another kit playing behind the stage, or that the sound was being electronically modified. No one believed it. Now I know it’s true… 😂😂😂

[@Czyszy]

I quite dig that retroflex Swedish pronunciation of Lars Ulrich you chose to use in this vid.

[@billyhughes9776]

Bro -- great vid. And you're so right, even back in the DAY when we just had live albums bands would take the tapes back into the studio and overdub/fix parts to make it sound better. I've read/heard all the stories about the KISS Alive records and doctoring them after the fact.

[@paszTube]

Wasn’t there some live album of a big metal band that had rythm guitars playing during guitar solos, but they had only one guitarist? Can’t remember what it was

[@ogd3thst4r93]

Just cuz other bands did it doesn't make it better. It's a sign of corporate hacks that are nothing but amateurs.

[@liquifex]

KISS literally put out an entire video about how much they doctored their live shit. It has been going on forever and I don't care one bit. Lars played/wrote these parts, he did that. It's like an aging singer who can't hit the high notes anymore, but he's the drummer. The fact we have someone his age playing this style of music is actually one of the first times we're seeing it if you think about it lol. I was 12 when MoP came out. Who knew we'd be here so many years later. We're just starting to see high level rappers and metal musicians play at this age. Rob Halford, who I love for the music he made, cannot hit his note at all anymore and has been like that for a long time. But people go because it's Priest. It's Metallica.

[@paszTube]

What I find odd is that I rarely hear people complain about the quantized to death, all velocities set to 127 drum tracks, equally quantized to death bass and guitar parts, robotic sounding autotuned (and quantized!) vocals in modern (metal) productions. I say modern but that quantizing and tuning shit has been going on for maybe 25 years now. I get why producers want to fix distracting fuck ups in recordings (often easier and quicker to do that doing overdubs and retakes) but I get the feeling a lot of producers are just lazy. Select all -> conform to grid / quantize -> done!

[@r.deanmcknight136]

As some one who grew up with Metallica from the beginning, gen x here, and has seen Metallica numerous times in concert as well as hung out with at various venues, Lars hasn't been this tight on double bass since And Justice For All. You can really tell how bad he was when the album St Anger came out, he really struggled with that one and it wasn't tight either

[@DavidOakesMusic]

*NEWSFLASH* Every band touches up their live audio / video . EVERY ONE OF THEM.

[@hoborec]

Of course! I’ve done it to 👍

[@johnpeters8060]

apparently, on the famous Frampton live performance, the only real element that remains in the audio is the high hat…. So they basically just kept the tempo map and studio recorded the rest.

[@wjm123]

i think the edits are fine as it allows for a better listening experience, what people don't want is to feel cheated thinking that the performance is entirely authentic, perhaps just be transparent and include some disclaimer that the performance has been edited or some sort.

[@hoborec]

That’s a good point! If they included some disclaimer about it people wouldn’t make such a big deal about it.

[@conormcqregor4393]

Lars is the reason I started drumming, but yeah he prob should take some drum lessons lol

[@basteeeee8888]

Yeah, same

[@FreeFeetPics69]

Great video by the way! I believe Lars uses drum triggers live, and most of the inaudible bass drum hits are on Lars' left, which is his least dominant foot that doesn't quite hit the drum hard enough for the trigger to... Well, trigger😅 I don't disagree that there has been fixes here and there for the live audio, but on their performance of Blackened the night before, Lars stops playing the the double bass part after the first chorus too early, and if they did much audio fixing, you'd think they would have altered the live audio so it sounded like he played the whole thing

[@DruBaGuiCovers]

The triggers are the input signal for the gate to open and the gate threshold is to high so the gate won’t open at times. When you lower the threshold it might open for some louder snare hits aswell and that might sound like shit, idk. But there has to be a solution because this occurs since FOH is doing someone else than it used to be and it has never been a problem until then. That‘s clearly an FOH issue and I cannot believe that it hasn’t been fixed yet.

[@MannyGuevara-uq7by]

I agree alot

[@Kalavinka623]

Shit happens at festivals. I was at Psycho Las Vegas 2 years ago and the sound for Mayhem and Wolves in the Throne Room started off rough as hell.

[@hoborec]

Yeah, that’s why I’m hesitant to run live sound. To much that can go wrong and I don’t have nerves for that.

[@leif7474]

Of course their is something wrong with the sound!! Seen them live 4 times on this tour. They have played One before and after this performance at Download and the doubble bass sounded absolutely normal. Everybody knows Lars isn´t that great BUT he is nowhere near this bad. Their are probably hundred live versions of the song out their and none of it sounds like this. So if Lars isn´t having some kind of physical breakdown here, the problem is 100% sound technical.

[@michelhawat7525]

Great video! Seen them from the production area. Sound wasn't so good. Was too drunk tho! After years in the field I know that most bands does the same. Not defending Metallica but it was super hot with long sets. Not easy.

It looks like one of the drums had problems with either mic, or a trigger. It's obviously corrected, but we'll probalby never know if not hearing one of his drums threw him off, or did he run out of stamina, or if he played it right but not quite in pocket as the corrected version is not even knowing that one of his drums is inaudible.

[@andreasrowicki6393]

Thanks for doing some fine research and a/b comparison of the two recordings. Personally think it’s totally legit to do some adjustments and make a mix that sounds good. It’s been done since multitracking was invented, double-tracking guitars and replace solos etc. I rather listen to something that actually sounds good than accurate if the preformence doesn’t cut it. 😂

[@paszTube]

Amen… One could argue they could have decided “let’s not release this bad performance” though. But if 99% of the performance is great, why not fix that 1%, so the live recording can be enjoyed without distracing fuckups, right? So the song is 99% live heh heh. Btw the people in the crowd don’t seem bothered much or at all by the fuckups. Well most of them anyway.

[@skatterpro]

But the problem is that Lars consistently let fans down when they go to see Metallica live. A live recording is never going to be as monumental as seeing the band perform live - which is where effort should be directed. Clearly there's more effort being put into the promotion material (recorded audio) than the actual experience, and that is both sad and disingenous.

[@paszTube]

@@skatterpro if Ulrich always fucks up these parts they should either stop playing this song live and stick to songs they can play, or he should practice harder…

[@paszTube]

…but it’s never that simple of course!

[@alightinthedarkness6795]

​@@paszTubeJust stop playing one lol. It's a tough song to play on drums and he wrote the thing 30 years ago and doesn't quite have the stamina anymore. But I've seen Metallica live and lars could honestly just play simple 1234 beats through the whole song and the audience would still go ape shit. Metallica fans are insane and love One. It's the vibe and the clean guitar and the lyrics that drive that song.

[@snowandcoal]

So now after many decades I know how his last name is pronounced.

[@hoborec]

I’m probably wrong though 😂

[@lewisrichards3083]

The mic on the left base drum wasn't going through the PA. Thats why it sounded like he was playing 3 base drum hits instead of 6. You can even see the vibration on the heads of the base drums. He was playing it you just didn't hear it. Also of course they cleaned it up for KZbin.

[@mannysmiclocker]

I believe you Ulf! You are one of the most honest peeps I know Mofo!

[@hoborec]

Haha I don't know shit. I just say what I hear.

[@Jayteaseepiirturi]

I would argue that it's the miking or mixing. The thing is, from some audience recordings since the lock-up you can actually hear Lars being tight AF. But I guess he's deteriorated from that time again. Which... well, that's Lars. I've grown to know and love it. Metallica, warts and all. There's no question that Lars could definitely do better. But having that said, they've started fixing the Live Metallica releases which I personally don't approve of. Just let us hear it in its crappy glory or lack thereof. If you're gonna document every show, then do it. The charm of Live Metallica has always been that it's warts and all. Aftertouches like this just... cop out from the feeling of an actual recording from the event. Sample replacement, okay, sure. But fixing the playing? NU-UH! Also here, listen to it. You can hear the triplets coming in. Not perfectly every time but they're there. The Kick 1 we can hear in a clear triplet format and Kick 2 IS there very quietly. That's why I tend to stick with what I said originally.

[@OriginalThisAndThat]

BUT guitar pats may also cause hassle in tempo, and sound totally off sometimes

[@andyje]

the kicks are probably triggered or sample replaced, but there's "issues" in the fan video that would consistent with the FOH going to hell

[@fclefjefff4041]

I don't get the point of repeating exactly what he says in the video

[@TheGarageRecordingSC]

Yeah we all love to give Lars a bunch of s***, but he did do a lot for metal, along with his band. And you're absolutely right, this stuff has been done forever. Kiss did it to the total extreme back in the day!! They practically re-tracked everything in the studio and only added in crowd noise!!! 😂😂

[@ericvandruten]

that's a good argument. counter-argument would be that, when he did do a lot for metal (i'll leave out the Napster joke) the ticket price was less than one fifth of today's ticket price. One might expect him to dedicate to getting his double-bass routines up to the right level, as does - say - Danny Carey.

[@TheGarageRecordingSC]

@@ericvandruten absolutely, I think he should definitely be able to perform his own material, especially when asking people to plop down their hard earned money for a ticket.

[@simplebutnotsolongname6642]

Ticket prices has to do with artists not being able to viably profit from music anymore. Musicianship has no factor in it.

[@ericvandruten]

@@simplebutnotsolongname6642- if I play on a festival, and I know that fans are gonna pay 60 euros to come and watch us (and other bands of course) play, I'll make damn sure my playing is well up and beyond par.

[@simplebutnotsolongname6642]

@@ericvandruten Sure. As did Lars. I don’t believe he’s incapable of it, saw his performance in Theatres broadcasting their Texas Show live (impossible to be doctored up on The fly), his Double Bass was rumbling in the speakers with little sloppiness or lag in the hits; he played them well. Here, perhaps it’s a problem with the mics or something. In any case, my point was that ticket prices doesn’t necessarily reflect on just the musicianship of the Artist, since you implied that Lars had done better back when it was Cheaper then. There’s also other factors to justify ticket prices; your mileage may vary.

[@novemberzed9163]

Last year, Flemming Rasmussen held an interview at a local venue after which a Metallica coverband played. He said that Lars struggled with simpler grooves when they recorded, but complex stuff, like the doublekick in One, that was all done in one take. Perhaps Lars just stopped paying attention to his playing after 1988.

[@MannyGuevara-uq7by]

Maybe he is hitting the right kick hard amf hitting the left kick softly?

[@victorbicudo1374]

2:44 are you really taking in consideration a recording made from a phone tha was being held up?

[@hoborec]

Nope, I didn’t. I realised after I made the video. Don’t know why I didn’t think about it.

[@Last_Exit_Drummer]

I love Lars but his drumming has been just plain wrong. He overplays everything except the important bits that ppl want to hear. He looks uncomfortable when he plays and his sticks weigh as much as the moon. Admittedly I’m only 46 and I look for ways now to pace myself but if I was Lars I would at least just play the record. He always said he played for the song, he doesn’t he overplays the song. Having said that, I’m glad he’s still playing lol.

[@BR_L1nx]

I know I am a bit late... But anyway, I was there. His mic was indeed not working at the start (the audio in their video is either "fake" or they have a separate mic for their official recordings?), and the double bass sounded really mid live. I was at the very front and couldn't hear it. It could be the mic still not working, or he just used a single bass as he was tired. HOWEVER, his double bass sounded really good during 72 seasons and other songs they played. Was a great experience for my first concert ever. EDIT: Ok, I just watched your vid now and noticed how at 5:37 you can't hear his kick/bass drum. What I think happened is his second bass drum's mic really wasn't working. Reason is if you watch their official videos, Lars for some weird reason uses the left bass drum by itself sometimes instead of using his right bass drum (drummers usually dont do that?), so it could be he was trying to play his left bass drum there as he sometimes does BUT it didn't work (maybe he noticed through the stage monitors) and thats why he fixes the bass afterwards. But it's just a theory...

[@kevinjohnbos1302]

I am a drummer and actually it is quite common to use the left foot for single notes that are on the "off" or "in-between" beats even when it would be easy to do them with the right foot. This is because it helps to teach your brain that the right foot is for the "main" beats (If you're playing eighth-notes this would be the beats on which your lead hand typically strikes a cymbal or hi-hat; your 1, 2, 3, and 4s) and the left foot is for the notes in between (the "+"s in a typical "1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +" count). That way, when you play sections of double-bass that begin on an "in-between" note you're not as likely to literally start off on the wrong foot. This is useful because playing a double-bass pattern with the lefts and rights reversed can be surprisingly difficult even though it seems like it shouldn't make a difference because it messes with your muscle memory.

[@ulf793]

Glad you did this I've played drums for 30 years & worked as a drum tech with a signed pro band on tours. As far back as "Death Magnetic" which I was there for he can't play the double kick part in "One" anymore he is possibly the worst pro drummer I've heard or seen live. Cleaning up live recordings has been a thing for years that's not an issue the issue is when you physically do NOT play the part fans hear live then it appears on your official video, that's not right & is plain scamming your own fans.

[@jk-76]

This

[@NintenDub]

For 30 years, the break in one, has always been sloppy from lars. It should be 6 hits total. And hed usuall.flub em or pull off 3 or 4 or most of the time 3. They played it on howard stern i believe several years back and that oart was atrocious. He cant and never had played it metronomically on. Its added in after by engineer's

[@CyrilViXP]

These "mixing issues" in the beginning are probably just the finger of the fan on his camera microphone :)

[@hoborec]

Nope, it’s on all the fan videos I watched.

[@CyrilViXP]

@@hoborec ah, ok then

[@Salvamachine]

that's sad for me is NOT the fact that the official video was edited But the fact that a musician professionist of that importance isn't able to play well his own tracks/parts (sorry for my poor english, i'm italian)

[@adammassacre1981]

2:59 theres always that one chick lol

[@RenanBEreanSound]

Man, what a bad drum programming, a 6 years old could program better velocities / natural timing in those kicks. The fun thing is, 99% of Metallica fans wont give a fuck about it. It's just a topic for us producers to have fun. Btw, total love and respect for Metallica and lars

[@hoborec]

Haha yeah both the kicks and snares sounds like machine guns. I mean they could at least have done it to sound somewhat believable.

[@agrofindastation]

It was on the second kit out at the front of the stage. So the conspiracy theory that it was a hardware issue and the second kick mic wasnt working could be true. Is it? Well, probably not.

[@1848revolt]

Yes. Its already known.

[@whiteclash]

LOL !!! Blame it on the soundguy !

[@hoborec]

Haha who else forgot to turn up the drums in the beginning? 😂

[@andreasrowicki6393]

It could also be a Issue with the PA-system or the sound distribution network. Since the guitars also drops a bit in sound volume in the beginning Or Both. Lars have serveral drumsets on stage and the foh-engineer may have forgotten to turn on the right kit.

[@hoborec]

@@andreasrowicki6393 so much stuff that can go wrong. This is why I don’t have the nerves to work FOH. I would totally stress out.

[@andreasrowicki6393]

That is what I like about foh work, you only got one Chance! It can be a bit of adrenaline rush sometimes;-)

[@claywoodslim1511]

To be honest, I wonder why they don't fix it live. I mean, if he can't play the double kick drum pattern, they could easily have a rodie or something playing that part on a sample trigger backstage and just mute his kickdrum on that part of the song and he'd probably get away with it.

[@Ticonderous1]

All i can say is lucky Lars is not in Slipknot ... They fired Jay and Joey for far less ...

[@juke925]

Great comparison. I'm OK with bands fixing live audio for official published recordings. I tend to consider published live recordings as a general representation of a band's live performance. An audience member's experience will likely be different depending on where they are relative to the stage.

[@markwhite1348]

From being there i can confirm something did sound odd with Lars' playing

[@calebneff5777]

l a r s h u l r i s h

[@dave07drummer]

It sounds also like the mics are triggering a midi VST.

[@hoborec]

I'm 100% sure they are.

[@GHOSTLYWHISPERS]

As a former sound tech, i can easily tell you it was a mic issue, not a performance issue

[@hoborec]

As a current sound tech I have to disagree. I can clearly hear either one or two kickdrums that are very sloppy played.

[@T1hitsTheHighestNote]

Saw them live in Gothenburg this summer. Lars' kick drums were the worst part of the concert. Often you could only hear the kick on the first beat of the bars. I dunno if it's inconsistent playing, or incompetent sound engineers. It it's just a matter of not hitting the kick with consistent power, you should be able to mask it with compressor-limiter, or even by using triggers.

[@attilabagiproductions]

Great video! Is it even possible to make a good live recording without editing? I wonder if Dream Theater does the same though:)

[@hoborec]

I think it’s very much possible. Perhaps depending on genre and over all talent.

[@CyrilViXP]

Pretty sure everyone does it

[@fam.hunger5244]

In fact, almost every band does it. But only with Metallica and Lars Ulrich it is worth whole videos and page-filling speculations...

[@Jazzguitar00]

I remember seeing headlines in Metal Injection like "Jason Newsted fires back at Lars Ulrich haters" and stuff like that and it's just made me laugh; Lars Ulrich is in a legendary metal band and super rich but that doesn't change the fact that he's not actually that good on drums. 🤣🤣🤣The whole "backlash against the backlash" thing is so stupid; people deserve criticism sometimes!

[@miklosnagy7411]

Well, there's nothing wrong with ageing I guess 🥴

[@hoborec]

Tell me about it 🫣

[@finchman7654]

i was there and some mics throughout the nite kept cutting out.this does sound like a single kick mic has cut out due to the weird timing of it

[@anniedarkhorse6791]

Yes. Obviously. Triples when there were actually doubles and Lars' timing is as bad as it usually is. It's clearly been heavily quantized. No doubt this has happened on a lot of their recordings.

[@fam.hunger5244]

You are already aware that many bands "fake" official live videos of concerts? So why does that make a video with a lurid presentation necessary, especially for Lars? Such a thing is completely normal and you can hardly find a band that does not do that.

[@MikeOxlong-]

They’ve been doing it forever, yet mist fans will scream Bloody Mary they aren’t even when it’s clear as day. That’s why!

[@johnburkhalter3880]

This is just sample replacement. What you hear in the edit is correcting audio levels and ensuring the triggered samples are audible. This is nothing new. Most recorded live performances are edited afterwards because in large arenas sounds tend to get lost. Sample replacement is also nothing new for metal drummers. Many use it. Vinnie Paul of Pantera triggered all his drums. In this case I would assume the trigger wasn't set correctly, or Lars didn't hit hard enough to trigger the sample, or the trigger fell off the drum, or the engineer made a mistake. I would agree with those who say Lars isn't the best metal drummer, and he has had some inconsistent moments. But to be fair he has stated he's experienced significant hearing loss which can make playing live a real challenge. The man has aged, get he continues to play tempos that many half his age can't. He has reached levels of success that his haters will likely never reach. His drum composition has been a huge part of Metallica's success. If you consider that the majority of younger metal drummers are using triggers extensively throughout their careers, and that Metallica has only recently used it because the technology wasn't available in their earlier days.

[@richr909]

As a former rock drummer, Lars could have had a kick pedal failure of some sort. I've broken them in the past. He could have been down to just one pedal during the performance. Or he could be just too old to keep up with the show.

[@jk-76]

I have seen him play live. In the early 90s, he was mediocre. He never practices, EVER. He sounds just like someone who is too ego driven to practice.

[@RobbiRocks]

At 4.25 ish double kick part, It's too perfect. Lars just isn't that consistant any more

[@BizGab]

Honestly just sounds like one of the kicks mics wasn’t working properly or mixed badly. Not a Lars fan but from the few vids I’ve seen he does his songs justice. Shows keep selling out so don’t think it matters what all us drumming snobs think. Just get out and play!

[@chrisw5742]

They are fake Hollywood actors in the first place. LA music scene back in the days was about ACTORS. Getting SIGNED meant you were a paid actor.

[@padraig88]

Interesting take, you may be on to something here. With Laurel Canyon and so on, who knows

[@benjones3878]

I actually think you are wrong, sorry! He has 2 separate Kick Drums...to me, it sounds exactly like what happens when only 1 Kick mic is coming through FOH...the uneven hits for example, line up. They will have all channels running to the recording desk, whether muted in FOH or not, so this explains the difference. If you listen to it in context, it is clear only 1 kick is coming through FOH!!

[@jordanalbano9780]

Even if the fan audio were the result of one of his two kick drums being out, there’s still not enough notes on the one functioning kick

[@benjones3878]

@@jordanalbano9780 I’m not convinced of that…double-kick isn’t all “Left Right”…in fact often in a group of 4 16th notes, the second kick will only sound on the 3rd of the group…I think this is why it feels “off kilter”…

[@steveschuler28]

If it's edited to the extent it was edited, it isn't a live recording then. Big nope for me 👎

[@sharktooh76]

Probably a triggers setup problem and inconsistencies with the hits ... Lars is no longer a boy... The footage is obviously edited and "improved".

[@mattcook8298]

You could not be more correct about how hearing things live is completely different to the recorded(live) version. However in this case, it wasn't better at the gig, Lars was absolutely dreadful at download, he has ruined seeing Metallica live for me on both of the occasions I have seen them. Download technically twice and once at Twickenham, it's a complete joke how he allowed behind a kit, I don't even play drums and I could do a better job with one had and half my hearing.

[@Joe1120]

Dude the FOH mixer is one of the best in the world and has been with Metallica since Day one.

[@Epd3mik]

Big mick hasnt been with Metallica this tour.

[@Naastmorkh]

ABSOLUTE HORROR hahaha))

[@GiuseppeCastro-so2zj]

..loro sono multimiliardari possono fare tutto anche male

[@desertchick]

Hes holographic

[@pakiw2]

But, Lars can't play double bass at all, he is off .

[@lewisrichards3083]

Watch him play battery during one of their latest shows. Montreal maybe?

[@goddamnzordan]

just watch howard stern thing

[@paszTube]

It's too bad mr Ulrich didn't get those parts right but consider this: When he drummed the part at the Download Festival he was about twice the age now than when he tracked that in the late 80ies (he must have been 24 of 25 or something). The guy's nearly sixty! Chances are he's not as fast and tight playing as he used to be, 35 years ago. Even if age wasn't the reason he effed up, it could be other issues. Mechanical issues with the pedal, maybe he had a muscle cramp, could be anything. For some reason they wanted to release this otherwise great live recording of this iconic song. Maybe the "energy" was good on it, or it's one of the lasts performances they will ever do of this song, I don't know. But I'm pretty sure people would have been a lot more pissed if they released it unedited. Be glad they fixed the fuckups so you can enjoy the performance without getting distracted by the fuckups.

[@skatterpro]

He's had 35 years to practice. He's showed time and time again that he doesn't.

[@paszTube]

@@skatterpro he’s probably too old and rusty to play those parts. They shouldn’t be performing songs they can’t play (anymore).

[@skatterpro]

@@paszTube he has not been able to do it consistently _ever_. That's the point.

[@DuncYo]

Lars playing One half way through non double bass cringe! Sounded really bad, but didn't affect the performance & seeing the band at all!!

[@MixedByDotRob]

I think it's exactly our job as audio guys to make the musicians sound good. This includes fixing drums and tuning vocals. Producing records is cheating by definition and has nothing to do with the real world 🙃

[@hoborec]

Agree 100%. The only difference here is that this is supposed to be a documented live performance and not a produced record.

[@sorinkrithuk1080]

I really don't care how Lars plays drums, I already have my own opinion. But I like your video and your explanation, no doubts then

[@schlachtbob5124]

It’s absolutley sure, that Lars can better that one double kick! See those guys so many times! Sure there are concerts Lars fucked it up a bit but i ve never seen Shit Like this - like at this Download… Saw Metallica 15 Times … 2-3 Times it was Not so great with the double kick in One , but i remember it was one Time in 2022 the last years he really sucked with that double bass.. He also did Trapped under ice very very well in 2022 and also Whiplash and all that… so … this Download fix or not fix bashing to me was so undramatical! That Sound or feet Problem of Lars at Download was not very dramatical gor me 😅👋🏻

[@dgcorozco]

U SHOW RESPECT 4 LARS - THANK YOU (IN SHORT WHO KNOWS?) LET'S GO OUT AND HUG SOMEONE RATHER THAN BEAT UP ON LARS - HE IS ONE OF THE TOP ROCK/METAL DRUMMERS OF ALL TIME - GO WATCH LIVE SEATTLE 1989 - I WAS THERE 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW AND HE BLEW DOORS!!

[@Number1mole]

Have you considered the "Official" sound release, may have been from a separate recording, on maybe a broadcast feed, (Not uncommon to have on most tours,) sending a 3rd feed to a separate desk or maybe direct from one of the live consoles to a multi track DAW, ( which I'm sure you know! is usually pre processing, EQ, gate compression etc,) so maybe it was just simply an issue at FOH, As for you commenting on the guitars dipping in volume on the phone recording, but not on the official release... Usually the loudest sound source (in this case it was the audience who were louder when they cheered!) will dip the initial sound, compressing the signal, and releasing it when the background noise is levelled out...

[@cmd_f5]

Honestly, I think Lars has become a boring drummer. The thing is that fixed official videos are nothing new. Or playthrough videos where almost all the drums are just studio stems from the album cranked up a little. In this case the sound guy was having a bad night. And also Lars is just way off on the famous double kick. It's not Load man, it's one, the best damn song on the Justice LP. I think the first clip where the guitar starts loud and fades/reappears in the fan vid is simply the camera audio's compression or auto gain. In short, I don't mind polished live videos if it'll convey the rest of the thing better. But it should be done tastefully and without obvious stuff like this. For instance if a mix of the soundboard isn't great, having everything isolated and remixed is not a big deal. Actually it's more fun because live show sound is different from live show through my headphones sound. But when you start messing with performances themselves I am not excited anymore. The whole point of live music is the energy. That should be there. Cheers man

[@wilmathewisp8252]

How much does Metallica get paid for a gig? A few hundred thousand dollars? Why doesn't Lars sit down for 30 minutes a day and practice this part? As a Metallica fan, you feel ripped off when the drummer no longer seems to be interested in what kind of performance he delivers.

[@MegaBadseed]

Geez, the whole Lars hate is a true obsession. Imagine living a life where people have to make videos & channels about him & Metallica. What a waste of time.

[@Mike-ol7xp]

No problem fixing up a live video after the fact, it's been going on for years. It's the bands that fix it up for the ''live'' show that's an issue, IMO.

[@scottlarson9348]

Who cares. How long have they been playing ?

[@naturalianoss]

Lars is a sloppy performer but without him there is no Metallica .

[@hoborec]

that is so very true!

[@gonzalo7783]

I swear you’ve never gone to a Metallica concert, it has always sounded shit thru live recordings. Go yourself to the front rail and you’ll feel the drums, your welcome 🫶🏻

[@hoborec]

You’re right, I’ve never been. But I only heard good things about the live shows 🙌

[@RimshotsandNamaste]

I'm a HUGE fan of Lars!! (Rtl-master-justice and older covers only) He's a great "arranger/composer" His ideas WERE super original. Buuuttt.. Sadly I will never go see them live!! Lars is unbearable!!! Since 1993 he became LAZY on drums! He even admitted he doesn't like/want to practice.. So.. Am I a hater?! NO!! Lars WAS great! Now he's..well.. You get the point!

[@beatz04]

"Just a sample replacement" as if that already wasn't faking reality after the fact. Also his name isn't "Larsch Ultritsch", would've taken you 20 seconds to learn how it's pronounced correctly, and i don't even like Lars.

[@johnbiermaniv4577]

Lars is a good composer, but just an ok player.

[@maurizioviera]

Yep, a bad performance from Lars and some FOH issues. Fixing live performances in mixing is a common practice in general.

[@aurthsmith3795]

Just fuckin show what’s played, anything else is fake…right?

[@CyrilViXP]

Pretty sure his surname is pronounced Ulrik

[@hoborec]

Haha could be true, I just always said it like that 😂

[@ThePrusa1987]

​@@hoborecWell, it is true, and it's also Lars with an S at the end not Larsh with SH at the end. 😉

[@theeuropeanreporter]

I am glad they make it sound better... it's for our listening pleasure, so why not

[@chemtrail5292]

Lars did nothing for metal dave mustain wrote all there early hits!

[@hoborec]

They didn’t lose all fans when Dave quit so I guess he has to get some credit for Metallica still being around.

[@lewisrichards3083]

Brother I hope your not serious. Lars paved the way for many drummers that came after him. Back in the day, nobody had heard anything like what Metallica was doing. He co wrote some of the most influential Metallica songs. I could go on for hours.

[@chemtrail5292]

@@lewisrichards3083 lars is a shit drummer who in 40 years has never improved as a drumner joey j proved that when he filled in, and by the way there were better drummers than lars bk then also like slayer lars is a basic drummer he did nothing for drumming, alex van halen who isnt even a metal drummer is better , by now lars should be at chris addlers lvl, hes so bad!!!!!!!!!!

[@MetaITurtle]

Metallica are the most honest band so im sure if there was some kind of "fake" happening they would just say whats happening

[@hoborec]

🫢

[@vihro]

Why always non drummers talk about drummers?! Non offence! Ok, it wasn't his strongest moment - first part he played flams instead of sixteenths (sextuplets). He messed. Second part - it's "Larsism", he played his rhythm with the same dynamics on live shows as always.

[@TheSuccessfulHuman]

Wow. Lars isn’t so good. Not new news. And YET he somehow ROCKS

[@stonfrog]

But... who cares?

[@hoborec]

It seems like a couple. 🤷‍♂️

[@DeviantmindOG]

Napster good Lars bad blah blah no double bass blah blah who gives a fuck. Without Lars’s songwriting there would be no Metallica

[@fclefjefff4041]

Who cares 😄

[@JoeFolgers]

Exactly, it still sounds great

[@pablocontreras4218]

it is fake

[@ogd3thst4r93]

Thank you for showing how hackey and overrated metallica is! Schmucks love this band.