Metallica and Anthrax members comment on the Big 4 USA concert

RollingStone.com interviewed Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich about the upcoming Big 4 concert in Indio, CA on April 23rd, 2011. Here are comments from Mr. Ulrich:

"Most of the egos and sandbox issues from the Eighties and Nineties have dissipated," Ulrich said. "We actually enjoy each others' company and are comfortable celebrating the past while continuing our path into the future. It's cool. Who would have known that anybody actually still gives a shit? We're very fortunate."

He added, "A lot of this music has aged really well. There are a lot of 12-year-olds that show up at these rock shows. It's scary to see a whole slew of 12-year-olds up against the barricade down in the front. It's a great thing to be part of their right of passage."

Regarding the possibility of additional "Big Four" U.S. dates, Ulrich said, "I'm not saying this is the last one. But I don't want this to turn into something that overtakes everybody's schedules for the next couple years. If we keep it special, it's better than to overstay your welcome and people run screaming away. Let's see what happens."
Artosan News Service interviewed Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian who had the following to say:

"Under the umbrella of hard rock and heavy metal, you've had so many different branches come off that tree. We're just another branch, we created something new in the early '80s. We were all influenced by the same thing, we all came from the same school, so to speak, and, you know, we created thrash metal. We started something new. And I think that's the best thing you could say about any band, or any musician or any artist... is if you create something that wasn't there before. It's just an amazing thing to be able to say that all these years later — we started this band in 1981, Metallica formed in '81 — 29 years later, we're still doing this, because there's so many people on this planet that still love what we do and that are interested in what we do and that wanna be a part of this scene and a part of this music. It's just amazing to me that all these years later... We're on almost a second generation of fans now — 13-year-olds coming to the gigs still just love what we do so much. And that's just such a privilege that we get to go out and do this."

Tickets are on sale starting Friday, January 28, at 10:00 a.m. PT. Metallica fan club members are advised to visit MetClub.com for pre-sale and VIP package info.