Jason Newsted Recalls the Time Metallica Stopped a Show After Darts Were Thrown Onstage

During a recent podcast appearance, Jason Newsted recalled the time Metallica stopped a show after darts were thrown at them onstage.

Newsted and Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr joined Rolling Stone for an episode of the publication's "Nashville Now" show to discuss their current tour together. During the conversation, the topic of fans throwing things at the stage at concerts came up and Newsted shared a story from his time in Metallica.

The incident took place in the late '80s, as Starr had referenced a Metallica show he saw with The Cult after their 1989 album Sonic Temple had come out. Newsted said around that time, Metallica played a show at an arena in Canada.

Because the show took place in a more rural area, they hadn't sold it out, so the venue hung a curtain and pushed the stage closer to the seats. That meant the fans in the seats on the upper level were practically right above the stage.

"We're playing a few songs and all of a sudden [points down], it's a dart. I look over at James [Hetfield] and... another one. I go, 'Dude,' the no-words communication thing," Newsted recalled.

He said a few other darts flew past him and the rest of the band, one of which almost hit Hetfield's soft-top shoe.

"So he stops it, [that was] maybe the fourth time I remember that we ever stopped a show and it was usually for something like this. When we saw too much blood or too much this or somebody's arm getting pulled out, we'd stop the show for a second," he continued.

When Hetfield halted the show, Newsted remembered the circle pits slowing down and everyone looking at the stage. The frontman picked up one of the darts, held it up and shouted, "What the fuck!"

READ MORE: 10 Ways Not to Be an A--hole at Concerts

The venue security guards and some fans shined lights and lasers on the perpetrator and some members of the crowd jumped on him. The sheriffs ended up escorting the individual out of the show and Newsted praised the crowd for their "self-policing nature."

"Anyway, stuff does get thrown on the stage for sure," he concluded.

Watch the full podcast episode below.

Jason Newsted Recalls the Time Metallica Stopped a Show After Darts Were Thrown Onstage

See all of the big rock and metal bands touring the rest of 2026 in our tour guide below.