The Roger Waters Hetfield feud started with nine words from the Sphere stage and has since turned into one of the ugliest rock spats of the year. As of Sunday, Oct. 18, James Hetfield and Metallica have not responded publicly. Here’s what was said and what we still don’t know.
What Hetfield Said at the Sphere
During Metallica’s Oct. 10 show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Hetfield told the crowd, as quoted by Louder:
“Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit.”
Consequence printed a longer version that ends: “Metallica’s agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby!”
Hetfield did not name anyone, and that is the key unknown at the center of the Roger Waters Hetfield dispute. Louder wrote that “it remains unclear to whom Hetfield was referencing,” and noted that the remark came a few weeks after Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour for saying “Free Palestine” onstage. That timing is Louder’s observation. Hetfield has not drawn that connection, and SDMETAL is not saying whom he meant.
The Roger Waters Hetfield Response
The Roger Waters Hetfield exchange moved off the stage when Waters replied on The Katie Halper Show podcast. According to Louder, Halper first walked him through Metallica’s politically pointed lyrics on “Disposable Heroes” and …And Justice For All, a 2007 clip of Hetfield saying “politics drive me crazy,” and his 2008 comments about the band’s music being used in U.S. torture of Iraqi prisoners. Then Waters gave his reaction, as quoted by Louder:
“He’s just showing that he’s a complete prick. He’s got an IQ of about three, and why we’re talking about him, I don’t even know, because he’s a nobody. He may have a few hundred million dollars or whatever, but he’s a prick.”
Louder also says Waters called Hetfield “no musician,” quoting him: “I heard them playing acoustic instruments and it was appalling.”
Transcripts of that last line in the Roger Waters Hetfield coverage differ. Consequence and Stereogum both have Waters saying the band was “playing acoustic instruments, and they couldn’t. It was appalling.” The Consequence and Stereogum versions also start with “Can we stop talking about this prick? I’m so bored with him.”
Both outlets report a closing remark as well. Per Consequence: “It’s a shame this prick didn’t have somebody around him to explain that being kind is way more important than all that loud music and bouncing around and whatever.” Consequence says Waters ended with a call for Palestinian solidarity.
Context From the Coverage
The outlets covering the Roger Waters Hetfield story have added some useful background. Louder gives the ages as Waters 83 and Hetfield 63. In response to the “no musician” comment, Louder points out that Rolling Stone ranked “Fade To Black,” which features Hetfield on acoustic guitar, as the 35th-best metal song of all time in 2023.
Consequence notes that last month Waters criticized Ed Sheeran after Macklemore was dropped from Sheeran’s tour, and that Waters and his son Harry have announced a 2027 Pink Floyd legacy tour that Roger will not perform on. Stereogum recalls a friendlier moment: Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo played Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” in Kansas City in 2019.
Not Waters’ First Shot at a Metal Icon
Louder points out that this is not the first time Waters has gone after a metal legend. After Ozzy Osbourne died in July 2025, Waters said he “couldn’t give a fuck” about the Black Sabbath singer, and in a January interview with Piers Morgan he asked, “Do I have to like every rock group that ever was or people who bite the heads off bats?” Sabbath fans can see the final chapter on screen when the Back to the Beginning film hits theaters Oct. 28. Stereogum lists earlier feuds with David Draiman, Thom Yorke and Nick Cave.
Whatever comes next in the Roger Waters Hetfield story, metal has argued about politics on and off stage for decades. Our feature on how metal reflects social and political issues gives the long view.
Roger Waters Hetfield: Where It Stands
- Hetfield/Metallica response: None as of Oct. 18. Louder says Metal Hammer asked Metallica’s representatives for comment.
- Who Hetfield meant: Unknown. He named no one.
- The residency: Consequence says Metallica’s “Life Burns Faster” Sphere residency runs through March 2027, followed by another North American M72 leg.
The San Diego Angle
For San Diego fans, the next chance to see Hetfield is close to home. Metallica play Snapdragon Stadium on May 13, 2027. If you want a drink with a Metallica tie-in before the show, BeerAlien covered Metallica and Stone Brewing’s Enter Night Pilsner.
Whether the Roger Waters Hetfield back-and-forth goes any further depends on whether Hetfield decides to answer. SDMETAL will update this post if he or Metallica respond.
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