It’s not every day that you get to perform with some of your heroes, but Evan Adamson did just that when he got the chance to play with the mighty metal band Metallica. On June 11, 2019, young Evan was invited on-stage as a birthday present, and given the chance to play Seek & Destroy on drums alongside the band in Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff Arena.
This video will have to come with a fun little warning. If you’re a fan of Metallica, and ever dreamed of sharing a stage with them, young Evan’s performance will fill you with an immense sense of pride with a hefty sprinkle of (friendly) jealousy. Watch Evan give Lars Ulrich a run for his money in the incredible video below.
Not only did the young 13-year-old get a chance to play with Metallica, but he did it with confidence in front of roughly 68,000 people. That’s certainly one way to kickstart your music career, and it was by sheer luck and a couple of connections that this encounter happened in the first place.
Metallica is unafraid to give the younger generation a chance to play with them. After hosting a competition in 2004, aspiring guitarist Brandon Cook won the opportunity to jam with Metallica in a studio and performed a blinding improvised solo with guitarist Kirk Hammett.
Traveling from the States, Evan and his father managed to grab tickets to their Amsterdam performance to celebrate the young man’s birthday. Evan’s first surprise was when his father presented him with a meet and greet with Metallica before their show, but before that, he showed videos of his son drumming to one of Metallica’s photographers during a pre-show event.
One thing led to another, and the video was shown to Metallica, who had nothing but respect and praise for the young musician. So much so, in fact, that the band recognized him when Evan and his father met the metal icons. To Evan, that was the surprise over, and already the envy of thousands of fans worldwide, they attended the show to watch Metallica perform.
Little did Evan know that Metallica’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, had another surprise planned for the young musician. During the final part of their set, the band’s drum kit was moved to the ‘Serpent pit’: a section closer to the crowd, where Evan was conveniently attending. Lars then pointed Evan out of the crowd and invited him to play the intro to their classic stomp Seek And Destroy, which he did with professionalism and could have easily stepped in as an emergency backup drummer!
Despite his cool and collected on-stage performance, Evan mentioned in a post-show interview that he was, in fact, a bundle of nerves. That didn’t stop him, however, as he nailed his performance and was an overnight viral sensation. So much so in fact that the video reached his school, which was shared amongst teachers in wild amazement that such a young and talented boy had the chance to play with one of the biggest metal bands the world has ever seen.