Metallica. Known for punishing riffs, breakneck tempos, and James Hetfield’s thunderous roar. But did you know one of their finest hours came with their gorgeous rendition of a traditional Irish folk tune, “Whiskey in the Jar”? Turns out the man of metal has more than a little soul in him. And at age 62, this viral June 2026 performance in Dublin shows that James’ voice is in fightin’ shape. The frontman and the crowd singing the late great Phil Lynott’s iconic melodies is particularly poignant here.
There’s not a soul in that stadium that doesn’t know every word to “Whiskey in the Jar,” which was memorably recorded by the Irish rockers Thin Lizzy. The Music Man has to say this performance is really heartwarming to watch. Papa Het had a tough couple of years as he battled through a divorce in 2022 and maintained his sobriety after a rough patch in 2019 that led to a canceled Oceania tour. But here, James just looks so happy to be there. The energy the crowd is giving him is incredible.
When Metallica uploaded the pro shot footage of “Whiskey in the Jar” in Dublin, it went viral, hitting one million views in a little over a week. Fans knew this was a special one from the Four Horsemen, and added comments such as “This song is on another level when they play it in Ireland” and “It was an emotional moment for me when this kicked off. The sound, the flags, the crowd singing, it was epic. Phil would have been proud.”
Metallica dropped their recording of “Whiskey in the Jar” back in 1998 as part of their covers album Garage Inc. The lineup back then featured bassist Jason Newsted, who would leave in 2001 amid creative conflicts. In addition to his sublime bass playing, Jason was an incredible live vocalist. There’s scant footage of Jason playing “Whiskey in the Jar” live with Metallica, but fans were blessed with this 1998 TV performance from New York, which captured the lineup from that era performing the timeless trad tune.
“Whiskey in the Jar” is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of the Emerald Isle. A number of artists have recorded the song since the 1950s. The first band to score a major international hit with “Whiskey in the Jar” was Thin Lizzy, whose version hit number one in Ireland in 1972. Their recording also hit the top 10 in the UK and West Germany. Metallica have made no secret of the fact that they are huge fans of Thin Lizzy. As a tribute to one of their favourite bands, the Four Horsemen recorded their own version in 1998, adding more of a hard rock push to the sound. This recording was notable in the history of Metallica, as it was the first time they recorded a song with an overt folk/trad influence. The Music Man readers may recall that Metallica were at the peak of their commercial powers in the ‘90s. Their version eclipsed even the Thin Lizzy version in popularity internationally. It went gold in six markets, including the UK and Germany, as well as double platinum in Australia.