Metallica, currently in the midst of their “M72 World Tour” played Cardiff in Wales and included in their set a cover of a controversial Tom Jones classic. The band has been playing covers with some connection to the area they are playing and during the band’s “Doodle” segment of their show, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo played a segment of local legend Tom Jones’ “Delilah.” In his introduction Trujillo said that it is one of his favorite songs.
But, to add to the story is the fact that “Delilah” is banned from being played at Principality Stadium, where the gig was happening. The song was a popular sing along for fans of the local Welsh Rugby Union, but, in 2023, the stadium banned the song. The banning was in keeping with the stadium’s zero tolerance policy on domestic violence. (The song tells the tale of a husband killing his wife.)
The crowd joined in the playing of the song and had a great time. Whether Metallica knew of the banning or not is unknown. The band is prepping for their Las Vegas residency, where they will be performing 24 times at The Sphere between October of this year and March of next. Tom Jones will be touring the US this fall.
