Roger Waters has called James Hetfield "a complete prick" who is "no musician," after the Metallica frontman told a crowd at the Las Vegas Sphere that his band is not there to "influence you" like "some other entertainers."
The Pink Floyd co-founder made the comments on The Katie Halper Show podcast. Metallica has not responded.
Quick facts
- Who: Roger Waters, 83, co-founder of Pink Floyd; James Hetfield, frontman of Metallica
- What started it: Hetfield's mid-show speech at the Sphere on Saturday, October 10, 2026
- Where Waters spoke: The Katie Halper Show, in an interview reported on October 15
- Response: none from Hetfield or Metallica as of Sunday
What did James Hetfield say?
At the fourth show of Metallica's Sphere residency, Hetfield stopped to address the crowd:
"I just gotta say, Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit, OK? We are here… no bullshit… we're here to forget about all the outside shit, OK?"
"Metallica's agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby!" he added, and thanked fans for travelling to Las Vegas to see the band.
He did not name anyone. Some outlets connected the remark to Macklemore, who was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour a few weeks earlier after saying "Free Palestine" on stage, but Hetfield did not say whom he meant, and Louder noted that it was unclear.
What did Roger Waters say?
Asked about it on The Katie Halper Show, Waters did not hold back:
"Can we stop talking about this prick? I'm so bored with him."
"He's just showing that he's a complete prick," Waters said. "He's got an IQ of about three and why we're talking about him I honestly don't know because he's a nobody."
He went on: "He may have a few hundred million dollars or whatever, but he's a prick, and he's no musician." Of Metallica's acoustic performances, he said: "I heard them playing acoustic instruments, and they couldn't. It was appalling."
"It's a shame this prick didn't have somebody around him to explain that being kind is way more important," Waters added.
According to Consequence, Waters also raised the use of Metallica's music by U.S. interrogators at prisons including Guantánamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, and closed with a call for solidarity with Palestinians.
Has Metallica responded?
No. As of Sunday, October 18, neither Hetfield nor Metallica had publicly answered. Metal Hammer said it had asked the band's representatives for comment. Metallica was scheduled to play the Sphere again on Thursday, October 15, the day Waters' remarks spread.
Why does this keep happening with Roger Waters?
Waters has built political statements into his shows and public life for decades, and he has campaigned for Palestinian causes for about 20 years. He has faced criticism for his comments on Israel and for concert imagery that critics called antisemitic, which he rejects.
He has also picked fights with other musicians, including Bono, Thom Yorke and Nick Cave. Last month he criticised Ed Sheeran over Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's tour. After Ozzy Osbourne died in July 2025, Waters said he "couldn't give a fuck," a remark he later defended to Piers Morgan.
Hetfield's position is the opposite one, stated plainly from the stage: a Metallica show, he says, is a place to "forget about all the outside shit."
What's next for both of them
Metallica's Sphere residency runs into March 2027, followed by a North American leg of the M72 World Tour.
Waters and his son Harry have announced a 2027 Pink Floyd legacy tour. Roger is not performing on it but is shaping the staging, Consequence reported.
Published Sunday, October 18, 2026. Hetfield's remarks are from his October 10 show at the Sphere; Waters' remarks are from his interview on The Katie Halper Show, as reported by Consequence, Louder, Guitar Player and Ultimate Classic Rock. Metallica had not commented at the time of publication.
