10 Musicians Who Cheated Death
2. James Hetfield Burned Alive
When it comes to the greatest in thrash metal, it feels like Metallica are pretty much bulletproof. If something like St. Anger or Lulu weren't able to bring them down at this point, they can pretty much weather anything that the music industry throws at them. Even if it involves dancing a little too close to the fire...quite literally.
Looking to put together the biggest tour in history, Metallica's joint headline tour with Guns N Roses came to a head in Montreal when the audience was treated to James Hetfield getting burned alive. During the beginning of Fade to Black, Hetfield got confused about where he should be standing until it was too late, as he stood above a canister that would shoot up a chemical flame. When medics came out, half of Hetfield's skin had been badly burned, causing the rest of the show to be cancelled and Hetfield quickly being rushed to the hospital.
Nothing stops Metallica though, so Hetfield was back up and running in just a few weeks, with roadie John Marshall subbing in to play all of the rhythm guitar parts in his place. Regardless of what you want to say about them musically or otherwise, James Hetfield has always been a man who puts his fans first.