A week after wearing a “Taylor Swift Is a CIA Psyop” shirt, guitarist plunges into crowd during band’s Dublin concert
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett suffered a bit of “Karma” Friday as the guitarist slipped off-stage mid-concert, days after wearing a shirt that inflamed Taylor Swift fans.
At Metallica’s June 13 concert in Budapest, Hammett donned a shirt that read “Taylor Swift Is a CIA Psyop.” Photos of Hammett in the garment eventually caught the attention of Swifties, who lashed out at the guitarist on Reddit and social media.
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Kirk Hammett from the has-been band Metallica was wearing a “Taylor Swift Is a CIA Psyop” shirt on stage. pic.twitter.com/qe5URKFJKR
— Taylor Swift Fan Archive (@Taylors_Archive) June 19, 2026
It took a week, but karma finally caught up to Hammett as, during Metallica’s June 19 show in Dublin, the guitarist lost his footing while performing “Seek & Destroy.” Hammett plunged guitar-first into the audience, who helped him back onto the stage with only a few chords missed.
Hammett himself joked about the fall on social media, writing “Slip and Destroy!!!” atop an Instagram Story of his miscue. The guitarist has not addressed the “Psyop” shirt scandal and whether the Swifties’ hex played a role in his spill.
