Metallica Cover The Living End In Melbourne, Chris Cheney Responds

Metallica surprised Melbourne fans on Saturday night (Nov. 8) by covering Aussie punk rock legends The Living End during their M72 World Tour stop at the city’s Belluna Arena — and frontman Chris Cheney has officially responded, with a delightfully cheeky tale from his high school days.

During the band’s signature “doodle” segment — where lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo pay homage to local music acts in each city — the duo launched into a high-energy instrumental cover of The Living End’s 1997 breakout hit “Prisoner of Society.” After teasing INXS’s “Don’t Change,” the pair ripped into the punk anthem to a roaring Melbourne crowd, with Trujillo even taking on vocal duties.

The Living End initially responded with quiet gratitude via Instagram Stories across the weekend, but on Sunday, Cheney delivered with a full-circle flashback.

Posting to social media, the Aussie frontman recalled losing a 1992 Battle of the Bands at Wheelers Hill High School to a Metallica cover band named Texas Rose — who beat his then-band Runaway Boys by performing “Enter Sandman.” At the time, Cheney was crushed. “They simply stole the show and won,” he wrote. “The bass player came up to me afterwards with a big grin and said ‘hehe we beat you!’ Ouch!”

More than three decades later, that memory hit a sweet twist. “Well guess what motherf–ker, Metallica are now covering our song in front of 50,000 people!” Cheney posted. “Stick that in your pipe and smoke it! Funny old life, innit.”

The moment was a standout from Metallica’s Aussie tour, which has included local tributes in every city — from John Butler Trio’s “Zebra” in Perth to The Angels’ “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” in Adelaide. Melbourne marked the halfway point in the band’s long-awaited return to Australia and New Zealand, with upcoming dates in Brisbane (Nov. 12) and Sydney (Nov. 15). This tour is Metallica’s first in the region since Soundwave Festival 2013.

Meanwhile, The Living End just kicked off their I Only Trust Rock ‘n’ Roll Australian tour, playing their self-titled 1998 debut album in full alongside tracks from their new record. The next shows include Adelaide, Melbourne, Fremantle and a Sydney Opera House Forecourt date in December.