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James Hetfield Makes First Public Appearance Since Rehab Stint: Photos & Video

James Hetfield made his first public appearance last night (January 30) at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after entering rehab back in September 2019. Hetfield was on hand…

James Hetfield
Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

James Hetfield made his first public appearance last night (January 30) at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after entering rehab back in September 2019.

Hetfield was on hand as part of the "Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection" event that featured ten of the Metallica frontman's custom cars which he donated to the museum. Per Ultimate Classic Rock, a number of other musicians were in attendance at the event including Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. Fan-shot video and photos from the event can be viewed below.

While Hetfield was taking time to seek treatment, Metallica remained very active and announced they will be performing double-headlining sets at five festivals this year: Epicenter, Welcome to Rockville, Sonic Temple, Louder Than Life and Aftershock. Complete details on each of those festivals can be found through MetallicaXX.com.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights