ANAHEIM, Calif. — Metallica brings its Helping Hands benefit concert to Los Angeles for the first time on Friday, and while it might be tough to find a ticket for the intimate, sold out show at the Microsoft Theatre, anyone can connect with the band through the online auction that accompanies the event.
Maybe you’d like to bid on the Martin acoustic guitar that singer James Hetfield will play on Friday, which will be signed by him and the rest of the band, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo? It’ll cost you north of $20,000 based on bidding so far, but if you’ve got the spare change lying around the house, hey, it might be yours.
Oh, and if you miss out on that, you can try for similar musical gear used during the show by Ulrich, Hammett, and Trujillo. But don’t wait too long: The auction is open until noon on Tuesday with a few exceptions for items that for timing reasons need to close earlier.
The Helping Hands Concert & Auction is one of the signature events of All Within My Hands, the nonprofit founded by Metallica and the band’s management. It works to create sustainable communities through programs including workforce education and the fight against hunger.
The first concert and auction took place in 2018 at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, a much smaller venue than Metallica typically plays, and raised more than $1.3 million. For comparison, note that in August the band will play two nights at the massive SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The second Helping Hands event would have been live onstage until COVID-19 came along in 2020. Metallica pivoted to a virtual show, livestreaming it around the world and raising another $1.3 million for the band’s foundation. The concert at the Microsoft Theatre on Friday, which will be hosted by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, will also livestream starting at 5:30 p.m. on Paramount+ and simulcast on Pluto and MTV’s YouTube channel.
Funds raised by the concert and auction will go to support a variety of initiatives. Metallica Scholars provides grants to 32 community colleges in 27 states to strengthen their career and technical education programs. For many years, Metallica has worked with local food banks in cities where it has toured. Its All Within My Hands found uses money from the Helping Hands events to do even more with food banks and the hungry.
Here are a few of the items from the auction that stand out. To see all the items from the auction, go to helpinghandsauction.com.
Ultimate VIP experience: The priciest item so far is a package in which the winning bidder gets a private jet to travel to one of four United States stops on Metallica’s 2023 world tour, where they’ll get the VIP treatment at back-to-back shows by the band. This item currently sits at $25,000, and the reserve price has not yet been met.
A personalized touch: Not everything in the auction is likely to go for five figures or more. Hammett, Hetfield and Trujillo have each donated used guitar and bass strings which have been made into cool bracelets, and those so far have only been bid up to $500 or so.
The opening act: Maybe you already have all the Metallica memorabilia you need. Hard to imagine, but it’s possible. The hard rock band Greta Van Fleet will open the benefit show on Friday and all four of its members have signed a cherry red Epiphone SG guitar, which as of writing had a bid of $14,000 on it.
Random lots: There are many more items in the auction that might be what you need, or at least want. You can bid on tickets for the Los Angeles Rams and tickets to the 2023 Emmy Awards, a custom Metallica-themed bicycle, an autographed skateboard donated by Tony Hawk, and much more.
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