Metallica to Perform With Jason Newsted at Rock Hall Induction, Thanks to Blondie

Metallica will reunite with former bassist Jason Newsted when the heavy metal gods are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Cleveland on April 4th, the Pulse of the Radio reports (via Blabbermouth.) Considering the group didn't even include Newsted's likeness in their Guitar Hero: Metallica video game (more on that here), bringing back the bassist comes as a surprise. But according to Kirk Hammett, the decision to invite Newsted to join Metallica during the induction and performance can be credited to another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee: Blondie.

"We went as a band when Black Sabbath was being inducted, and at that time Blondie was also being inducted that night," Hammett said of the 2006 ceremony, when former Blondie members Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison practically begged Deborah Harry on television to let them perform with the rest of the band, to no avail. "And there was so many politics and so much drama that, you know, we collectively said to each other, 'We don't want any of that,' because it kind of, it puts a really bad, sour note on the whole celebration itself."

Therefore, "Jason Newsted will be there, and he will be playing with us at one point," Hammett said, ensuring that Flea, who will induct the band, won't have to deal with any unexpected awkwardness onstage like Shirley Manson did when she presented Blondie. Plus, with Newsted, Flea and current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo all involved, we finally have sufficient bass to support Run-DMC's performance. The Rock Hall ceremony will air on Fuse on April 4th. Until then, check out Rolling Stone's full coverage of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Related Stories:

• Metallica Pound SXSW With 90-Minute Greatest-Hits Set at "Surprise" Show
• The Road to the Hall: Metallica Revisited
• Metallica: Through the Years in Photos

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

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