Metallica pranks Kirk Hammett with Silly String for birthday

Posted By: Staff
November 20, 2025 @ 1:00 pm
Music News

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ (ABC/Randy Holmes)

For Kirk Hammett‘s birthday, he was covered in Silly String.

The Metallica guitarist, who turned 63 on Tuesday, was pranked by his bandmates during their show in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday in honor of the occasion.

As seen in a video posted to Metallica’s Instagram, crew members took to the stage at the end of the show and sprayed Hammett head to toe with Silly String while frontman James Hetfield sang “Happy Birthday.”

“They said they weren’t gonna do this!” Hammett says in the video. “My friends, I love ’em. Thank you, everyone!”

The post’s caption reads, “Thanks, Auckland, for helping us wish The Ripper himself, @kirkhammett, a very happy birthday!”

In other Metallica news, the metal legends posted a tribute to Evanescence thanking the “Bring Me to Life” band for opening their tour of Australia and New Zealand.

“Metallica. You are legends for a reason,” Evanescence wrote in response. “Thank you for the inspiration, then and now. You exceeded every expectation, onstage and off. This is how you do it.”