In the weeks leading up to the famous Glastonbury festival in England, Metallica have been the subject of ridicule and protests as the first metal band to headline the long-running annual event. The fest is known more for being a massive showcase for alternative and indie bands, so when Metallica were announced as the Saturday night headliner for the 2014 edition, backlash came from fans and bands alike.

One such protest came when an online petition was launched to have Metallica removed from the festival's lineup because James Hetfield had signed on to narrate the bear hunting series 'The Hunt' for the History channel. Meanwhile, the indie band Mogwai, who were scheduled to perform at the same time as Metallica on a different stage, blasted the metal legends, even saying that Lars Ulrich is an "unbelievably bad" drummer and calling the band "just shite."

However, Metallica, being the pros they are, took it all in stride and rolled with the punches during their historic gig yesterday. Their first display of laughing off the backlash came with a t-shirt being sold at the merch stand at Glastonbury. The shirt (pictured here), read "Glastallica: Peace, Love & Metal" on the front, with various negative quotes on the back, including one that read, "They're just shite," quoted from Mogwai. Another quote came from Judas Priest's Rob Halford, questioning why the first metal band to headline Glastonbury wasn't a British act.

Then came Metallica's headlining set last night (June 28), which started with an intro video by Julien Temple combining existing footage and newly shot film of a British fox hunt that takes a twist in the end when four men in bear suits shoot down the hunters. Those four "bears" turn out to be Metallica themselves (watch the video below).

As for the set itself, Metallica invited dozens of flag-waving fan-club members to join them onstage to rock out around the band while they were performing, according to NME. The band then proceeded to deliver a greatest-hits set, with Hetfield declaring, "We're very proud to be here and represent the heavier side of music. I know it's all represented here so why not heavy? This is dedicated not only to the crowd but to all the British heavy metal bands that have been dreaming and still dream of playing this stage here." He ended his speech with the words, "Do you want heavy? Metallica gives you heavy!"

Check out the band's intro video below and pro-shot footage of Metallica's entire Glastonbury set above.

Watch Metallica Shoot Down British Fox Hunters in Intro Video:

See the Yearbook Photos of Metallica Members + More Metal Musicians Here:

 

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