Metallica formed in 1981. Two years later, they released their debut album Kill ‘Em All. Since then, they’ve played thousands of shows to millions of streaming fans all over the world. Currently, they’re on their M72 World Tour to support their most recent album, 72 Seasons. Despite the decades of experience James Hetfield has under his belt, he still gets nervous on tour.

Papa Het doesn’t just get the pre-show jitters, though. During a recent episode of The Metallica Report podcast, he revealed that he has anxiety-fueled nightmares on the road. Unplayable gear, short cables, and more dominate the “Enter Sandman” singer’s dreams.

Metallica’s James Hetfield on His Anxiety Nightmares

Hetfield revealed that his nightmares come from self-doubt. “I start to doubt myself. ‘We’re old, we can’t do this,’” he explained. “I was having nightmares about how I’m the only one who cares about what we’re doing here,” he added. He would look around and be alone on stage or find that the band’s roadies hadn’t shown up to load in the band’s gear.

Then, the Metallica frontman revealed that he has nightmares about faulty gear. “The guitar neck is made of rubber, and there are only two strings on it,” he said. “The guitar cord won’t let me get to the microphone. Silly stuff like that,” he added.

These anxiety-fueled nightmares are nothing new for James Hetfield, though. He went on to say that they’re part of the touring cycle for him. “You have anxiety build up, and don’t let it get the best of you. And as soon as you get up there, it’s all going to be good,” he explained.

It’s easy to see why anxiety is part of the Metallica touring cycle. They’re one of the biggest bands on the planet with more than four decades of music on the market. Their fans range from those who discovered their early albums when they were new to much younger metal heads who are just discovering the band. At the same time, they’re packing arenas around the world, playing to tens of thousands of fans at a time.