Norwalk · El Cerrito · Copenhagen · Solna · Moscow · 1981–1991
Their first songs came out of a garage in Norwalk, the next two albums out of a garage in El Cerrito. Take the garage apart.
Los Angeles · 1981–82
The band dates its start to 28 October 1981, when Ulrich and Hetfield got together through Ulrich’s ad in the LA Recycler; Hetfield’s friend and housemate McGovney came in on bass and Dave Mustaine on lead guitar.
Lars Ulrich places the garage on Curtis and King Road in Norwalk, at the house James Hetfield shared with the first bassist, Ron McGovney. He says Metallica came to life there in 1982, and that the house was later demolished to make way for a freeway.
McGovney says the band was formed in his garage, that the songs on Kill ’Em All were written there, and that his parents and he backed the band with money at first.
The house was demolished for a freeway. Nothing marks the spot, and the street is residential. Pictured: the Metro station at Norwalk, in the freeway median about 600 metres away.
Golden Gate Park · spring 1981
Ulrich remembers meeting Quintana at a party on Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park in spring 1981; Quintana asked him whether to call his new fanzine Metallica or Metal Mania, and Ulrich told him Metal Mania.
Ron Quintana is starting a fanzine. Which name should he use?
8901 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California
On 27 March 1982 Metallica played the Whisky a Go Go on a bill with Saxon. On LA’s openers’ circuit they supported bands such as Saxon, and recorded their first demo, No Life ’Til Leather, which the tape-trading circuit went wild for.
The Whisky has been on the Sunset Strip since 1964 and still lists shows. Still a club on the Sunset Strip. Shows most weeks; tickets through its own site.
Brookshire Avenue, Downey, California
James Hetfield went to Downey High School in Downey, California, for his freshman and sophomore years. The school put him in its hall of fame on 27 May 2011, a special induction for a short stay.
At the ceremony he said he had hated high school and felt like a misfit who hid in music.
A working school: see it from Brookshire Avenue and do not go in. Pictured: Downey City Hall, about 300 metres away.
412 Broadway, San Francisco · 1982–83
The Stone is credited with Cliff Burton’s first concert with Metallica. On 5 March 1983 they played The Stone with Exodus and Lääz Rockit; the band’s archive marks Burton’s bass piece (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth as played live for the first time.
412 Broadway was The Stone from 1980 to 1993. Metallica first played it on 18 September 1982. Mabuhay Gardens, a few doors along at 443 Broadway, was where Metallica first played on 30 November 1982.
A Cliff Burton memorial plaque on the Barbary Coast Trail is set at Broadway and Columbus Avenue, below the Condor Club sign. Today 412 Broadway houses the Penthouse Club.
The building is now an adult club, so look from the street. The Cliff Burton plaque is a short walk west, in the pavement at Broadway and Columbus Avenue.
Carlson Boulevard, El Cerrito · 1983–86
Cliff Burton joined in 1983 on condition that the band moved from Los Angeles to his native Bay Area. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich lived in a house on Carlson Boulevard from 1983 to 1986.
Eight boards from the Carlson Boulevard garage. Pull each one out.
Carlson Boulevard, El Cerrito, California (a private home)
The band rehearsed and wrote most of the songs for Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets in its garage. The garage has since been torn down. Hetfield built a guitar, Carl, from its wood.
In April 2016 the band went back for Record Store Day, and the mayor, Greg Lyman, presented a proclamation calling them a cultural institution.
A private home with people living in it. The band asks visitors not to knock; if you go, make it a drive-by. Pictured: San Pablo Avenue, a few streets away.
Copenhagen · 1970s and 1984–85
Peter Bangs Vej 147, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen
Torben Ulrich, a tennis player, took his son Lars, aged nine, to see Deep Purple at K.B. Hallen. At 13 Lars asked his grandmother for a drum kit set up like Ian Paice’s.
He wanted to turn professional at tennis like his father and trained in Florida; the family then moved to Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles.
The hall was built by the football club KB and opened by King Christian X in 1938. Fire destroyed it in 2011. The rebuilt hall was opened on 5 December 2018 by Crown Prince Frederik.
The rebuilt hall puts on concerts again; see its own listings.
Strandlodsvej 85, on the corner of Øresundsvej, Amager, Copenhagen
They recorded Ride the Lightning there with him in summer 1984, and Master of Puppets in late 1985.
Sweet Silence opened in February 1976 in a building complex at Strandlodsvej 85, in an industrial area on Amager. Flemming Rasmussen, then 18, was taken on as assistant. Rasmussen first worked with Metallica in early 1984; they came to him after hearing his work with Rainbow.
The main building, four storeys on the corner of Øresundsvej, held offices and TV rooms; until 1990 its second floor was used for rehearsal rooms and for musicians to stay in.
The triangular building has been torn down. The studio moved to Njalsgade in 2000, and that building was demolished in 2009. Master of Puppets was mixed in Los Angeles with Michael Wagener and came out in March 1986.
The corner building is private; there is nothing to visit inside. The studio itself now works from Bådehavnsgade 12 in Sydhavnen.
Solna and Dörarp · 26–27 September 1986
On 26 September 1986 Metallica played Solnahallen on the Damage, Inc. tour. Hetfield had broken his wrist skateboarding, and the roadie John Marshall had been covering his guitar parts. He strapped on a guitar for the last song. It was Cliff Burton’s last show.
On 27 September 1986, on an overnight drive in Sweden, the band’s tour bus skidded out of control and turned over, killing Cliff Burton.
A memorial stone to him was put up at Dörarp, outside Ljungby, in September 2006. In May 2022 a Cliff Burton museum opened in Ljungby, with photographs, records, tickets and a stage set up like the band’s last show with him.
A small stone by the old main road outside Dörarp. It is quiet; leave it as you find it.
A sports hall in Solna, a short walk from Solna centrum.
San Francisco and North Hollywood · 1986–91
1101 Geary Boulevard at Van Ness, San Francisco
After more than 40 auditions the band chose Jason Newsted of Flotsam and Jetsam. Tommy’s Joynt is where they asked him to join.
In 1987 the new four recorded The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited in Ulrich’s garage, which they had refitted by hand into a small studio.
Tommy’s has been a San Francisco hofbrau since 1947. Open daily from noon; until midnight on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Lankershim Boulevard, NoHo Arts District, North Hollywood, Los Angeles
…And Justice for All was recorded there over four and a half months; the band wanted to start on 1 January 1988, at first with Mike Clink. When that did not work out, Ulrich rang Flemming Rasmussen in Copenhagen to ask when he could be there. Rasmussen landed in Los Angeles on 14 February.
The Black Album credits give October 1990 to June 1991 for its recording, produced with Bob Rock.
One on One was founded in 1972 by Jim David, son of the lyricist Hal David, in a 1950s department store in what is now the NoHo Arts District. New owners renamed the studio 17 Hertz in 2012 and remodelled it.
A working studio: see it from Lankershim Boulevard. There are no public tours. Pictured: Lankershim Boulevard at dusk.
Tushino Air Field, Moscow · 28 September 1991
On 28 September 1991 Metallica played the Monsters of Rock show at Tushino Air Field, Moscow, with AC/DC. Entry was free. It was billed as a celebration of democracy a month after the failed August coup.
Police, by noon: 300,000
AC/DC, Metallica, the Black Crowes and Pantera played, with Electro Shock Therapy for the Soviet Union. Eleven thousand soldiers, police and guards were on duty, and there were clashes with the crowd. The band say they played one of their best shows.
Spartak built its stadium on part of the former airfield; the first match was on 5 September 2014. The field is built over. The Spartak stadium, beside Spartak metro station, stands on part of it.
Berkeley and San Francisco
1930 Allston Way, Berkeley High School campus, Berkeley
On 21 and 22 April 1999 Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony played two nights here, recorded for the live album S&M.
Michael Kamen conducted.
The theatre is at 1930 Allston Way, on the Berkeley High School campus. After rebuilding work it reopened with a ceremony on 22 April 2023.
On a school campus: go for a public performance rather than wandering in.
2086 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 · Book direct
A century-old Mission Revival hotel on Allston Way, the same street as the Berkeley Community Theater. Pictured: the Berkeley High campus.
Check roomsWhere it is now
Downey, Norwalk, West Hollywood and North Hollywood are all in Los Angeles County. The Stone, Tommy’s Joynt and Chase Center are in San Francisco, with Berkeley and El Cerrito across the bay.
12 places you can visit. The two houses, on Curtis and King Road in Norwalk and on Carlson Boulevard in El Cerrito, are named and not mapped: one is gone and the other is someone’s home.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working school: see it from Brookshire Avenue and do not go in. Pictured: Downey City Hall, about 300 metres away.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Still a club on the Sunset Strip. Shows most weeks; tickets through its own site.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working studio: see it from Lankershim Boulevard. There are no public tours. Pictured: Lankershim Boulevard at dusk.
Brookshire Avenue, Downey, California
James Hetfield went to Downey High School in Downey, California, for his freshman and sophomore years.
A working school: see it from Brookshire Avenue and do not go in. Pictured: Downey City Hall, about 300 metres away.
8901 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California
On 27 March 1982 Metallica played the Whisky a Go Go on a bill with Saxon.
Still a club on the Sunset Strip. Shows most weeks; tickets through its own site.
Lankershim Boulevard, NoHo Arts District, North Hollywood, Los Angeles
One on One was founded in 1972 by Jim David, son of the lyricist Hal David, in a 1950s department store in what is now the NoHo Arts District.
A working studio: see it from Lankershim Boulevard. There are no public tours. Pictured: Lankershim Boulevard at dusk.
Stay
A hotel a short walk from the Whisky, and one on the same street as the Berkeley Community Theater.
1200 Alta Loma Road, West Hollywood, CA 90069 · Book direct
A hotel and villas in gardens off the Sunset Strip, with its own recording studio, Nightbird. The Whisky is a short walk up the hill. Pictured: the Whisky, 2015.
Check rooms2086 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 · Book direct
A century-old Mission Revival hotel on Allston Way, the same street as the Berkeley Community Theater. Pictured: the Berkeley High campus.
Check roomsGo there
The Barbary Coast Trail past the Cliff Burton plaque, and tours in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
North Beach, San Francisco · Self-guided
San Francisco’s historical walk, marked by 180 bronze medallions in the pavement, with a printed guide and audio tour. The Cliff Burton plaque is at Broadway and Columbus Avenue, below the Condor sign.
Plan the walkSan Francisco
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Compare toursCopenhagen
Live marketplace results for walks and bike tours of Copenhagen. None is about the band; pick one that reaches Amager or Frederiksberg.
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Live marketplace results for tours of Stockholm. Solnahallen is in Solna, just north of the city.
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Two Metallica nights in Connecticut and a metal night at the Whisky.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
The records made in the places on this page.
Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood
The band’s story up to the Black Album.
Find the bookJoel McIver
A biography of Cliff Burton.
Find the bookMetallica, edited by Steffan Chirazi
Pieces from the band’s own fan-club magazine.
Find the bookMetallica · LP, Megaforce, 1983
The songs Ron McGovney says were written in his Norwalk garage.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyMetallica · LP, Megaforce, 1984
Written in El Cerrito, recorded on Amager.
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Find a copyMetallica · LP, Elektra, 1986
Recorded on Amager, mixed in Los Angeles.
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Find a copyMetallica · 2 × LP, Elektra, 1988
Four and a half months at One on One.
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Find a copyMetallica with the San Francisco Symphony · 2 × CD, Elektra, 1999
Recorded at the Berkeley Community Theater in April 1999.
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Find a copyDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
14 of 14 places · 21 of 21 Moments
Brookshire Avenue, Downey, California
Curtis and King Road, Norwalk, California (the house is gone)
Ulrich and Hetfield get together through Ulrich’s ad in the LA Recycler.
Rehearsals in Ron McGovney’s garage, where the Kill ’Em All songs are written.
8901 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California
Metallica on the bill with Saxon at the Whisky.
Lankershim Boulevard, NoHo Arts District, North Hollywood, Los Angeles
Four and a half months at One on One; Rasmussen flies in from Copenhagen.
Recorded with Bob Rock.
412 Broadway, North Beach, San Francisco
First show at The Stone, on Broadway.
Cliff Burton’s first show with the band; his bass piece is played live for the first time.
Carlson Boulevard, El Cerrito, California (a private home)
The band move to the Bay Area so that Burton will join.
Most of Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets is written and rehearsed in the Carlson Boulevard garage.
The band go back to the house; the mayor reads a proclamation.
Hetfield builds a guitar from the torn-down garage’s wood.
1101 Geary Boulevard at Van Ness, San Francisco
After more than 40 auditions, the band ask Jason Newsted to join at Tommy’s Joynt.
1930 Allston Way, Berkeley High School campus, Berkeley
Two nights with the San Francisco Symphony.
1 Warriors Way, Mission Bay, San Francisco
The symphony again, twenty years on.
Peter Bangs Vej 147, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen
Lars Ulrich, nine, sees Deep Purple with his father.
Strandlodsvej 85, on the corner of Øresundsvej, Amager, Copenhagen
Recorded at Sweet Silence with Flemming Rasmussen.
Recorded at Sweet Silence again, then mixed in Los Angeles.
Ankdammsgatan, Skytteholm, Solna, Stockholm
Solnahallen: Cliff Burton’s last show.
By the old E4 (Riksettan) at Dörarp, north of Ljungby, Sweden
On an overnight drive the tour bus overturns, and Cliff Burton is killed.
A memorial stone is put up at Dörarp.
The former Tushino airfield, Volokolamskoye shosse, north-west Moscow
A free show on the airfield a month after the failed coup.
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