Monsters of Metal Invade Coachella

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Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax will invade the Indio, California, site of Coachella for the Big 4 ”“ a one-day festival on April 23. “Most of the egos and sandbox issues have dissipated,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich says. “We actually enjoy each other’s company and are comfortable celebrating the past while continuing our path into the future. It’s cool.” The concert follows the Big 4’s seven-date tour of Europe last year and November’s double-platinum DVD, The Big 4 Live From Sofia, Bulgaria. “I’m chomping at the bit to do a full-blown tour at stadiums across the country,” says Slayer guitarist Kerry King, but no other US dates are scheduled. (The Big 4 will reunite at summer European fests in Knebworth, England, and Amneville, France.) “I’m not saying this is the last one,” says Ulrich. “But if we keep it special, it’s better than to overstay your welcome and have people run screaming away. Let’s see what happens.”

The good vibes these once-battling four horsemen of thrash currently share were obvious in Bulgaria, where the bands joined onstage for a thundering, euphoric cover of Diamond Head’s ”˜Am I Evil?’ Says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, “That was possibly the coolest moment in all my time in heavy metal.”