What Can METALLICA Fans Expect From DJ MIX MASTER MIKE's Set On North American Tour?

Legendary DJ Mix Master Mike from the BEASTIE BOYS says that he will "pick and choose and craft the selections wisely" when he spins hard rock and metal records in between sets on METALLICA's U.S. stadium trek.

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicks off on May 10 in Baltimore, Maryland and will hit stadiums in 25 cities before winding down in mid-August. Support on the quartet's first North American trek since 2009 will come mainly from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and VOLBEAT, with GOJIRA taking over for the latter group for the last six shows.

Asked by the "Culture Creature" podcast how he goes about choosing the music to play on a tour with a band like METALLICA, Mix Master Mike said (hear audio below): "Obviously, I come from a hip-hop background, but I listen to everything — metal, Miles Davis… all of that. But we're dealing with a metal crowd. I've had experiences where I've opened up for… I've been on tour with GUNS N' ROSES, so I know what to expect, as far as me being up there and how I could come across to a metal audience. So it's all about picking and chosing and crafting the selections wisely. And then also, visually, I'm putting visuals together along with what I do. I put myself [in the position of a METALLICA fan], if I was a metalhead and I bought a ticket to METALLICA and I came… I knew nothing about hip-hop, I knew nothing about this shit, I knew a little bit about BEASTIE BOYS and this and that, I would think, 'Okay, what would trip me out, as far as seeing somebody up there with turntables?' So I keep that in mind — as if I bought [a ticket to see] METALLICA, what would fuck my head up if I saw it? And I think from that angle. Of course I think from my angle [as well], but I think from [the perspective of] the people that are buying and that are gonna be watching. So, yeah, aggressive, fucking crazy, some 808 beats, a great selection of metal… a little bit of hip-hop here and there, and then scratching and… you know what I mean. You've gotta combine all the elements that make up a Mix Master Mike set in an aggressive way, in an aggressive environment."

METALLICA said in a statement Mix Master Mike would be "spinning some of your favorite (and ours!) hard rock and metal tracks throughout the evening at all of the stadium dates this summer." They added: "You'll be able to catch his skillful, hard-hitting scratch work once the doors open each night and between acts before we hit the stage."