Kirk Hammett actually slipped on his wah pedal and fell on stage

Kirk Hammett
(Image credit: Javier Bragado/Redferns)

Kirk Hammett is perhaps the electric guitar world’s most notorious proponent of the wah pedal, but it appears his love of the treadle finally got the better of him, as it caused him to slip and fall mid-gig.

During a particularly rainy Metallica show at Ippodromo del Galoppo di San Siro in Milan, Italy, Kirk was just finishing off his lead break in Moth Into Flame before the weather took its toll, leading him to slide right off his Cry Baby and fall onto his back.

However, like a true pro, the ’tallica lead machine got right back up to rejoin the band for the following verse.

“Ummm, I slipped on my wet wah pedal,” Kirk admitted on Instagram. “It rained so much I felt like I was playing guitar in the shower!”

A post shared by Kirk Hammett (@kirkhammett)

A photo posted by on on May 8, 2019 at 4:12pm PDT

This isn’t the first time pedals have caused an upset for Hammett; the guitarist once angered the entire pedal-building community by claiming his KHDK venture was “the first time you'll see a pedal company actually being driven by an actual guitar player”.

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
Michael Astley-Brown

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.