Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and David Hanbury (a.k.a. Mrs. Smith) were both at The Senate in Columbia, SC‬ on Sunday, where the two guitarists partook on an epic showdown to see which of the two best utilizes the famous Wah-Pedal in what was promoted as the ultimate “Cry Baby Battle Royale.”
The contest took place during a performance from The Wedding Band (Hammett’s smaller, covers-only project) at the South Carolina venue. The goal of the mid-show contest was to determine the official king of the Cry Baby wah pedal, which Hammett has utilized throughout his long career on familiar metal anthems such as “Enter Sandman”.
Related: Metallica To Launch Vinyl Subscription Club
The seven-minute wah-off saw the two guitarists trade riffs and shredding displays with the overuse of the popular guitar effects pedal, which included the familiar theme from Shaft. Hammitt was outdone at his own game, however, as Smith topped the famous guitarist by showing off his own skills of operating four different wah pedals at once. The accomplishment led a humbled Hammitt to admit, “I think I’ve just been out-wah’d, people. A moment in history has just occurred.”
Watch the entire Cry Baby Battle Royale from Sunday’s show below.
Kirk Hammett vs. Mrs. Smith – Cry Baby Battle Royale – 3/7/20
[Video: Rok-Sho]
Sunday’s performance came in the wake of Metallica being forced to cancel a pair of festival appearances scheduled for later this year to allow singer/guitarist James Hetfield time to continue focusing on his sobriety.
View this post on Instagram
[H/T Guitar World]