BlizzCon veterans Metallica returned for this year’s only-only BlizzConline festivities, but the thrash metal band’s performance was ruined by a most unlikely culprit: Twitch. Right in the middle of one of its songs, the audio was replaced by some easy listening bell music, presumably to avoid having Blizzard banned for a false DMCA notice.
The clip, which esports expert Rod Breslau shared on Twitter, shows the band rocking out, with lead guitarist Kirk Hammett shredding, completely unaware that people were hearing what sounded like the main menu theme for a Teletubbies game. We didn’t have to hear that tinny snare drum, however, which is a bonus.
Several commenters online have pointed out the irony of this happening to Metallica. The band, particularly drummer Lars Ulrich, has been heavily critical of online music sharing, and the band had a high-profile case with Napster back in 2000.
Still, we have to imagine the band is “madly in anger” with Twitch over the fiasco. The performance was one of the only semi-normal BlizzCon elements that could continue during the pandemic, as Blizzard has hosted big-name musicians for its celebrations going back to The Offspring in 2005. No one could “come out and play” this year, so the virtual show was all fans could get. BlizzCon continued on February 20 with additional panels.
At the very least, this year’s BlizzCon event was free for everyone, rather than the $50 Virtual Ticket price Blizzard usually charges. During the opening ceremony, Blizzard unveiled a remastered Diablo 2, the rogue class in Diablo 4, and World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic. We also learned more about abilities, modes, and updated character designs in Overwatch 2.
