Newsted Will Join Metallica For Hall Of Fame Honour

Guitarist Kirk Hammett has confirmed Newsted, who quit the group in 2001 citing "private and personal reasons", will be onstage at the Hall of Fame for the induction ceremony and a performance with his former bandmates.

Hammett tells PulseofRadio.com that he, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich decided not to add drama to the Hall of Fame honour after watching Blondie turn their 2006 induction into a farce, as current and former band members bickered onstage.

He says, "We went as a band when Black Sabbath was being inducted, and, at that time, Blondie was also being inducted that night. And there was so many politics (sic) and so much drama that, you know, we collectively said to each other, 'We don't want any of that.'

"It puts a really bad, sour note on the whole celebration itself."

Newsted joined Metallica in 1986 as the replacement for original bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed in a tour bus accident.