Before Metallica paid tribute to Stranger Things’ Eddie Munson during their Lollapalooza 2022 set, the band met and jammed out backstage with the actor that plays him, Joseph Quinn.

Netflix immortalised the wholesome moment in a video posted to Instagram, wherein Metallica and Quinn gush over their respective admiration for each other. Frontman James Hetfield declares that he’s a “big fan” of Stranger Things “and ha[s] been since season one”, explaining to Quinn that he watches the series with children and considers it to be “a bonding experience”. 

Touching on the inclusion of ‘Master Of Puppets’ in the Stranger Things 4 finale – which Hetfield thanks Quinn his role in “doing it justice” – the actor noted: “It’s all I was listening to for, I don’t know, two years. Yeah, I feel very connected to you guys.”

While their initial meeting took place in a casual lounge area, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo quickly floated a suggestion by Quinn: “You want to go jam?” Quinn joked that he was “a bit rusty”, but seemed to immediately fall into place when the band started jamming ‘Master Of Puppets’. 

After playing through the song on one of Hetfield’s personal guitars, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett quipped to Quinn, “You’re hired,” before drummer Lars Ulrich addressed the camera to share that “Metallica is now a five-piece”. The band then gifted Quinn with a custom ESP guitar, which they personally signed for him before their Lollapalooza performance.

Have a look at Quinn’s backstage meeting and jam session with Metallica below:

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Metallica headlined day one of the Chicago festival on Thursday night (July 28). They ended their set with ‘Master Of Puppets’, paying homage to Stranger Things with footage of Quinn (as Eddie Munson) playing onscreen while they performed. The clip shown was taken from season four’s final episode, where Munson plays the classic song himself in the Upside Down. 

‘Master Of Puppets’ has seen a surge in streams since its placement in Stranger Things 4, which featured additional guitar parts from Trujillo’s son, Tye. Initially released in 1986, the track’s newfound popularity saw it crack the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and UK Top 100 Singles Chart for the first time, peaking at Number 35 and 26, respectively. 

Riding the track’s momentum, the band duetted a video of Munson’s ‘Master Of Puppets’ scene and released their first-ever video for the song. 

Speaking about the song’s inclusion on the show, Metallica shared: “The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include ‘Master Of Puppets’ in the show, but to have such a pivotal scene built around it.”