Sammy Hager and Metallica’s James Hetfield held their annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure concert on May 15, 2016, at The Fillmore in San Francisco, a charity event that benefits the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Hagar and Hetfield kicked off the show and were joined by friends Melissa Etheridge, Tommy Lee, John Mayer, Train’s Pat Monahan and Joe Satriani.
This was the third year the classic rock duo hit the stage to help raise funds for the charity, and the second year they held the event at legendary venue, The Fillmore. Rich with years of musical history and moments, it helped set the stage for a truly one-of-a-kind performance from some of the industry’s most revered talents.
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Highlights from the concert included a tribute to Prince, who had died earlier that year, with Monahan singing a heartfelt cover of “Purple Rain” with the audience enthusiastically joining in.
Hetfield went on to perform an acoustic cover of “Motorbreath,” a song you may recall from Metallica’s 1983 debut album, Kill Em’ All.
Lucky attendees who were able to snag a VIP ticket, for 500 bucks, got the chance to meet the artists and scored a gift bag, among other perks; with all proceeds going to help fund research at UCSF Benioff.
Watch the all-star lineup perform “Piece of My Heart”
The classic rock legends, Hager and Hetfield, created “Acoustic-4-A-Cure” to raise much needed funds and awareness for the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF by bringing together some of their legendary friends and throwing the ultimate concert for fans. Other artists who previously joined the sold-out benefit are Billie Joe Armstrong, Jerry Cantrell, Linda Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, Adam Sandler, Nancy Wilson, to name a few.
Noted performances over the years have included a surprise appearance from Sandler who performed Led Zeppelin’s “Dream On” alongside Monahan and RHCP’s Smith in 2015 as well as a lighthearted all-star jam of “Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35” in 2014.
Related: Coverage of the 2017 event
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