metallica tour bus accident

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The Day Metallica Bassist Cliff Burton Died in a Bus Accident

Metallica were on top of the metal world in 1986, having just signed their first major label deal and releasing their commercial breakthrough album. But the band's year ended with a crushing blow after bassist Cliff Burton died in a bus accident while touring overseas.

The group had cemented their position as the kings of thrash metal with the release of Master of Puppets , their third overall LP and first for a major label, Elektra Records. The record heavily featured Burton's signature playing style, which expanded the bass from its traditional role as an anchor rhythmic element and into melodic territory usually reserved for the lead guitar. It became Metallica's first gold album, eventually selling more than six million copies, and the group toured extensively to promote it all over the world, including extensive dates in Europe. Those concerts would prove to be Burton's last with Metallica.

On the night of Sept. 26, 1986, Metallica were traveling between tour dates in Sweden when Burton and guitarist Kirk Hammett drew cards to decide who would get to choose a bunk. The bassist drew the Ace of Spades, and chose the bunk Hammett had been occupying. "I said fine, take my bunk," the guitarist recalled in VH1's Behind the Music . "I'll sleep up front; it's probably better anyway."

In the early morning hours of Sept. 27, 1986, shortly before 7AM, the band members were awakened abruptly when the bus began to careen from side to side. The driver later told authorities that he lost control of the bus after hitting a patch of black ice. The bus left the road and flipped over on its side, and Burton – who had been asleep in the preferred top bunk – was thrown through the window. As the bus came down, it landed on top of the 24-year-old musician.

Reportedly, attempts were made to rescue him from underneath the bus by lifting it with a crane, but the crane slipped, and the bus crashed down on top of Burton a second time. Band members and onlookers have given different accounts of whether Burton died upon first impact or when the bus came down again, but the promising young star died at the scene.

Metallica front man James Hetfield has said he walked up and down the road in his socks and underwear looking for black ice and found none, and the musicians have speculated off and on over the years about whether drinking or drugs could have played a role in the accident, or whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel. An investigation cleared the driver of any wrongdoing.

Burton was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at the Maxwell Ranch in California. Metallica's "Orion" was played at the ceremony, and lyrics from "To Live Is to Die" are engraved upon his memorial stone: "Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation take me home." Former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine wrote Megadeth 's "In My Darkest Hour" after hearing of Burton's death, and fellow thrash pioneers Anthrax dedicated their Among the Living album to him.

Burton was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009, as a member of Metallica.

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37 Years Ago: Metallica Bassist Cliff Burton Dies in Tragic Bus Crash

Metallica emerged in the '80s as one of metal's brightest new stars. The upstart rock band consisted of singer/guitarist James Hetfield , guitarist Kirk Hammett , drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Cliff Burton and these "four horsemen" rode to the top of the metal genre on the strength of the Kill 'Em All , Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets  albums. But on Sept. 27, 1986, in the midst of a European tour, tragedy struck as Burton was killed in a bus crash.

Loudwire contributor Jon Wiederhorn co-authored  Anthrax  guitarist  Scott Ian 's autobiography I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax. Here he shares an excerpt from the book in which Ian recalls being on tour with Metallica at the time of Burton's death, as well as the days following the tragedy:

We had a day off and then we were scheduled to play 27 more shows in Europe with Metallica. The first date was in Lund, Sweden on September 24, and that was a good gig because no one spit at us and everyone loved both bands. The next day we played Lillestrom, Norway for about 4,000 people, which was also great. Then we went back to Sweden to play Solna near Stockholm. That was Cliff’s last show. It was at a big gymnasium-type place that held thousands of kids. Normally, we'd stick around every night for Metallica’s show and then hang out and goof around when they finished, leave at the same time and head to the next city. We were on a bus now, which made traveling easier, but that night we decided to leave early because the roads were icy. There had been a storm and our driver wanted to head to Copenhagen as soon as possible to avoid the streets possibly freezing up. We figured we had another month on the road to hang out with Metallica, so no big deal. We saw the guys after we finished our set and I said, “We’re going to take off. We’ll see you guys tomorrow in Denmark.” We got into Copenhagen and stepped off the bus around 9:30 the next morning. We had a hotel that night because we had the next day off. When we went to check into our hotel we were pretty groggy as we walked into the lobby to the front desk. I saw our tour manager talking to some guy, so I waved and said, “Hey Mark, what’s up?" Then I saw a look of total shock on his face. He had no color in his cheeks, he looked scared. Something was not good. “The promoter for the show tonight says there’s been an accident,” he told me. “Metallica’s bus crashed on the way here.” Then he paused, and when he started to speak again he had to force the words out – almost cough them into existence. “Cliff was killed in the accident. Everybody else is okay. Lars had some minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.” My brain started spinning like a gyroscope. I replayed the sentence, “Cliff was killed in the accident” over and over. After what seemed like five minutes, but was probably only ten seconds, I shook my head and said, “Really? Really? You believe that?!?” I was in complete denial. “There’s no way. I’m sure they just got too f--ked up to make bus call and they made up this crazy story. We’ll all laugh about it later.” Anything seemed more plausible than the thought that their bus had crashed and Cliff was actually dead. I had never heard of anything like that before, I'd never ever heard of any band’s bus ever crashing let along killing a member. It seemed completely unreal. When you’re in this tour bubble and things are going great, you feel invincible. Something like this happening was out of the realm of possibility. I asked the promoter, “Are you sure?” “Yeah I’m sure,” he said. I didn't know what to say, didn’t want to believe it. Then reality hit me like a sucker punch. People around us started talking about what had happened. Fans showed up at the hotel to show their support. Somehow everyone knew where we were staying and eventually there was a big crowd in the street. Mark got a call that James and Kirk were on their way to the hotel. Lars had checked out of the hospital. He broke a toe, but would be fine. He had family in Denmark so I figured he was going to see them. Mark asked if we would stay at the hotel to be with James and Kirk when they arrived. Of course we would. Our friend was dead and our other friends were grieving. It was insane. A couple hours later James and Kirk showed up. James was heavily sedated and drunk at the same time. Kirk said doctors had given James a bunch of sedatives because he was freaking out, but they didn’t put him to sleep so he kept drinking. We were all in a room together and James kept pounding beer, vodka, whiskey – whatever was within his reach. Kirk was pretty drunk, too, but stable. He told us what happened. He wasn’t awake when the bus crashed. All he knew was he was suddenly getting thrown around like a rag doll in a clothing dryer. Then it stopped and he got out of the bus and everyone was screaming. It was pitch black. Everyone was trying to account for everybody else, and no one could find Cliff. And then they saw his legs sticking out from under the side of the bus and they fucking lost their minds. I can't even imagine what that was like and I never want to know. Even to this day it’s hard for my brain to wrap around that image. James suddenly started crying and screaming, “Cliff!!! Cliff!!” Then he became destructive. He kicked over lamps and threw bottles of booze. Frankie and Charlie looked at each other and without saying a word, mutually decided to get James outside before the hotel had him arrested. They didn’t care that Cliff was dead. They just wanted to prevent their place from getting trashed. The two of them took James outside for a walk figuring maybe he’d calm down. I stayed inside with Kirk. We could hear James down the street screaming Cliff’s name over and over. I was completely heartsick. I hung out with Kirk a little while longer. He was finally passing out. He said, “I'm going to sleep, I don't think I'll see you in the morning,” They were leaving super-early to fly back to San Francisco. We didn’t know what we were doing. People were scrambling to try and get us flights, but we were supposed to be on the tour for five more weeks. Now, we had to try to change tickets and get back home and no one had any money to buy new tickets. We were stuck in Copenhagen the whole next day, then Jonny Z figured out the cheapest way to get us home. We flew to London, stayed there for a day, and then got a flight back to New York. As soon as I got home I showered, packed my bag, slept then got up to fly to San Francisco. I stayed at James’ little apartment in the city for four days, hung out with Metallica and then went to the funeral. I met Faith no More drummer Mike Bordin for the first time, and their guitarist Jim Martin; they were good friends with Cliff. We all hung out at Kirk’s house for hours and hours every day drinking beer and talking. Those guys were already figuring out what to do next. Within a couple of days, we were sitting around Kirk’s house, making jokes. Someone said, “Get Lemmy.” We were just throwing stupid names out there to keep the tone as light as possible, so we weren’t all completely depressed. We drank and told stories about Cliff. It was so surreal. I half expected him to walk through the door and say, “Ha, ha. I got you guys!” It seemed like something Cliff would do. Then Metallica were auditioning people. I thought Armored Saint’s bassist Joey Vera was going to get the gig. He seemed like the obvious candidate. He’s a great player and they were already friends. But he decided to stay with his band, which was doing pretty well on its own. Armored Saint had two records out on Chrysalis and were just about to record Raising Fear. Next thing I knew, they had offered the job to Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted. Michael Alago, who signed Metallica to Elektra is the one who told me. I had never heard of Flotsam and Jetsam. I said, “Jason who?” I finally got hold of Kirk, and he said, “Yeah, Jason is a great dude. He’s ripping it up. He fits in really well and we’re getting along great. I think we're going to go back to Europe and try to make up some of the shows and hopefully you guys can come with us.” I hoped that would work out and it did. When Metallica made up the European shows they canceled when Cliff died we went back out with them and they were absolutely triumphant. It felt like snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat.

Loudwire contributor Jon Wiederhorn is the author of  Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends , co-author of  Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal , as well as the co-author of Scott Ian’s autobiography,  I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax , and Al Jourgensen’s autobiography,  Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen  and the Agnostic Front book  My Riot! Grit, Guts and Glory .

See Where Cliff Burton Ranks Among the Top 66 Hard Rock + Metal Bassists of All-Time

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September 27, 1986 – Metallica Bassist Cliff Burton dies in bus crash

• September 27, 2023
• Brian Corey

On the heels of the release of Master of Puppets, Metallica hit the road on a heavy metal world tour. As the group’s rockdom hit a massive growth spurt that would see them immortalized as Gods of metal, the suffered a massive blow. While driving through Sweden the band’s tour bus skidded from the road on the morning of this day in 1986, causing it to flip. Burton was thrown from his bunk out of a window, causing the bus to crush him as it tipped over. The future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was 24 years old at the time of his death.

Following the wreck, the bus driver cited black ice as the reason for losing control. However, neither band members nor investigators could find any. Furthermore, the temperature at the time of the accident was multiple degrees above freezing. Some accused the bus driver of being drunk or falling asleep, but he was cleared of wrongdoing.

The month after the accident Jason Newsted replaced Cliff Burton . In 1988 Metallica released To Live Is to Die on …And Justice for All as a tribute to Burton. Burton received credit as a writer for lyrics and the bass part, as the components came from samples by Burton and re-recorded by Newsted.

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METALLICA Bassist Cliff Burton Dies In Tour Bus Accident Aged 24 September 27th, 1986

Cliff Burton died in a tour bus accident on September 27th, 1986 at the age of 24. Burton was the bassist for San Francisco, California-based heavy metal band Metallica.

A September 26th, 1986 appearance at the Solnahallen Arena in Stockholm, Sweden proved to be the man’s final performance, Metallica in the midst of touring Europe as part of the Damage Inc. Tour in support of March 1986 affair Master Of Puppets . Given that the sleeping cubicles on the tour bus were uncomfortable, members drew cards to determine which bunks they would occupy. Burton won via the ace of spades, choosing to sleep in guitarist Kirk Hammett’s bunk.

Shortly prior to 7am on the morning of the 27th, the tour skidded off of the road on the European route E4, 12 miles north of Ljungby; overturning several times, the bus flipped onto the grass in Kronoberg County. Burton’s body was thrown through the window of the bus, the bus subsequently falling on top of him – causing his death. Lars Ulrich (drums), James Hetfield (vocals / guitars), and Kirk Hammett sustained no serious injuries.

Cremated, Burton’s ashes were scattered at the Maxwell Ranch. The instrumental track ‘Orion’, lifted from Master Of Puppets , was played at the ceremony. Taken from the future Metallica composition ‘To Live Is To Die’, the lyrics “… cannot the Kingdom of Salvation take me home” are written on Burton’s memorial stone. Flotsam And Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted filled the role shortly following Burton’s passing, occupying said position until 2001. Fourth studio long-player … And Justice For All (August 1988) included the tribute ‘To Live Is To Die’, which included lyrics and bass parts from unused recordings – the bass parts re-recorded by Newsted.

Metallica were inducted into the Rock And Roll Of Fame on April 4th, 2009, Burton achieving a posthumous induction.

Clifford Lee Burton was born on February 10th, 1962 in Castro Valley, California, the youngest of three children.

His father Ray introduced him to classical music at a tender age, after which he began undertaking piano lessons. Playing Little League baseball for the Castro Valley House team, Cliff attended the following schools throughout his years as a pupil; Marshall Elementary school, Earl Warren Junior High, and subsequently Castro Valley High.

From September 1978 to January 1980, Cliff was taught bass by teacher Steve Doherty, learning in disciplines ranging from classical to jazz.

While attending Castro Valley High, Burton formed inaugural outfit EZ-Street, adopting the moniker from a topless bar situated in the Bay Area. Fellow members of the EZ-Street band included future Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin as well as Faith No More and Ozzy Osbourne drummer Mike Bordin. Burton and Martin formed a second band after enrolling as students at Chabot College in Hayward, California. Named Agents Of Misfortune, the ensemble entered the Hayward Area Recreation Department’s Battle Of The Bands contest in 1981. A video-taped audition shows Burton playing parts of what would become early Metallica tracks: signature bass solo ‘(Anasthesia) Pulling Teeth’ and the intro to ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’.

Burton became a member of Trauma during 1982, recording the track ‘Such A Shame’ with Trauma which appeared on the second Metal Massacre compilation. Trauma performed at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles that year, with Metallica vocalist / guitarist and drummer Lars Ulrich in attendance. Impressed by what later became ‘(Anasthesia) Pulling Teeth’, the two sought what they thought was a guitarist. Learning that what they had heard was a bass solo by Burton, the pair opted to recruit Burton for Metallica. Burton was asked to replace the departed Ron McGovney; Burton agreed, on the condition that Metallica relocated from Los Angeles to San Francisco – the four-stringer was not enthused with the prospect of moving to Los Angeles. Metallica moved to El Cerrito, situated across the bay from San Francisco.

Recorded prior to Burton’s entry into the ranks, the No Life ’Til Leather demo tape came to the attention of Megaforce Records owner Jon Zazula, who signed Metallica. July 1983 debut full-length studio album Kill ’Em All featured the aforementioned signature bass solo ‘(Anasthesia) Pulling Teeth’, the effort laid down in Rochester, New York with Paul Curcio. Metallica wished to name the Kill ’Em All platter Metal Up Your Ass , although the record company disliked the title and insisted that it be changed. Burton made the remark “We should just kill ’em all, man,” to the rest of Metallica, which was the inspiration for the revised title.

July 1984 effort Ride The Lightning – recorded at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark with producer Flemming Rasmussen – marked a broadness in musical style by comparison to its predecessors, with Burton receiving songwriting credits on six of its eight tracks. A September 1984 Metallica concert was attended by Elektra Records A&R Michael Alago and Q-Prime management co-founder Cliff Burnstein, who signed the band to both Elektra Records and the Q-Prime roster.

Third studio record Master Of Puppets arrived in March 1986, the second Metallica opus to be recorded at Sweet Silence and the last to feature Burton. The record is considered among several to be the thrashers’ strongest release, initially reaching position 29 on the Billboard 200.

Cliff Burton was survived by parents Ray and Jan as well as sister Connie, and predeceased by brother Scott. Sixteen-year-old brother Scott died on May 19th, 1975 as the result of a brain aneurysm.

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33 Years After His Death, The Legend of Metallica’s Cliff Burton Lives On

The post 33 Years After His Death, The Legend of Metallica’s Cliff Burton Lives On appeared first on Consequence of Sound .

The story of Cliff Burton is the story of two deaths. There is his own tragic passing, which happened on September 27th, 1986, in the early morning hours when Metallica ’s tour bus skidded off the road in Sweden. As has become part of metal lore, the vehicle rolled down an embankment and threw the 24-year-old out of a window, ultimately landing on top of him. He died instantly.

But there was another death, 11 years earlier, that is little discussed but had a major impact on Burton’s life and career. In May of 1975, his older brother Scott was killed by a brain aneurysm at the far too young age of 16. To hear their parents tell it, Cliff, who was 13 at the time, used that as a motivating factor to dedicate himself to music. As Jan Burton put it in an interview published on a Metallica fan site, “He said to a couple of people, ‘I’m gonna be the best bassist for my brother.’”

That small stretch of time between those bookended deaths changed everything about metal and heavy rock, for good and for ill. Burton threw himself at the task of becoming a great bass player, practicing for hours at a clip and surpassing the abilities of some of his earliest teachers. He became a fixture on the Bay Area music scene, playing in bands with future Faith No More members Jim Martin and Mike Bordin, as well as the well-regarded ensemble Trauma.

It was that last outfit that helped introduce him to his future Metallica bandmates, who were allegedly blown away when they heard an early version of the solo that would become “(Anesthesia)—Pulling Teeth,” from the group’s debut Kill ‘Em All . James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich convinced him to step in for the recently departed Ron McGovney, and set in motion the band’s legendary and rocky path into musical infamy.

Listening to “(Anesthesia)” today, it’s not hard to understand what drew Hetfield and Ulrich to Burton. It’s not a fleet-fingered showcase a la Thundercat or Stanley Clarke, but it still carried dynamism and power through his use of effect pedals, particularly the wah-wah pedal that gave a wobble and punch to the song. Its depth and speed also revealed a player who could keep up with the speedy power chords that would mark all three of the iconic albums Burton recorded with Metallica: Kill ‘Em All , Ride the Lightning , and Master of Puppets . He could hold his own with his bandmates no matter how heavy or knotted up the arrangements became.

Burton was a presence on those first three Metallica albums, distinguishing himself as a vital piece of the puzzle. He sat nicely in the pocket, doubling up on Hetfield’s rhythm guitar parts, but in moments like the chromatic solo that opens “For Whom the Bell Tolls” or his proggy and throbbing solo work on “Orion”, he could burst through a song’s mass like a battering ram.

His contributions to the songwriting and his mere presence as this positive, leveling force within the band, not to mention his willingness to put the work in, helped propel Metallica to levels of success around the world that were unheard of at the time. And, as is oft-repeated but still worth mentioning, they did it without the support of the dual forces of commercial radio and MTV.

When that was ripped away from the world on September 27, 1986, nothing would be the same for the group after. The surviving members threw themselves into their music with even greater force, culminating in the majestic achievement that is …And Justice For All and a music video for “One” that catapulted them to crossover fame. Nothing that happened after that, from the megaton success of “The Black Album” to the cringeworthy behavior on display in the documentary Some Kind of Monster would have occurred were it not for Burton’s death. Again: for good and for ill.

(Buy: Tickets to Metallica’s Upcoming Shows )

For their part, Metallica forged ahead to become the biggest metal band on the planet, though it’s evident that the loss still weighs heavy on them. In a video released to promote a book about the making of Master of Puppets , Kirk Hammett wiped away tears when talking about his old friend. His death still looms large among the group’s fans, as proven by their successful efforts to have the bassist’s hometown of Castro Valley, California, proclaim February 10th “Cliff Burton Day ” on what would have been his 56th birthday.

Over three decades later, no one who knew him or had their lives affected by the music that he made can really let Burton go. He still looms large over Metallica in a way that Jason Newsted or Robert Trujillo never could. For all their talents, it is hard to compete with the legend that Burton was and still remains.

33 Years After His Death, The Legend of Metallica’s Cliff Burton Lives On Spencer Kaufman

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Cliff Burton museum to open near site of Metallica bassist’s fatal bus accident

The exhibits will display pictures, posters, albums, ticket stubs and more

A museum dedicated to Metallica bassist Cliff Burton is to open in Ljungby, Sweden, near the site of his fatal 1986 bus accident.

Burton died on September 27, 1986, when Metallica’s tour bus crashed. The band were in Sweden at the time, as part of the European leg of their ‘Damage, Inc.’ tour. He played bass on the band’s first three albums: ‘Kill ‘Em All’, ‘Ride The Lightning’ , and ‘Master Of Puppets’ .

The Ljungby municipality announced the Cliff Burton Museum would open on May 14 in a building partially funded by its government.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cliff Burton Museum (@cliffburtonmuseum)

Pictures, posters, albums and ticket stubs will be included, as well as interviews and photographs by Lennart Wennberg of the Expressen newspaper, the first photographer at the crash site.

As reported by Consequence , a major exhibit will feature a stage that recreates Metallica’s final concert with Burton in Stockholm, with copies of the instruments played by Burton and drummer Lars Ulrich .

Renowned music journalist Joel McIver, who wrote Burton’s biography in 2009, will give a speech at the museum’s opening on the musician’s life and work. Speaking to NME , McIver said: “The fact that a museum devoted to Cliff is opening now, 36 years after his death, confirms what fans of Metallica have known all along.

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“The fact is that his legacy is growing stronger as the years pass, rather than diminishing, as has been the case with countless other musicians. [A] crucial point is that the Cliff Burton Museum is supported by the Swedish government. Someone in an office somewhere obviously knows what Cliff means to the fans who come to pay tribute every year, at the stone installed by members of Metallica’s Swedish fanclub.

“I can’t think of an equivalent memorial anywhere else, with the possible exception of Jim Morrison’s grave at Pere Lachaise in Paris. Even that is just a gravestone rather than a full-on museum.”

Over the years, Metallica and their fans have continued to pay homage to Burton and his legacy.

A petition by Metallica fans lead to an official Cliff Burton Day in California, observed annually since 2018 on February 10. This year’s commemoration was celebrated with a livestream on what would have been the icon’s 60th birthday.

In it, the likes of Exodus guitarist Gary Holt , Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin and more shared their memories of Burton.

On the 30th anniversary of Burton’s death, his band shared an emotional video from his family and launched a Facebook page set up in his memory.

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Behind the Tragic Death of Cliff Burton

by Alex Hopper September 27, 2023, 11:31 am

Few rock ‘n’ roll deaths are more tragic than Cliff Burton’s. The Metallica bassist was just 24 years old when he died from a freak tour bus accident. Burton was an integral part of the metal outfit from 1982 until 1986. His adept playing can be heard on Kill ‘Em All , Ride the Lightning , and Master of Puppets .

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Burton died on September 27, 1986. The band was on a tour bus in Sweden when the driver lost control, flew down an embankment, and caused Burton to fly out the window. The bus eventually rolled on top of him.

[RELATED: 5 Unforgettable Rock Concert Moments]

According to the band, they were filled with anger immediately following Burton’s death. “My throat was going bad, so I was asleep in the back lounge,” James Hetfield once explained. “The tour buses you see here are all metal-sided, but it was all windows on the side, and that was the main cause of the death.

“It hit so-called black ice, skidded out and bounced once, and that’s when he went through the window, and the bus went right on him,” he continued. “It was pretty quick and I know he didn’t know what hit him.”

Hetfield immediately got out of the bus to investigate the accident. “‘Why did this happen? Where’s the driver? Let me smell your breath.'” Hetfield continued. “I walked for miles looking for this black ice in my underwear, when it’s 20 below. There were screams from the crew who were still trapped in there, screaming in pain–broken collar bones, toes, all that.”

Soon after, the band’s manager Peter Mensch urged the group to keep going.

“Peter came out and said, ‘Get your therapy out through your music–jump right back on the horse and ride on,'” Hetfield added. “We couldn’t believe this guy was telling us this. ‘What do you mean, man? This is our buddy. Screw you.’ It took us a few days to grasp the concept of that kind of strength. Cliff’s wishes were, ‘Battle on, friends.'”

After Burton’s death, Metallica brought on Jason Newsted as a replacement bassist. They’ve had a number of personnel changes in that department. Currently, Robert Trujillo is on bass duties.

Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns

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Anthrax's Scott Ian recalls horror bus crash that killed Metallica's Cliff Burton: "I think about him weekly"

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian opens up about his time on the road with Metallica on 1986's Damage Inc. tour, and his memories of the night Cliff Burton was tragically killed

Anthrax may be the only band among the Big Four to hail from America's East Coast, but they share a profound bond with their thrash metal brethren, and old friends Metallica in particular.

In a new Metal Hammer interview, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian discusses meeting Metallica for the first time, as well as his band's experience of the 1986 Damage Inc. tour, during which Metallica bassist Cliff Burton was tragically killed in a tour bus accident.

Reflecting on Anthrax's rising fame in the '80s, Ian recalls the celebratory atmosphere the two bands enjoyed while on tour together, saying,"It was truly unbelievable because it really wasn't that long before that nobody knew who we were, and we were just trying to get anyone to listen to what we were doing".

He continues: "We felt so strongly – and I include Metallica in this – about what we were doing musically at that point and knew the world needed to hear it. We really felt like we had something to say. So when you're standing on stage, and you're looking out at 3000 British people on your first ever tour in England and they're going fucking nuts, they're singing your songs, that are even still new to you…

"Every night, we would all just hang out, and ask how this had happened. It really put both of us on the map in the UK and we got to do it together which made it that much better. Every night was a celebration of what we had been working so hard to accomplish for the three or four years before that.”

Sharing one memory he recalls with particular fondness, Ian continues, "The last night of that tour was Hammersmith Odeon and Music For Nations threw a party for both bands. It was kind of the end of the UK run before we went off to Europe and so we had a big party. It was chaos! I mean, it was nuts.

"I have memories of running around with Cliff through the halls of the hotel late at night. We found the room that has the laundry sheets and I remember pissing down them, doing all kinds of stupid shit as you would when you're 22 and just finished your first ever tour, every show sold out and never had done anything like that in your life. It was pretty fucking fabulous and fantastic, a mind blowing experience."

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Referring to the incident which saw Burton tragically killed, the guitarist adds, "Of course, it all went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows less than a week later of course, in Sweden. "We all went through that together again and certainly in the context of being in a band I think it was the worst thing that had ever happened to any of us, completely inconceivable and unknown.

"Even all these years later, there are parts of me that are still in denial about it, like how it possibly could have happened. Everyone pretty much walks out unscathed but we lost Cliff. It's still so unbelievable. I think about him weekly – I’ve got a giant photo in my house.”

When questioned as to what exactly took place when he discovered the news of Burton's passing, the guitarist says, "We were there when Kirk and James were brought to the hotel in Copenhagen that night, after the accident. We stayed with them all night. I think Lars had gone home to his dad's house, but James and Kirk came to the hotel and had to fly out the next morning.

"I remember Charlie [Benante, drums] and Frankie [Bello, bass] taking James outside to just walk him around the block a few hundred times to try and clear his head, while I stayed up all night talking to Kirk. 

"They flew home and we flew back a few days later, then got another flight straight to San Francisco. I stayed with James in his tiny little apartment in the city for a couple of days and we just spent every day out at Kirk's mom's house. I was with James, Lars and Kirk and a lot of their friends from other bands.

"That's how I met Mike Borden from Faith No More because he was super close with Cliff. We spent like a week, you know, just literally sitting around Kirk's mom's house, drinking beer and telling stories. It was one of the deepest, most powerful experiences humans can go through together.”

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.

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The Tragic Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton

For a band as longstanding and storied as Metallica , they have not been without ups and downs. From the early days of struggling to record original material for their 1982 demo  No Life 'Til Leather,  to their 2000 suit of early file-sharing platform Napster , to the supposed hazing of bassist Jason Newstead and the band's near-collapse when he left in 2001, to 2003's critically brutalized St. Anger , Metallica's legacy and repertoire of mega-hit albums like  Master of Puppets (1986) and  Metallica  (1991), have helped them endure and continue to sell out stadium after stadium.

No event had such a dramatic impact on Metallica's history, though, as the death of the bassist Cliff Burton. Following the success of their debut  Kill 'Em All  (1982) and its followup  Ride the Lightning (1984), Metallica went on a worldwide Damage, Inc., tour in 1986 in support of Master of Puppets . Their fame had exploded during the preceding years, and by September, 1986 the group was on the European leg of its tour passing through the countryside of Dörarp, Sweden, as cataloged by Virtual Globetrotting . The band had been complaining to each other about the bus' sleeping accommodations and playing card games to choose bunks, and, according to Loudersound , singer James Hetfield had moved away from the bus' windows to prevent the cold air from affecting his throat.

At some point in the early morning on September 27th, the tour bus hit a patch of black ice, skidded out of control, and flipped onto the nearby grass. The band members were thrown around like rag dolls, and Cliff Burton flew out of the window. The bus landed on him, and when a crane attempted to lift the bus off of his body its grip slipped, and Burton was gone forever.

The thing that should not be

Anthrax was touring with Metallica at the time of Cliff's death, and, as reported by Loudwire , guitarist Scott Ian describes the events of that very day: the feeling of absolute shock and unreality; the cancelling of Metallica's show that night; the fans showing up at their hotel to show support. Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer, was hospitalized with a broken toe. Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammond returned to their hotel absolutely trashed, and Hetfield had also been heavily sedated because he was a complete wreck. 

Hetfield confirmed all this in a 2016 interview with Loudersound, where the surviving band members described their first emotion as anger. They wanted something to blame, and they initially accused the bus driver of drinking. Ultimate Classic Rock  describes Hetfield as walking up and down the road in his socks in frozen weather, looking for the black ice that the bus had slipped on. In the 2016 book Metallica: Back to the Front , the band describes still missing Cliff, stating that he was a "great human being" with positive energy that could light up a room. As reported in Revolver ,  Hetfield had the bassline for "Orion," an epic, 9-minute instrumental track on  Master of Puppets,  developed in large part thanks to Cliff, tattooed on his arm.

Cliff, who studied music theory in college, had helped expand Metallica's songwriting on  Ride the Lightning  and  Master of Puppets , and was responsible for co-writing numerous standout tracks such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Fade to Black," and, "Master of Puppets." It's impossible to know exactly how Metallica might have evolved over the years if Cliff had lived, both as a band and as individuals. As it stands, though, Burton's legacy and spirit live on through his music.

Museum Dedicated To METALLICA's CLIFF BURTON Officially Opens Near Site Of Tragic Bus Accident: Video, Photos

A museum honoring the legacy of late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton officially opened yesterday (Saturday, May 14) in the municipality of Ljungby in Sweden, near where Burton died in a tragic tour bus accident in 1986. He was just 24.

The museum includes pictures, albums, posters and tickets, along with interviews and photos from the first photographer at the crash site, Lennart Wennberg of the Swedish newspaper Expressen . There is also a film of recollections from first responders at the crash scene as well as a stage that recreates METALLICA 's last performance with Burton in Stockholm, with copies of the bass and drum kit he and drummer Lars Ulrich used, plus a poster with Burton 's last autograph.

In September 2006, a memorial stone dedicated to Burton at the Gyllene Rasten restaurant/bar in Dörarp (outside Ljungby) was unveiled. It was 20 years earlier that Cliff died just over the road from where Gyllene Rasten is located.

The organizers told Guitar World : "We primarily want to honor Cliff Burton , who died so tragically in the middle of his career, and talk about who he was as a person and a musician. Our second main purpose is to create a meeting place for all those who seek the memorial site in the small community of Dörarp. We want to continue the fine work that the fans started when they started raising funds to make Cliff 's memorial stone."

Ljungby historian Krister Ljungberg , who is involved in opening the museum, told SVT in 2021 that he had received message of support from METALLICA fans from around the world. Among them was a video from fans in Mexico who asked how they could help build the museum.

"I'm not a huge fan of METALLICA , but I usually say that I'm the biggest fan of METALLICA fans," Ljungberg said. "I really love these people; they are absolutely amazing."

A newly started association, Bergabygden's culture and tourism, was awarded SEK 300,000 (approximately $32,000) from the Swedish National Heritage Board, a government agency responsible for world heritage sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments, to help start the museum.

Cliff was asked to join METALLICA in 1982 after the band saw him perform with his group at the time, TRAUMA .

The bassist was not willing to move to Los Angeles, where METALLICA was based, so they decided to move to the San Francisco area so that he would join.

Burton played on METALLICA 's first three studio albums — "Kill 'Em All" , "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets" — and co-wrote classic songs like "Ride The Lightning" , "For Whom The Bell Tolls" , "Fade To Black" , "Creeping Death" and "Master Of Puppets" .

Burton 's initial replacement in the group was Jason Newsted , who stayed in the lineup until 2001. Robert Trujillo joined in 2003 and remains in the band to this day.

February 10, 2018 was proclaimed "Cliff Burton Day" by Alameda County supervisors. The late METALLICA bassist would have turned 56 years old on that date had he lived.

Back in 2016, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke to Seattle's KISW 99.9 radio station about Burton 's tragic loss when METALLICA 's tour bus skidded on ice while the group was on tour in Scandinavia and Cliff was thrown out the window and crushed. Lars said: "We were so shocked and stunned that we didn't know what hit us. And, like most, I guess, kids in their early 20s who get ambushed with that type of thing, we jumped into a bottle of, in this case, vodka, for me, and stayed in there for quite some time. We weren't mature enough or seasoned in life enough to know how to deal with this other than just to sort of, basically, almost hide behind the alcohol and compartmentalized it. So the next few months were very difficult, and it was crazy, but we just put the blinders on and started auditioning bass players. And we knew in our hearts that Cliff would be the first one to kick us in the ass and tell us to keep going, if he could see us mope. And so there was no moping; we just kept going the best we knew how to."

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield was asked in an interview with TeamRock what he thinks Burton might have thought about the drastic changes in its look and sound that METALLICA made through the 1990s and early 2000s with albums like "Load" , "Reload" and "St. Anger" . Hetfield replied: "Well, I certainly would have thought there would have been some resistance, for sure. I think the 'Black Album' was a great album and I appreciate the fact that we did have the balls to do that… I would certainly think that the 'Load' and 'Reload' [era], I would have had an ally that was very against it all — the reinvention or the U2 version of METALLICA ."

Asked if Hetfield was personally comfortable with the more "alternative" image and music METALLICA made on those albums, the singer/guitarist replied: "No, no, not at all. There’s some great, great songs on there but my opinion is that all of the imagery and stuff like that was not necessary. And the amount of songs that were written was… it diluted the potency of the poison of METALLICA . And I think Cliff would have agreed with that."

Burton 's huge talent and achievements were chronicled in book form with the 2009 global publication of "To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton" , written by U.K.-based author Joel McIver and published by Jawbone Press . The foreword was provided by METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett .

Nu har det öppnat! Ljungby kommun's nya turistattraktion, Cliff Burton Museum & Memorial Stone på Laganland. Den stora invigningen är klockan 15 så du hinner nog hit. Vi kommer att återkomma med mer från dagen i ett lite längre reportage och förhoppningsvis kommer det också en livesändning under dagen. Posted by Ljungbykanalen on Saturday, May 14, 2022

I dag öppnade som ni säkert redan känner till Cliff Burton Museum & Memorial Stone. Vi fick en lite pratstund med en lite stressad Krister Ljungberg just innan museet öppnade. Det var lite stojigt runt om kring men vi hoppas ni hör trots detta. Vi återkommer med ett lite längre inslag från invigningen. SVT Nyheter Småland har också ett inslag som du hittar på länken nedan. https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/smaland/museet-over-cliff-burton-invigt-stefan-sag-konserten-kvallen-innan-olyckan Posted by Ljungbykanalen on Saturday, May 14, 2022

Such an honour to be part of the opening of the Cliff Burton Museum in Ljungby, Sweden. We had a very special and... Posted by St. Germany - Local Chapter of the metallica Club # 273 on  Saturday, May 14, 2022

Yesterday was an absolutely amazing day !!! Thanks to ALL of you who somehow participated in the opening of the Cliff... Posted by Cliff Burton Museum & Memorial Stone on  Sunday, May 15, 2022

Today 👊 thanks @Rickard 📸 https://www.facebook.com/Cliff-Burton-Museum-Memorial-Stone-108421258207906/ Posted by Costa Rica - Fade To Black on  Saturday, May 14, 2022

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This Day In Music History – Metallica Bassist Cliff Burton Dies in Sweden

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On September 27, 1986, Metallica’s tour bus crashed in southern Sweden as the band was promoting their Master of Puppets album. Cliff Burton died from the accident at the age of 24.

Burton was the bassist on Metallica’s first three albums, Kill ‘Em All , Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets . His unique playing style grabbed the attention of Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield during a club show for his then band, Trauma. His use of wah wah pedal and bass solos were used in place of traditional guitar solos. Metallica soon relocated to San Francisco on Burton’s behest and began recording demos.

On songs like “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Master of Puppets” and “Orion”  feature Burton’s raw shredding style. Routinely mistaken for guitar solos, Burton’s riffs were the driving force for many of Metallica’s early hits. “Orion” is particularly impressive because it’s the only instrumental song on Master of Puppets and is an eight minute bass solo.  “Orion” is only rarely played live to this day. Metallica only began playing “Orion” again in 2006 and only a handful of times since. Burton is not only considered the best Metallica bassist but one of the best metal bassists of all time. In 2009, Burton was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Metallica.

Live videos of “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Master of Puppets” are below.

What is your favorite solo or song by Cliff Burton?

Metallica – “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth”

Metallica – “master of puppets”, metallica – “for whom the bell tolls”, related posts.

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Baroness survives incredible bus accident off cliff and rocks on

It’s not easy to keep an independent rock band alive for nearly 20 years. It’s akin to an act of survival. That’s literally so for Baroness, which features one lone original member, John Baizley. While touring England in 2012, the metal band’s bus flew off a viaduct near Bath and plunged 40 feet. Remarkably, there were no fatalities. However, the injuries were severe.

Baizley, Baroness’s vocalist-guitarist, suffered a broken left arm and left leg. Bassist Matt Maggioni and drummer Allen Blickle each fractured vertebrae. The rhythm section never returned to Baroness. “I was fully conscious during the experience,” Baizley recalled. “I had enough time to fully consider what was happening, and I made my peace. I knew that we were likely to die.

“We dropped 40 feet off of a cliff. We were airborne over the tops of pine trees. It’s incredible that nobody died. We lost control for two and a half miles. The brake system and the emergency brake all failed. It was a near-death experience that completely destroyed my body. My left arm was broken in 17 places. It took three days to convince the doctors in the hospital not to amputate it.”

Baizley and guitarist Peter Adams, who sustained minor injuries, returned to Baroness. However, Adams left the band in 2017. “I feel a sense of gratitude to the people who have joined the band to keep this alive,” Baisley said while calling from his Philadelphia home. “I’m still friendly with everyone who was ever in Baroness. I never lost sight of what was good about this band.”

Baroness, which will perform Wednesday at Lucky You Lounge, can be filed under alternative metal since the band combines the power of metal and the wit and melody of post-punk. “It’s not one genre that influenced me while growing up,” Baizley said. “Look at bands like Slayer and Metallica and all that influenced them.”

Metallica vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield called Baisley after his bus accident. Metallica’s tour bus crashed in Sweden in 1986, killing bassist Cliff Burton. “When you’re at the bottom of your own barrel and somebody calls you with a shared experience, well, it saved that day for me,” Baizley said. Music also saved Baizley. “The next couple of records we made were about that accident in some form or other,” Baizley said. “I couldn’t help but write songs from that experience.”

“Purple” was one of the finest albums released in 2015. Hurt and healing are all over the urgent and gritty songs. “Shock Me,” “Kerosene” and “If I Have to Wake Up (Would You Stop the Rain?)” are powerful and poignant. “Energy was harnessed, and that album was made,” Baizley said. Baizley has used color to convey his feelings with each album.

Baroness’ 2007 debut is the “Red Album.” “The Blue Record” followed in 2009. “Yellow & Green” dropped in 2012. “Gold & Grey” was released in 2019. “Colors for me have always been an easy way to connect the two very important aspects of my life, which is music and the visual side of things,” Baizley said. “What I do with colors is kind of similar to what Led Zeppelin did with numbers.” Led Zeppelin’s first four albums are numeric, from one to four.

Baroness, which also includes guitarist Gina Gleason, bassist Nick Jost and drummer Sebastian Thomson, is finishing up its latest album, which is complete with the exception of vocals. Forty songs were written, but it’s unknown if the new songs will be previewed. “We’ll see how things go since we start our tour tomorrow,” Baizley said. “Hopefully, we’ll hit our stride by the time we play Spokane.”

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Was the bus driver guilty in death of metallica’s cliff burton.

Cliff Burton was a successful bassist playing for the iconic heavy metal band Metallica between 1982 and 1986. In late 1982, he was discovered by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield at a show at Whisky A Go-Go. At that time, the pair was quite impressed by Burton’s use of the wah-wah pedal, so they asked him to join Metallica. Although he initially declined the offer, he agreed to join them by the end of the year.

Burton first joined Metallica on stage at the nightclub The Stone back in March 1983. Throughout his career in the band, Burton performed on Metallica’s first three studio albums, but sadly, the 24-years-old bassist died in a bus crash in Sweden while touring to support ‘Master Of Puppets’ in 1986. Although it was ruled an accident, James Hetfield thought otherwise. Let’s learn the details of the tragic incident.

James Hetfield Thought The Bus Driver Was To Blame For The Tragic Accident That Killed Cliff Burton

In 1986, in Sweden, Metallica was on the Damage, Inc. tour in support of their ‘Master Of Puppets’ album. While on the road, the band members were quite dissatisfied with the sleeping cubicles on their tour bus. So, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton decided to draw cards to determine which bunks they would sleep in. Burton drew an ace of spades and chose to sleep in Hammet’s bunk.

On September 27 at around sunrise, while Burton was asleep, the bus driver lost control and skidded off the road. The bus overturned as a result and flipped onto the grass. Although Ulrich, Hammett, and Hetfield survived the crash with no fatal injuries, Burton was thrown through the bus window and pinned under the bus. Unfortunately, the young bassist died at the scene.

Following the tragic accident, the bus driver said that the cause of the crash was a patch of black ice on the road. However, James Hetfield later recalled the incident in a Rolling Stone interview and claimed that the bus flipped because the bus driver was drunk. According to Metal Hammer, Hetfield also stated that he walked in his underwear down the road to look for that black ice but found none.

In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview, James Hetfield recalled the incident as:

“I saw him dead. It was really, really terrible. We were up late that night – I was drinking vodka, he was smoking his preferred substance. We went to sleep, and then when the bus was getting jostled around, I knew we were not on the road anymore. When it hit the side, I went out of the escape hatch, went around, and saw people yelling. It was freezing cold, we were in our underwear.

I saw the bus lying right on him and saw his legs sticking out. I freaked. The bus driver, I recall, was trying to yank the blanket out from under him to use for other people. I just went, ‘Don’t fucking do that!’ and I already wanted to kill the guy. I don’t know if he was drunk or if he hit some ice. All I knew was, he was driving, and Cliff wasn’t alive anymore.”

As reported by Metal Hammer, James Hetfield also said:

“Coming out and finding your buddy under the bus is not something you want to go through. Our first reaction was anger – one of the things we were good at.

‘Why did this happen? Where’s the driver? Let me smell your breath.’ I walked for miles looking for this black ice in my underwear when it’s 20 below. There were screams from the crew who were still trapped in there, screaming in pain – broken collar bones, toes, all that.”

As it appears, James Hetfield insisted that the bus driver was to blame for the accident. However, it is not crystal clear whether he was right or not.

Was The Bus Driver Really To Blame For Cliff Burton’s Death?

After the investigations on the accident, the police confirmed that they found no ice on the road. The freelance photographer who attended the crash scene the next morning, Lennart Wennberg, also said that the road was dry and the temperature was above the freezing point. Therefore, it is unlikely that a block of black ice caused the accident.

Later on, Ljungyby detective Arne Pettersson told a local newspaper that the tracks at the crash site were exactly like the ones that happen when drivers fall asleep while driving. However, the bus driver testified that he had slept during the day and was well-rested. Following that, the second bus driver who was carrying the band’s equipment confirmed his testimony.

As a result, no charges were laid against the driver. Today, it still remains a mystery what caused the bus to flip over. Nevertheless, the authorities are pretty confident that a piece of black ice wasn’t the reason.

Below, you can check out an interview where Metallica members talked about the accident which resulted in Cliff Burton’s death.

Hi! I'm Elif. Being a rock music fan myself, I'm trying to let you know about the latest news from the rock and metal community. If you have any questions or requirements, I will gladly contact you at: [email protected]

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Tragic: Celebrity Tour Bus Crashes & Accidents

Posted: June 4, 2024 | Last updated: June 4, 2024

Metallica – September 1986: The heavy metal band faced tragedy when their tour bus lost control in Sweden, resulting in the death of bassist Cliff Burton.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus – November 2009 and March 2014: Cyrus faced a bus accident in 2009 resulting in one fatality, and in 2014, her mother and sister's bus burst into flames near New Orleans.

Miranda Cosgrove

Miranda Cosgrove – August 2011: The singer's tour bus collided with a truck, leaving the driver seriously injured and Cosgrove shaken.

Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels – July 2009 and June 2013: The Poison singer experienced a five-vehicle pile-up in Ontario in 2009 and later suffered minor injuries in a collision with deer in 2013.

Weezer – December 2009: The band's tour bus crashed in New York, causing injuries to lead singer Rivers Cuomo and others on board.

Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan – 2014: Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan faced critical injuries in a multi-vehicle crash involving his tour bus, which unfortunately led to the death of his friend James McNair.

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan – March 1990: A critical injury befell the singer when her tour bus collided with a truck near Scranton, Pennsylvania, leaving her with a fractured spine.

My Chemical Romance

Frank Iero – Sydney 2016: My Chemical Romance guitarist and his crew, during his solo tour, experienced a serious bus crash in Sydney, with Iero and another man suffering serious leg injuries.

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson Band – November 2013: Although not involving the singer, a bus carrying Willie Nelson's band crashed in Texas, resulting in several hospitalizations.

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