Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett played Columbia, SC's "Cry Baby Battle Royale" event over the weekend with his side project The Wedding Band. According to Blabbermouth, Hammett accepted the challenge from Mrs. Smith (the guitar virtuoso alter-ego of actor/musician David Hanbury) and took the stage to trade licks on a version of Isaac Hayes's "Theme From Shaft."
At the end of the awesome 7-minute battle, Hammett conceded and laid down his guitar. Mrs. Smith received a gold Cry Baby plaque crowning her "the new undisputed champion of the overuse of the Cry Baby wah-wah pedal." She told Hammett: "I learned it all from watching you."
The second video below features highlights of The Wedding Band's set at the show. The band (which also features Metallica's Robert Trujillo and Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane) covers AC/DC's "Highway to Hell", Billy Idol's "White Wedding", Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", Kool and The Gang's "Jungle Boogie", and more.
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