Last week, Journey performed the last 2022 dates of their Freedom world tour, and took a two-night stop in Hawaii to perform consecutive dates at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu on Wednesday and Thursday (October 5 and 6).
During the latter show, Neal Schon and co invited Metallica’s Kirk Hammett on stage to perform Journey’s 1978 number Wheel in the Sky, which seamlessly segued into a full-band jam of Metallica’s own Enter Sandman.
The dual electric guitar act of Schon and Hammett proved to be a particularly potent sonic force, with the pair standing side-by-side for the seven-plus minute procession to trade licks, double up riffs and go toe-to-toe with blazing guitar solos.
With Schon strapped to his custom IHush guitar – crafted by Japanese luthier Naoki Ihashi – and Hammett opting for his beloved “Greeny” Les Paul, the pair spent the first three minutes making their way through Wheel in the Sky before breaking unannounced into the Enter Sandman hook.
A characteristically wah-drenched solo from Hammett preceded a full-throttle throwdown, which then saw the band effortlessly shift back into Wheel in the Sky to close out Hammett’s cameo.
“Had a great time with Kirk Hammett of Metallica last night at [the second] sold out Journey show in Hawaii,” Schon wrote on social media after the gig. “I put together a jam today for Wheel with Enter Sandman.”
On his own Instagram account, Hammett posted, “Had a wonderful couple days hanging out with Neal and the guys from Journey. Thanks so much guys for having me jam.”
Though only fan footage from the event is currently available online, Schon revealed on Twitter a “15 mins long” pro-shot version will be arriving soon, presumably to Journey’s YouTube account.
Their Hawaiian double-header was Journey’s last live appearance of 2022. The band will next be in action for their Freedom tour in March next year, when they will perform a string of dates that had been postponed earlier this year due to positive Covid tests.
The first of five shows will take place on March 1 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, and will be followed by performances in Connecticut, Canada and California.
For a full list of 2023 dates, head over to Journey’s website.
