Celine Dion has become an unlikely metalhead. The superstar singer went viral after fan footage caught her playing air bass at Metallica’s Sphere show in Las Vegas on Thursday, 5 November, mimicking bassist Robert Trujillo’s every move during the band’s “Kirk and Rob Doodle” instrumental jam with guitarist Kirk Hammett.
Dion, 58, was spotted in a VIP suite with her 16-year-old twin sons, Eddy and Nelson Angélil, standing and working an invisible bass as Trujillo jammed on stage. She then returned for the band’s closing show of the fall run on Saturday, 7 November, where video obtained by TMZ showed her throwing her arms in the air and headbanging as Metallica performed their 1991 hit “Enter Sandman”, alongside actor Jack Black.
Celine Dion meets Metallica backstage
After the Saturday show, Dion went backstage to meet the heavy metal legends in person. She shared a carousel of photographs from the encounter on her official Instagram, posing with James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, and thanking them for the warm welcome. “We had such a wonderful time seeing you at the Sphere. We absolutely loved the show,” she wrote, adding a rock-horns emoji.
Reports say her love of metal is no accident: she warms up to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” before shows, and became a Metallica fan thanks to her son Eddy, who was at the Sphere with her. The clips have delighted fans across genres, with many praising the joy on her face as she sang along, headbanged and threw up rock signs from the balcony.
A comeback moment for Celine Dion
The appearances come during Dion’s public return to full-length live performance following her December 2022 disclosure that she has stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that forced her to cancel a planned Las Vegas residency. She completed a 26-show Paris residency running from September to October 2026, her first full-length live performances since stepping away from the spotlight, with a second leg scheduled for May 2027. Metallica, meanwhile, launched their “Life Burns Faster” residency at the Sphere on 1 October, wrapped the 2026 run on 7 November, and will return to the venue in January 2027.
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