Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas Calls Opening for Metallica an ‘Incredible’ Experience

Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills has shared the stage with a range of high-profile rock and metal bands, but Metallica has to be the biggest.

It doesn't get any bigger than opening for Metallica on their M72 World Tour, and he knows it.

Speaking to Meltdown of Detroit rock station WRIF, Charnas opened up about the experience and said it was one of the best of his life.

"It was, you know, some of the most incredible experiences of my life," he told Meltdown, adding that they've done around 50 shows with the metal greats.

But, being on that huge stage was a bit challenging. "It took us a little while to get our sea legs, especially with a stage like that that's so unusual," Charnas said. "It's like a big donut."

He added that the video screens do a lot of the work on a stage that large. Playing in massive arenas, you have to fill some of that space with video screens to reach those in the back.

"I'm trying to run around this thing because you're at a stadium. You're like, 'Wow, I got to really put on this show,'" he said. "There's so many people here. I got to work 150 percent of my energy. But, what you realize is the video monitors, when you're in that vast, that large scale of a venue, they do a lot of the work for you."

He also said that even James Hetfield of Metallica wasn't quite sure how to navigate those screens early on. He talked to Hetfield early in the tour and asked if they had figured out how to use them.

"He's like, 'Yeah, still trying to figure it out myself, you know?'" Charnas described. " But yeah, they're pros, and they still sound and put on such a fantastic show."