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The metal band Metallica destroyed in 1988: “Can you please put ’em on after us?”
In 1988, Dokken asked to switch places with Metallica on the US Monsters of Rock tour because Metallica’s increasingly intense performances were making Dokken look comparatively weak. The episode illustrates Metallica’s rapid rise from a support act to a major live draw, while exposing the difficulty faced by more melodic hard-rock bands competing with thrash metal’s growing popularity.
The stadium tour featured Van Halen as headliner, followed by Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom Come. Dokken singer Don Dokken said his band was earning twice as much as Metallica, but manager Cliff Burnstein refused the proposed change; Metallica needed earlier slots to travel for mixing sessions for its fourth album, *…And Justice for All*.
In short
- Dokken struggled to follow Metallica on the 1988 Monsters of Rock tour.
- Don Dokken requested a running-order swap.
- Metallica’s growing live reputation made them a formidable support act.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Dokken was an established, successful act commanding twice Metallica's fee, and their request reflected reasonable professional standards about tour billing order. Playing immediately before a relentlessly intense thrash metal set risked diminishing their own performance's impact on the audience, making their desire for a more advantageous slot a legitimate concern about protecting their live presentation.
The case against
Metallica's management was entirely justified in refusing—the band had genuine scheduling constraints for mixing sessions on a critical album, and tour bills rightly reflect current market momentum rather than merely past success. Metallica's explosive live presence had become a major draw, making their position on the bill appropriate regardless of Dokken's established status or current earnings.
Explained simply
The Monsters of Rock was a stadium tour in 1988 that brought together some of the biggest names in rock and metal music. The line-up included Van Halen as the headliner, followed by Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom Come, each performing in that order throughout the tour.
During the tour, Dokken requested to switch their performance slot with Metallica, placing them after rather than before the younger thrash metal band, despite earning significantly more than Metallica. The band felt that Metallica's performances were affecting how their own audience reacted to them. Metallica's management declined the switch, partly because the band needed earlier slot times to travel for mixing sessions on their forthcoming album.
The episode shows how rapidly Metallica had risen from support acts to major live attractions. It also reflects a broader shift in heavy music tastes during the late 1980s, as thrash metal's raw intensity increasingly appealed to audiences compared with the polished melodic hard rock that had previously dominated the genre.