Rock & Heavy Metal

5 Greatest Live Collaborations in Rock & Metal

Published: July 24, 2022  |  Heidi

Here are some of my favourite live collaborations.​ These performances just go to show that Rock & Metal are truly a collaborative effort!

5. Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne - Iron Man & Paranoid

Ozzy Osbourne may have helped define heavy metal with Black Sabbath in 1970, but Metallica took the genre to near unfathomable heights almost 20 years later when they released The Black Album. Ozzy has appeared a few times on stage with Metallica at their shows – here is one of their best performances together.

4. John Fogerty & Foo Fighters - Fortunate Son

Watch Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) and Sound City Players Perform “Fortunate Son”. “Fortunate Son” is a song by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival released on their 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys. The song was written by John Fogerty and released as a single with “Down on the Corner” as the B-side.

3. David Gilmour, David Bowie & Richard Wright - Comfortably Numb

Three legends of rock join forces. In late May 2006, half of Pink Floyd—guitarist David Gilmour and keyboardist Richard Wright—were joined by David Bowie for a rather memorable performance of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” Like most high-quality, high-profile performances from the past 25 years, the show is available on a DVD.

2. Iggy Pop, Josh Homme & Queens of the Stone Age and Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys) - China Girl

When Iggy Pop takes the stage with his new five-piece band at the recently opened Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles, the entire group are looking dapper but Pop’s ensemble is distinct in that he dons no shirt under his formal jacket. The slick get-up suits the band – which includes Queens Of The Stone Age leader Josh Homme, fellow Queens members Dean Fertita and Troy Van Leeuwen, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and Chavez’s Matt Sweeney – but shortly after Homme kickstarts their first show together by announcing “ladies and gentlemen, Iggy Pop,” Iggy returns to his natural, shirtless state. The jacket lasts only two songs.

1. Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony

In 2000, Metallica teamed up with the San Francisco Symphony for a special performance that was later released as a live album. The two groups worked together to create unique arrangements of some of Metallica’s most popular songs, resulting in an unforgettable performance. The experience was so memorable that the two groups have continued to collaborate on occasional live performances and recordings ever since.