RICHMOND, Va. — When you picture Metallica after a Madison Square Garden show, you might imagine beer bottles and whiskey. But according to Richmond sommelier Grayum Vickers, the legendary rock band has more refined tastes.
"They were all wearing suits. They're super styled out," Vickers said when he shared his encounter with the band on the Eat It, Virginia podcast.
It happened at The Nomad's rooftop private dining room in New York, a luxurious space where "Beyonce had her birthday party" and celebrities were commonplace.
After their Madison Square Garden performance, Metallica arrived for a late dinner dressed not in their stage gear, but in stylish suits.
"Like real suits, but just more metal," Vickers said.
What impressed Vickers was their beverage of choice.
"They drink champagne, for sure. I think that is like the most metal thing ever, like drinking champagne and being a champagne expert," Vickers said.
Vickers, who was a certified sommelier at the time but not officially on the sommelier staff that night, ended up handling their wine service when the regular wine experts had gone home.
Watch: Punk rocker pours wine: Grayum Vickers' journey into the Virginia wine scene
"All they were drinking that night was Dom, and it was the time when '06 was the current release," Vickers said.
The band members discussed their favorite vintages of the premium champagne throughout the evening.
Vickers was particularly impressed with drummer Lars Ulrich.
"I expected [Lars] to be kind of cold and rude. He had a whole thing with Napster stuff, and you think he's gonna... he was one of the sweetest people at that level you can meet," Vickers said.
At the end of the night, Ulrich left the staff with more than just a "handsome" tip.
"Lars was like, 'Thank you guys so much. Please enjoy this from Metallica.' It was a bottle of '06 Dom. And so we just drank it as we cleaned up," Vickers said.
"Such a suave, cool move that you didn't have to do," Vickers added. "Not that the cost is that much to him, but just a very thoughtful and fun thing."
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
