The legacy of Cliff Burton, the renowned bassist of METALLICA, will be honored on what would have been his 64th birthday, February 10, with a special event known as "Cliff Burton Day." This occasion will take place at the iconic Chabot Theater located in Castro Valley, California, where Cliff grew up.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 10 at 7 p.m. PST and prepare to celebrate alongside Cliff's family. Attendees can look forward to heartfelt recounts of Cliff's life from members of the road crew who were part of the legendary "Damage Inc." tour, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Crew members like Eddie Kercher, Big Mick, Bobby Schneider, John Marshall, Howard Ungerleider, Andy Battye, Aiden Mullen, Mike Bordin, and Bryan Kehoe will share their memorable stories about Cliff. The event will be hosted by Baby Huey, featuring live music performances by Humma Kavula, Cataclysmic, Harald Oimoen, and others — truly a birthday celebration that fans won’t want to miss.
Tickets are available for purchase at www.thechabot.com, and for those unable to attend in person, a live stream will be accessible starting at 7 p.m. PST via www.youtube.com/gomezgrip.
Exclusive commemorative t-shirts and posters will also be sold at the event, with all profits directed to the Cliff Burton Music Scholarship Fund, aimed at supporting young musicians in realizing their musical aspirations.
This year marks the ninth annual observation of Cliff Burton Day, officially recognized by both Castro Valley and the larger Alameda County.
In a remarkable turn of events, Cliff was invited to join METALLICA in 1982 after the band witnessed his performance with his previous group, TRAUMA. Not wanting to relocate to Los Angeles, METALLICA made the decision to move to San Francisco to accommodate him, which ultimately led to the formation of their classic lineup.
Cliff contributed to METALLICA's first three studio albums — "Kill 'Em All," "Ride The Lightning," and "Master Of Puppets" — and co-wrote some of their most iconic tracks, including "Ride The Lightning," "For Whom The Bell Tolls," "Fade To Black," "Creeping Death," and "Master Of Puppets."
Following his tragic passing in a tour bus accident in 1986, Jason Newsted became Cliff's initial replacement in the band, remaining until 2001, while Robert Trujillo joined in 2003 and has been a member ever since.
On February 10, 2018, the Alameda County supervisors formally declared it "Cliff Burton Day" in honor of what would have been Cliff's 56th birthday.
Cliff's extraordinary talent and contributions to music were encapsulated in the 2009 book "To Live Is To Die: The Life and Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton," authored by Joel McIver and published by Jawbone Press, which features a foreword by METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett.
Don’t forget, our 2026 Cliff Burton Day t-shirt is currently available for pre-order, but only until February 6th! (Check the link in our bio for more details...)
