STOCKHOLM, Sweden (CelebrityAccess) Metallica was honored with the Polar Music Prize, known as the “Nobel Prize of music,” alongside the Afghan National Instituted of Music, at a ceremony held at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, Thursday night.
Metallica joins several such honorees, such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon and Led Zeppelin, since the founding of the award in 1992. The award was presented by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. In attendance were drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo.
The bandmates were honored with the help of the band Ghost, which played “Enter Sandman.”
“The type of music that we played was not supposed to be acknowledged or embraced by the mainstream, the media or even large audiences,” Ulrich said while accepting the award. “In 1981 when this band formed, I just wanted to play music in a collective setting and feel like it belonged to something bigger than myself.”
He added, “Receiving this prize solidifies the idea that no matter how alienated you feel, connecting to other people through music is not only possible but can be outright inspirational and life changing.”
The ceremony was created by ABBA manager/lyricist Stig “Stikkan” Anderson who petitioned the Nobel committee to include music as one of its honors, then created the Polar Music Prize when the committee refused to do so.
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