For Environmental Consultant, Tom Green (24, Newcastle), meeting Metallica back stage at a gig was the realisation of a dream that he has spent over £15,000 chasing. While taking part in the Live Every Litre Documentary film project by Honda, the heavy metal enthusiast was given the opportunity to meet his idols.
Driven by his passion for Metallica and the environment, Tom got involved in the Live Every Litre project to realise his dream of meeting the band and also to gain a greater understanding of hybrid cars. His application on www.liveeverylitre.com was filled with the enthusiasm and determination which captured the imagination of the site’s community leading to him being selected to participate in the ground-breaking documentary film project.
The environmental campaigner drove to the Lisbon concert in a new Honda CR-Z, which had been customised for the occasion with a distinctive rock paintjob. The bonnet of the CR-Z coupe had been spray painted by graffiti artist, Diego from www.monkeyb.es, in Madrid at the Gruta 77 bar and was driven to Portugal adorned with a suitable, heavy metal inspired motif.
Many people hold bands in high-esteem; some people have all of their albums and go to see them live if they are in their town. However Tom takes his passion to a different level. Although he became interested in Metallica only in his mid-teens, the former Newcastle University student has already seen the band live 20 times and travelled across Europe to see his heroes perform. His fierce loyalty to the band is such that he arrives at every gig hours beforehand to secure a coveted spot at the front of the mosh pit and alongside his best friends Louis McClean and Erik Lysen.
Louis is recognised as Metallica’s global number two fan and he is now good friends with their number one fan. This accolade is given by the band who have seen them so frequently at the front of gigs that they recognise them in amongst the mayhem and moshing of a Metallica concert. For Tom to breathe the rarefied air of the backstage area was a dream come true and one he never thought he would experience, commenting: “Wow, that was unbelievable, Backstage is like a promised land for heavy metal fans, somewhere you always hear about, but never get to experience. To actually go back there before a concert and meet the guys was something I will never forget. It’s even more awesome because so much of the build-up and event was filmed for the documentary so I will be able to relive it again and again.”
Tom’s journey and meeting with Metallica can now be seen at www.youtube.com/liveeverylitre Tom’s story is just one of a number of stories making up the Live Every Litre crowd-sourced documentary film in which members of the public have been nominated by the project’s online community to realise their dream in the new Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe. The journeys which make up the road movie range from the pure fun of the London Schoolboys, to the poignant journey of “Bowman” who will revisit the site he came ashore during the D-Day landings. These stories are being filmed by award winning Swiss Director, Claudio Von Planta, best known for filming the “Long Way Down and “Long Way Round” expeditions with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman.
