You may be one of the millions to have viewed the viral video.
In the fall of 2018, 10-year-old Collier Cash’s life was transformed forever when Dave Grohl invited him on stage during a Kansas City Foo Fighters concert after Grohl saw him playing air guitar in the front row.
Grohl asks: “What songs do you know?”
Cash responds: “I know a lot of Metallica songs.”
And then Collier proceeds to blow the minds of Grohl, the Foos, and thousands of audience members with his cover of Metallica’s riff-heavy classic, “Enter Sandman.”
“At first, I was thinking about what song I was going to play,” recalls Collier, now 14. “They had already played all the Foo Fighters’ songs I knew, so I landed on Metallica. While I was playing, I was thinking, ‘Don’t screw this up.’ Like, no big deal, just playing with Dave, Taylor, Pat, Chris, and Rami – my heroes – in front of, like, 18,000 people.”
“When I was done playing, I thought this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he says.
Since that unforgettable evening, Collier has continued to play shows and events, even using his gift and platform for charities and causes, as he did for his best friend Bo Macan, by crowdsourcing nearly $20,000 to help pay for Bo’s medical expenses.
“I will always continue to show up for charities,” Collier says firmly. “I would love to partner with a guitar company to get more kids involved with playing in schools. Music in school doesn’t always get the attention it deserves and it is so important.”
The guitar phenom’s whole journey began in the second grade when he saw AC/DC’s video for “Thunderstruck” and soon after saw the legendary band in concert. For Collier, rock ‘n roll was a dramatic gateway into a greater musical world where, these days, he plays in his high school jazz and marching bands. In spite of broadened tastes, Metallica will always have a special place in the young musician’s heart.
“Metallica is still a big influence and I got to play a tribute show for Michael Wagener recently in Nashville,” he says about the producer who helped the band make their seminal third record, Master of Puppets. “It was an honor to be able to play ‘Master of Puppets’ for him.”
But throughout all that has happened since that fateful night, Collier will always remember how he was treated by one of his biggest rock-and-roll idols.
“I want to always be like Dave…that cool and supportive,” he pledges. “Who does that? Who just lets a 10-year-old up on stage to play Metallica?
Getting to Know Collier:
Age:
14
Current Grade:
Freshman in HS
How I’m feeling, at this exact moment:
Tired and excited for this week. I have two jazz band concerts, marching band, and homecoming.
Favorite book:
I have two: A Perfect Union of Contrary Thingsby Maynard James Keenan and The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Musicby Dave Grohl.
Favorite food:
Burgers at Brewer’s Kitchen and Pasta at Garozzo’s [both in Kansas City].
Currently excited about:
I am almost done building my first guitar.
Save the date for:
I am so excited to play Tyson Leslie’s Rare Hare in Nashville on December 13th. I have gotten to play alongside some really incredible musicians.
Current favorite album:
Megadeth’s The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!& Tool’s 10,000 Days.
The song I love the most right now:
Megadeth’s “Hook in Mouth”
My practice routine consists of:
I play a lot at school now in jazz and marching band. A lot of people don’t know I play percussion, as well. I am not sure how many hours I play guitar and drums, but it is a lot. I practice as much as I can every day.
When I’m not playing practicing/performing, you can find me…
I like hanging out with my friends and family and going to hit golf balls.
If I could meet one musician in person, it would be:
Dave Grohl – privately.
If I could meet them, I would tell them:
I would tell him thank you. He truly changed my life, and I am so thankful for that. He has no idea all the things that came from that night. I would love to tell him.
In 10 years, I really hope to be:
A professional musician.
What are you most looking forward to for the rest of this year?
Playing more live shows and to finish building my guitar – I really like how it is turning out.
The secret to being a great musician is:
Always practice and challenge yourself, it doesn’t matter what level you are at – and this can apply to anything – but always try to improve. Also, to be thankful for any opportunity you have to play. It doesn’t matter if it is five people or 5,000 people – just be grateful to play.
Follow Collier on Instagram @colliercashguitar or YouTube.
