We’ve got bad news and worse news regarding Lars Ulrich during Metallica’s performance at this weekend’s Rock In Rio USA festival. The bad news is that apparently, he wasn’t wearing a thong, according to one of his reps. The worse news is that apparently, he plays commando, Yes, if you go by what a rep told TMZ, you’ve been intently concentrating on a 51 year-old man’s naked ass with a shadow of his shirt reflected on it:

A rep for Ulrich tells us what appears to be red undies in the viral pic is just the shadow of Lars’ shirt — created by stage lighting. In fact, Lars is actually going commando in the shot, so what you’re really staring intently at … is his ass crack.

I’m not sure we’re buying it. The easiest thing to do in Lars’ case would be to not say anything about it. It doesn’t really look that much like a shadow, or at least one that would be reflected in a V shape. Maybe he’s embarrassed, or just bare-assed. Regardless, Ulrich should be flattered – this is the most attention his ass has been paid to in years.