Philadelphia, PA 3/7/97: 20 Years Later....

Growing up, I really had no idea how one went about getting tickets to concerts.  Sure, I'd seen tons of movies and even went to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden once.  Now that I think about it, I suppose I probably did see people lined up outside of a ticket broker in any local mall I went to.  The only concerts I'd been to had been at Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ [Starship, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night - ED.] when I'd go with my mom; incidentally, as I got older, I'd go off into the park on my own while she hit the concerts!  So yeah, other than that, I'd never been to a concert and really no idea as to how one purchased tickets to do so.

In the early 90s with the success of Metallica's "Black Album", I immediately became hooked and those dudes quickly became my all-time favorite band.  Since this was before the internet, I'd scour MTV for any and all live clips of the band, which I'd record to VHS.  The only live Metallica I owned was their 1993 boxset Live Shit:  Binge & Purge.  Their posters covered my bedroom walls (next to the Horror posters and collectibles of course).  Their t-shirts hung in my closet like suits of armor, ready to help me navigate the life of a pre-teen and, eventually, a teenager.  Friends of mine were lucky enough to catch Metallica on their 1992 co-headlining jaunt with Guns N' Roses, their 1993 stadium/arena tour, and even their 1994 summer sheds tour.  But, alas, I missed the boat every time.

Flash-forward to 1996 and Metallica releases their Load album in June, with a headlining stint on the Lollapalooza tour soon after, carrying on through the Summer.  With hindsight being 20/20, I probably could have caught that tour, though the closest dates were at Randall's Island in NY.  For all I knew, it could have been on the other side of the country!  So, once again, I missed Metallica coming "near" my small New Jersey town.  It's also worth nothing that I turned 14yrs old that August.  That Fall, I started high school, so my thoughts gravitated towards girls, making new friends, looking cool in front of both, and schoolwork (all in that order).

1997 rolls around and, by then, I was knee-deep into high school.  Pretty much every day, I had a different Metallica shirt to wear and was thereby deemed "Metallica Bob" by many a classmate.  People liked me and some chicks dug me.  Somewhere around this time, a good friend told me how he was going to go see Metallica in Philadelphia very soon . . . this is a buddy who had seen White Zombie (a band I still kinda regret missing) the year before and, mustering all the teenage angst I had in me, I was NOT to be outdone.  I would go see Metallica, dammit!  Hell, I'd go before this dude got the chance . . . after-all, I was "Metallica Bob" and I had a rep to maintain now!  Still . . . I had zero clue how to go about getting tickets.  There was talk of Philadelphia radio station 94.1 WYSP giving away tickets, so I tuned in and figured that was my, er . . . ticket.

Those first few minutes of listening to the radio seemed like hours, as I anxiously waited -- phone in hand -- for any announcement to be "the XX-number caller" for a chance to score tickets.  Looking back, I probably wouldn't have been able to win anyway since I wasn't 18yrs old!  All of a sudden, during a break, I heard a commercial for a ticket broker agency that specialized in getting the best seats in town!  Naturally, they mentioned Metallica's upcoming shows in Philadelphia, so I begged and pleaded with my parents to make it happen....

A deal was struck that, perhaps my older cousin Tim would be able to take me to the show.  Sure, why not?  Dude is like the older brother I never had, so it only made sense that he'd take me to my first "real" concert, let alone my first Metallica show!  Alright then!  After a quick call to Tim to see if he was down, Mom and Dad wound up buying three tickets for 3/7/97 show at Philadelphia's CoreStates Center (whatever it's called now...it'll ALWAYS be the CoreStates Center to me), as Tim's friend and bandmate Ed was gonna come with.

Man, the months leading up to the show were intense.  I couldn't believe that I'd be FINALLY be seeing Metallica!  On a monthly basis, I'd scour the pages of Metal Edge magazine for any and all tour reports and interviews about the current trek dubbed Poor Touring Me.  MTV was also a bright source of info, as they'd aired several tour report video packages during MTV News (the first of which covered their New Year's Eve gig in San Jose).  I couldn't believe the massive, in-the-round stage or their "new" live sound.  Various interviews in Metal Edge gave setlist tidbits and hints -- rotating sets almost every night, with some gems thrown in, including then unreleased new songs "Devil's Dance" (or "Devil Dance") and "Fuel", due to be on the follow-up to Load sometime later that year.

At this point, my Metallica world had been opened up to bootleg recordings or, as record stores used to dub them, "Import" releases.  I'd had a few ridiculously overpriced CDs and a couple VHS tapes of shows from '94 and '95.  It appeared that setlist structure wasn't straying too far from the basic skeleton of what they played on the Lollapalooza dates.  I'd heard "Devil's Dance" via a bootleg from their Escape From The Studio '95 tour where they played a small handful of dates in England and the North Pole, so of course, I'd been down to hear it at my show.  "Fuel", however, was brand new and I was really stoked to possibly hear it -- again, potential bragging rights of hearing a brand new Metallica show before probably any in my high school seemed like a cool notch in my belt. 

Another couple cool things I knew to be on the lookout for were the fact that Metallica were jamming some other new material throughout the tour.  I distinctly remember a quote about how if we didn't recognize any of the jams that the band did throughout the tour, it was new material!  Of course the BIG surprise on the tour was the destruction scene that occurs at the end of the show during "Enter Sandman"...out of the three of us who were going, I was the only one who knew it was gonna happen.  Finally, Metallica's entrance on this tour was drastically different from what I'd been use to seeing in videos and hearing on live recordings; they had scrapped long-time intro music "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone and making a dramatic entrance with the sort of fanfare one might expect from the biggest Heavy Metal band in the world.  Instead, they chose to simply walk out into the arena, one by one, with the houselights still on.  Once all four band members would meet in the workings of the tech pit within the bowels of the main stage, they'd start with a jam on previously unreleased material before ripping into either "So What" or "Last Caress" (depending on the city and whether they were doing two nights back to back in that city). 

FINALLY, the show date arrived.  School was hell that day, as I nervously watched the clocked.  Leading up to the show, I distinctly recall Mom asking if I wanted to get a haircut before the show and I replied "No Mom!  I need to have enough hair to headbang!"  My pseudo-skater cut, parted down the middle bowl-type would have to do.  Another curious thing about the day of the show is that I remember exactly what I was wearing . . . my black and white Adidas soccer-style low-tops, a pair of black Dickies chino pants, and my white Unforgiven shirt with a black, longsleeve under it.   Earlier in the day, I had been daydreaming and leaked a bit of black ink towards the bottom of the front of the shirt even!

Since the show was on a Friday night, I'd be spending the weekend at my cousin's house in Ewing, NJ and going to see his and Ed's own band, Hands Tied, the following night.  That second night wound up being the first Hardcore show I'd go to as well, but that's a story for another time....  Mom and Dad dropped me off at my aunt and uncle's and I was anxious to get going and get to the show.  Before we left, of course, I met Ed for the first time.  It's cool to look back now because, I've known the dude 20yrs and he's one of my best friends! 

We got down to Philadelphia in what seemed like no time and hurried to line up for security checks, as both Tim and Ed were stoked to see openers Corrosion of Conformity.  The moment we lined up outside the CoreStates Center, I'll never forget someone a few people in front of us getting searched . . . and the security guard pulling out a wooden handled screwdriver and tossing it onto the sidewalk.  This was indeed a METAL show! 

The CoreStates Center (pic from Metallica.com)

By the time we entered the venue, Corrosion of Conformity were already pretty deep into their 8-song set; in fact, they were just starting their closer "Clean My Wounds" as walked in and found our seats.  Immediately, the main riff to "Clean My Wounds" nestled into my brain and, to this day, has never left.  Our seats weren't bad actually; 12th row in the lower tier, in the section before the floor GA area.  Since the stage was in the round, the best way to describe where we were located would be on Lars' right side (his drumkit on the main stage would slowly rotate throughout the set, but he started out facing the opposite long end of the arena).  At that point, I don't think it had quite set in yet that I'd soon be seeing my boys in Metallica! 

The stage itself was actually TWO stages; one, sizable figure-eight stage with large almost robotic arm-looking lighting trusses at each corner and another, smaller stage that would be utilized in the second half of the set. There were microphones dotted all over the place so James Hetfield could sing pretty much anywhere -- including even on the floor itself!  Between the two stages, on each side, there were microphones on the floor near ramps for each band member to navigate from stage to stage....or prowl along the barricade around the stages, literally getting right into kids' faces!  It was a spectacle unlike anything I'd ever seen before and, honestly, haven't truly seen since -- even after 20+ Metallica shows!

By then, our stomachs were growling, so the three of us headed out on the main concourse of the arena for some chow and beverages.  I also found the Metallica Club booth which, of course, was an essential stop for anyone currently in the Metallica fanclub (or MetClub) or those of us who were not yet members.  At this point, I'd completely forgotten about the Club -- despite having an original order form pamphlet from early 1994 after sending a SASE to the address printed in the Live Shit tourbook!  Hell, I'd even completely filled out the order form and just forgot to send it in [that or Dad said "No" to the membership fee at the time - ED.]  As I stood at the booth inquiring about a Meet & Greet, I'll never forget how foolish I felt having not joined the Club ahead of time . . . as it turned out, on this particular tour, you'd send a postcard to the Club with dates of shows that you'd likely be able to attend and your membership card was essentially a backstage pass!  So, had I been a MetClubber then, I probably would have met some of the band guys that night!  Urrrrgggggh!!!  Needless to say, I grabbed a new form and promptly filled it out, again begging Mom and Dad for the membership fee.

Later on, I'll also never forget making small talk and chewing on a pretzel, while sipping a Pepsi, as we heard . . . music coming from inside the arena.  We looked at each other and collectively thought, "Nah, that's not the roadies jamming during soundcheck....is it?"  In the all excitement of being at the show, I'd completely forgotten about the band simply walking out into the arena and jamming on new music to start the show!  We hastily tossed whatever was left of our snacks and literally ran around the entire concourse to get back to the entrance to the section where our seats were . . . only to realize that we ran around for no reason, as the entrance had been right behind us the entire time!

Hetfield's pre-show ritual (pic from Metallica.com)

Running to our seats, I couldn't take my eyes off the stage as Metallica was right there, in front of me, jamming away on some new music before ripping into "So What!"  My eyes blinked like a kid on Christmas morning . . . I simply couldn't believe it.  That wasn't Metallica.  It COULDN'T have been.  They had to be imposters!  There was no way the dudes who adorned so many posters in my bedroom were now in the same space as me, starting a show!  Since I was free of parental discretion, I gleefully sung along to the profanity-laced lyrics of "So What!" and threw middle fingers in the air, as I'd seen so many metalheads do in previous Metallica live videos! 

It was ON.

Lars and Jason crushing Philly!  (pic from Metallica.com)

As the band ripped into "Creeping Death" next, the pyrotechnics they'd become known for exploded on each of the four corners of the main stage!  I eagerly chanted along with the "Die! Die! Die! Die!" chorus during the song's bridge; seeing this classic staple was something I'd dreamt of for so very long! 

Next up, James announced that they had come here to kick our asses and asked if we wanted "heavy"...he then proclaimed "'Tallica gives you heavy, baby!" before launching into a riff so heavy that it's been known to shatter teeth.   Of course, in my nirvana-like state of euphoria, my mind completely and totally went blank as this next song started -- I literally could not recall the name of the song they were crushing skulls to at this time!  Of course, by the time the chorus rolled around, I knew it was "Sad But True" (or, as it had been dubbed by Tim and Ed:  "Sad But Honest" which, these days, is known as "Sad But Buck Honest").

Pic from Metallica.com

Throughout the rest of the show, there were many moments which were forever etched into my brain:  during "Ain't My Bitch", Jason broke a string and had to switch basses mid-song and James' guitar unplugged from his radio pack . . . when they started "Hero Of The Day", I couldn't believe that they were actually playing it, as it hadn't been played yet during the interviews and tour reports I'd read earlier . . . in place of either "Devil's Dance" or "Fuel", we got "Wasting My Hate", which James dedicated to C.O.C. . . . during the Bass And Guitar Doodle, I actually thought they were gonna play "My Friend of Misery" when Jason started the bass intro, but knew they weren't going to play "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" since Kirk doesn't start the song live . . . "Until It Sleeps" seemed pretty damn epic when it played . . . after "Fade To Black", I distinctly remember looking up into the waaay upper teers of the arena when James proclaimed how much we liked the song, all the way up into the stands . . . during the Kill/Ride Medley (Ride The Lightning / No Remorse / Hit The Lights / The Four Horsemen / Seek & Destroy / Fight Fire With Fire), I remember Kirk standing on the bridge over the tech pit on the main stage during the intro to "Hit The Lights" . . .

Jason and Kirk killing it.  (pic from Metallica.com)

For the first encore, the band jammed a bit on "Damage, Inc.", a song I wished they'd actually played that night [for the record, it's one of my all-time favorites and I've only seen it played live ONCE, at the same venue on 10/20/04 - ED.].  From there, they launched into their classic cover of The Misfits' "Last Caress".  During the shortened version of "Master of Puppets", a staple in the early 90s, the show started to take a bit of a turn . . . one of the lighting trusses started to spark and malfunction.  A few roadies snuck on-stage to check it out and effectively deactivate it.  Throughout "Puppets" though, Kirk and Lars played off of each other by constantly looking up at it as it sparked and when a lone, sparking wire swung from above as well! 

Jason greeting the Kidz on the rail. (pic from Metallica.com)

During "Enter Sandman", the much talked about "accident" occurred.  Maybe it's a testament the early life of the internet, but not a lot of people knew about the accident -- despite it taking place on every. single. stop on the tour!  Seriously, after some shows, fans were either writing to the band or calling their local radio stations either showing sympathy for the "injured" crew members or expressing outrage at the band for staging such a stunt and fooling them into believe what they saw had actually occurred!  Once again, the lighting truss started acting up and a roadie climbed a rope ladder to get it and work on it throughout the song.  Towards the end though, as soon as James does the "BOO!" line and more pyro goes off, all hell broke loose! 

The roadie who'd climbed up to the lighting rig via rope ladder, suddenly fell from his nest, only being saved by his climbing gear harness.  Then, the soundboard started sparking and exploded . . . setting one roadie on fire, who then ran around the stage before falling down and being covered with blankets to put out his flames!  Hetfield even took some sparks to the face during the melee!  The roadie who'd fallen from above laid out on the stage, as a team of paramedics with a stretcher ran over to him . . .

Tim and Ed stood there dumbfounded, not really sure what the hell was going on.  Each asking me if I knew about anything; I played dumb of course.  As the faux paramedics loaded the injured roadie onto a board, I was yelling variations of "kick him!  he'll get up!" and shouting out song requests such as "Breadfan"!

James down on the floor between the stages. (pic from Metallica.com)

Before long, roadies set up small practice amps around one of Lars' drumkits.  Lighting was kept to a minimum as several globe electric lightbulbs were lowered from the rigs above the stage -- think of the type of lights you'd see in a garage while working under the hood of a car -- each with its own pullstring.  As they had done so at the start of the show, each band member appeared one by one, yanking the chain to an overhead light as they took the stage . . . except for Hetfield.  He stood there, pretending to yank on his chain, teasing the crowd.  At one point, he even flipped us off as we demanded he turn it on and get on with the final encores -- yup, one of my first Metallica show memories included giving The Mighty Het the finger! 

The band then proceeded to "warm up" with a loose jam on Slayer's "Raining Blood", testing out their new practice amps . . . and effectively re-creating their own Garage Days.  Hetfield was playing his ESP Flying V JH-1 (with red hot rod flames) that he used earlier on the Kill/Ride Medley and Kirk was using his ESP WaveCaster; the WaveCaster has a hollow plexiglass body filled with blue liquid which, as a result, makes its mechanics limited, as it was only used on this tour for the first for "Am I Evil?"   I've always thought of this portion of the show as some sort of statement that Metallica doesn't really need the "Big Rock Show" with all its crazy lights, pyro, and massive stages . . . they're just as powerful with a three amps, a couple microphones, and minimal stage lighting.  The sound at this point was shitty, tinny, and poorly mixed as though it was coming from a boombox or garage practice space.  As the band started the main riff to "Am I Evil?" (skipping its traditional intro), the sound suddenly became clearer as thought it'd been run through the arena's main PA.  Again, another classic cover that Metallica arguably made their own, so it was nice to see it at my first show!  The final encore was "Motorbreath" off of Kill 'Em All . . . another classic that, as of this writing, I've only seen a handful of times actually!

As soon as the band said their goodbyes and left the stage, my life had been changed.  We headed out to one of the merch booths where I promptly bought a Made In L.A. 15 Years longsleeve shirt (just like Hetfield had worn during the show from "Nothing Else Matters" through "Enter Sandman").  There were some other amazing shirts that I should have also picked up that night -- the King Nothing Lanes bowling shirt [I'd eventually get one a couple years later at a record store - ED.] and the Corrosion of Conformity longsleeve tour shirt -- just like Hetfield wore in several promo photos from earlier in the tour.  On our way back to the car, I picked up a $10 bootleg parking lot shirt that featured the Harvester of Sorrow Pushead artwork, with the current Load-era logo on the front along with tourdates and Pushead Zorlac artwork on the back.  Also among my merch grabs were the official tour program (featuring tons of Ross Halfin photographs from the Lollapalooza tour as well as the European leg of Poor Touring Me) and a now highly sought after Ninja Star necklace -- which I still have to this day.

The setlist was as follows:

"Bad Seed" jam
So What!
Creeping Death
Sad But True
Ain't My Bitch
Hero Of The Day
King Nothing
One
Wasting My Hate
Bass And Guitar Doodle
Nothing Else Matters
Until It Sleeps
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Wherever I May Roam
Fade To Black
Kill/Ride Medley
--------------------
"Mission:  Impossible" jam
"Damage, Inc." jam
"Sweet Leaf" jam
Last Caress
Master Of Puppets (short ver.)
Enter Sandman
-------------------
"Raining Blood" jam
Am I Evil?
Motorbreath

Metallica: Hardwired...To Self-Destruct (2016)

First things last:  yes, Metallica's last studio album was 2008's Death Magnetic, but it's not as if the band released the record and then promptly sat around on their asses for the last eight years.  Starting in 2008, they toured the world for two years on Death Magnetic, got inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, toured with their Big 4 brothers in Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax in 2010 and 2011, recorded a secret collaboration record with Lou Reed (2011's much maligned Lulu), celebrated their own 30th anniversary with four MetClub-exclusive shows in their hometown later that same year, toured Europe for the 20th anniversary of The Black Album in 2012, started their own Metallica-themed festival in the form of  Orion Music + More also in 2012 (which repeated the following year), started their own record label in the form of Blackened Recordings also in 2012, filmed -- and bankrolled -- their version of Pink Floyd's The Wall (released in 3D/IMAX in 2013 as Metallica:  Through The Never) and did a handful of dates with their largest ever stage and production, got added to the Guinness Book of World Records as the first band to perform on all seven continents in a calendar year in 2013, performed their first "By Request Tour" in 2014 which saw the live debut of fan favorite "The Frayed Ends of Sanity", wrote a brand new song for said tour (the love it or hate it "Lords of Summer", which also appears in a reworked version on Hardwired's deluxe edition), 2014/2015 saw them begin their massive remaster/reissue project of their previous albums as well as compiling and releasing a hefty coffee table book (by author Matt Taylor) revisiting the entire Master of Puppets period . . . all before finally settling in to write and record new material that would become Hardwired...To Self-Destruct without much of a time-table, working on said new material as they pleased.

So yes, between 2008 and 2016, Metallica were indeed quite busy.

The wait is finally over friends!  I'm happy to report that Metallica have returned with an album not only worthy of the gap between the last record, but also worthy of the Metallica name.  If Death Magnetic was merely Metallica flirting with their thrash metal past (to some, with a degree of rambunctious energy that saw every single riff crammed into each song, resulting in some needlessly long songs), Hardwired...To Self-Destruct is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders like a focused machine bent on squeezing the life from its listener!

Production-wise, Greg Fidelman (who engineered Death Magnetic and has worked with the band ever since) brings a warm, thick feeling to all parts of the record.  If Death Magnetic had a production akin to set of dried out animal bones left baking in the sun for a few years, the production on Hardwired... appears to be a little more colorful and vibrant with its instruments front, center, and primed for a face-smashing.  Guitars are crunchy and thick -- Hetfield even claimed that this is the best guitar tone he's ever had!  Solos are tasty and inspiring.  Robert Trujillo's bass is thumpy, moving and, at times, ominous.  Lars Ulrich's drums are loud and thunderous -- not simply brick-walled.  And vocals are full, in your face at times, and soulful.  This is how Metallica sounds on record in 2016 -- and it is amazing!  Hetfield is truly the star of the show here as he shines in vocal acrobatics not yet heard on a Metallica record.   This is absolutely the record that maybe should have followed 1991's The Black Album.

We Metallica fans are a rabid, die-hard bunch; each new release from our heroes is a goddamn cultural event!  We eagerly count down the months and days while feverishly pre-ordering all manner of formats for a new record!  It's safe to say that our world nearly exploded when, on August 18th [my birthday no less! - ED], the band surprised all of us with not only the announcement of the album, but also the premiere of its first single and pseudo-title track, "Hardwired" ahead of their headlining stadium gig in Minneapolis, MN on 8/20/16 where the track received its proper live debut! 

Track By Track Breakdown

"Hardwired" - as a sampler of things to come, this track shows a band that is back and, even after 35 years, is still pissed off and has something to say.  "We're so fucked / shit out of luck" is such a statement that it had me literally jumping up and down like a little kid upon first listen just after checking into a hotel room in Springfield, IL the day the song premiered!  Musically, the track is a fierce, front-end loader of aggression bent on pummeling anyone within hearing range!  For my ears, this song is a borderline hardcore song with drumbeats that sound as though they'd be at home on any Cro-mags record.  The breakdown before Kirk Hammett's solo is enough to inspire some sweet stage-dives! 


 
"Atlas, Rise!" - all I really ask for in a new Metallica song is something that immediately makes me start headbanging, air-drumming, and playing air guitar.  As the album's second track -- and final pre-release single -- this one smokes!  Almost immediately, Hetfield's chunky and groovy riffage demands one to air-guitar along.  With a structure that would be right at home on the lovechild of Master of Puppets and the groove of The Black Album, "Atlas, Rise!" is a toe-tapper from front to back.  The chorus, with its Maiden-esque harmonies, commands goosebumps -- and, to me, that's a sign of a great song as far as I'm concerned.  "Die as you suffer in vain/Own all the grief and the pain/Die as you hold up the skies/Atlas, Rise!" is such an incredible piece in the chorus....I mean,
damn!!!  Just try and get those hooks in the chorus out of your head!  And, that Maiden-esque dual guitar harmony towards the end?  Beautiful.  This song has NWOBHM all over it! Lyrically, I'm a fan of what Hetfield has to say here, as he takes aim at people who worry too much about "the big cause" that they need to fight for, while ignoring those closest to them.


 
"Now That We're Dead" - starting with a backbeat that would make Joan Jett proud, "Now That We're Dead" is love song told through the melancholic Metallica prism of death and despair.  The song's main riff instantly gets stuck in your head and refuses to leave.  Hammett's solo is a strong statement, showing off his skills with something that sonically could have been on ...And Justice For All.  After the solo, there's a nice a jam/solo from Hetfield that recalls the extended jam of Load's "The Outlaw Torn".  



"Moth Into Flame" - here's a track that musically would be right at home on Ride the Lightning while echoing the observational lyrics of ...And Justice For All, spitting its venom at social media and the desire for instant celebrity.  Again, melodic hooks on the chorus tattoo themselves into one's psyche, immediately making this a standout track.   Hetfield's lyrics are incredibly strong with a call and response sort of list motif and the chorus is instantly memorable.


 
"Dream No More" - for Fifth Members (aka:  Metallica Club members), this is the new website welcome video riff.  Recalling H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos first dabbled in on Ride The Lightning's "The Call of Ktulu" and "The Thing That Should Not Be" from Master of Puppets, here is a mid-tempo stomper heavy enough to rattle your teeth loose!  Some have said the opening recalls "Sad But True", which I guess is there if you really want to hear it that way.  Hetfield goes into some brave new vocal delivery territory as he spits of lyrics soaked in dread; there's an overall Alice In Chains sort of vibe to the vocal with the main one being in a higher register and Hetfield doubling himself  in a lower one (ala the vocal plays that Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell were famous for).  The chugging of the chorus riff recalls a main riff in "The Thing That Should Not Be", this song's heavy older brother.  There's a cool little pause/sigh before Hammett rips into another face-melting solo as well. 


 
"Halo On Fire" - While it's 100% true that there are no traditional ballads in the sense of "Nothing Else Matters" present on this record, "Halo On Fire" kind of follows the formula laid out on Track #4 on the first four albums (as well as Death Magnetic) . . . only that seemingly tired formula has been updated for 2016.  It's not quite familiar territory in fact, as the song screams alive with energy and an overall sense of "newness".  This is easily a standout track [if not the best? - ED] from these sessions.  Some of Hetfield's darkest and moodiest lyrics set the tone for some sinister riffing throughout.  In fact, the song's final two minutes are -- for my money -- right at home next door to the melodic middle section of "Orion"!  It's as if the writing duo of Hetfield/Ulrich once again tapped into the melodies that the late Cliff Burton taught them over three decades ago.  From top to bottom, a standout track and easily one of the band's strongest -- ever!




Moving on to Disc 2, some pre-release reviews claim that the album's second disc is a bit unfocused and lackluster.  I can't say that I agree with those sentiments; however, if Disc 2 has any weakness it's that the songs on Disc 1 are just THAT GOOD, making for an incredibly tough act to follow!



"Confusion" - starting with a marching intro reminiscent of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?", this song is another cruncher that echoes the PTSD struggles following the horrors of war seen on "Disposable Heroes" and "One".  Hetfield bellows "My life / The war that never ends" speaking for the soldier who has left the battlefield, but the war still rages on inside.  




 
"ManUNkind" - The only track not entirely written by Hetfield/Ulrich (Trujillo also contributes) is another first for Metallica; lots of groove.  Sure, the band has dabbled with groove before -- see the boogie-woogie of Load's "2x4" -- only here the groove comes courtesy of the one and only Black Sabbath.  Trujillo starts things off with a bass intro reminiscent of "N.I.B." before the song launches into a riff straight off the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath LP.  Hetfield's lyrics (and their delivery) also echo sentiments of vintage Sabbath as well.  Ulrich shines with drum beats and time changes that would make Bill Ward proud as well.  Trujillo's bass work on this track in particular has a bounciness in the vein of Geezer Butler even!  Guitar solo-wise, there's a cool moment as Hetfield sings "Seized by the day / All the dark days of your life" and Hammett rips into his solo that last word, with both sounds essentially becoming one. 



"Here Comes Revenge" - Here comes a song that will likely be right at home at US sporting events for years to come -- certainly in bumpers to and from commercial or in highlight reels.  Hetfield sings about the story of Cain and Abel, essentially the birth of revenge.  The main riff sounds like something loose and greasy off of Reload, only filtered through the mentality of the band who performed Kill 'Em All in its entirety in 2013.    Hammett's solo has a looseness with a Load/Reload attitude from the late 90s.  Later in the song, Hammett shines with some distorted shredding that sounds like a visceral beast awakening.  


 
"Am I Savage?" - another slab of groovy riffage in the vein of the Pepper Keenan-lead era of Corrosion of Conformity.  Lyrically, the song makes me want to watch The Howling or An American Werewolf In London.  Hammett lets loose with a solo spelling ones' doom as a hungry beast closes in. 
 

 
"Murder One" -- A fitting tribute to Motorhead's fallen frontman -- and unofficial Father/Uncle/Grandfather to the Metallica guys -- Lemmy Kilmister; the main riff is instantly recognizable as The Night Before riff that was jammed on after "Battery" during Metallica's first gig on 2016.   The overall progression of this main riff, combined with Ulrich's beats and Trujillo's bass has a feel simiar to "To Live Is To Die" [itself, a bit of a tribute to the late, great Cliff Burton - ED].  Listen, tributes by way of song can sometimes feel a little goofy and too sentimental for their own good (or even fail by trying to sound like the band or artist they're paying tribute to), but "Murder One" feels different and feels like a win.  Hetfield starts things off with a riff that is reminiscent of "Fade To Black" or "Sanitarium" before launching into the aforementioned Night Before riff.  Lyrically, the song recalls song titles and lyrics/phrases closely associated with Lemmy's persona and the overall Motorhead mantra.  It's quite the mid-tempo stomper, chock full of crushing riffage and the lyrics to match.  "Hear your thunder / Still feeding back..."  Lem would be proud.




"Spit Out The Bone" - The main riff is exciting as hell and demands headbanging and circle pits.  Again, there's a bit of a Cro-mags vibe in places on this track.  Hammett's solo sounds as if it came right off Kill 'Em All.  Trujillo even manages to gain a bit of Lemmy's bass tone for a small bass breakdown!  Again, Hetfield sets his lyrical sites on humanity's dependence on technology.  The section starting at 3:59 with a harmonic guitar doodle is, for my money, right up there with the closing 2 minutes of "Halo On Fire"!  "Stop breathing and dedicate to me / Stop dreaming and terminate for me..." -- I just got goosebumps typing those lines out! 




One of the most succesful aspects of Hardwired...To Self-Destruct is that everything about it feels so natural.  The uninformed may argue that the Load and Reload brothers were the sound of a band trying to stay relevant amongst the Soundgarden and Alice In Chains clones of the late '90s.  Other may say that St. Anger saw the band trying on the shoddy production and guitar solo-less mindset of the early 2000's nu-metal scene.  Other critics may claim that Death Magnetic saw the band mimicking their earlier glory days in both song-writing and overall album structure.  With Hardwired..To Self-Destruct though, as Hetfield told NBC Sports back in June before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, "(Hardwired) is exactly what it's supposed to be."

Once again, it is a great time to be a Metallica fan!


Oh wait, there's one more song to review . . . on the 3-disc deluxe edition of the record, 2014's "Lords of Summer" has been reworked during the Hardwired... sessions.  She's gotten some work done and had some fat trimmed from her; new lyrics as well.  I didn't mind the original version of the song, but I can definitely see its faults and, sure, some of the lyrics are a bit cringe-worthy.  However, here the song is made slightly better, though I guess the old expression of "you can't polish a turd" stands true here.  I get what the song is about and all, but it just falls a little short.  With that said, I'm glad that it isn't on the actual record itself...adding a previously released song (that is two years old) to a new record is a bit of a cheap shot (I'm looking at you No Doubt with putting "New" on Return of Saturn), though Metallica get points for actually reworking and re-recording the track here and throwing it in as a bonus on a limited edition.  Not bad. 

Cliff Burton: 2/10/62 - 9/27/86

Photo:  Ross Halfin

"Bass solo.  Take one."

Thirty years ago today, the music world lost one its greatest talents.  Cliff Burton, bass player for Metallica and, by all accounts, all-around good dude, was tragically killed in a bus accident while the band was on tour in Sweden during the early morning hours of 9/27/86.  Those who knew him and fans who had loved him on Metallica's then three releases -- Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and the breakthrough Master of Puppets -- were devastated.  The world hasn't been the same since.


Cliff Burton was truly a unique and towering figure of mythic proportions; in just three short years (and at only 24yrs old!), he became a legend not only in the Metal scene, but he also garnered respect from music fans in general.  Sure, there are jaded Metal "experts" who yell the same tired insults like "Metallica died with Cliff" when it comes to the band's 90s output; however the fact of the matter was, Cliff was very eclectic in his musical tastes and, by all accounts, did not care what anyone else thought about image -- especially his own -- or musical style in general. One wonders if Metallica would recorded something like 1996's Load sooner...


The impact that Cliff had on Metallica is crystal clear in the musical and technical leaps and bounds made from Kill 'Em All to Ride The Lightning -- in just under a year, no less!  No one could have predicted that the same, pimply-faced teenagers pictured on the back cover of the Kill 'Em All LP would go on to write such masterpieces as "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Creeping Death", and "The Call of Ktulu".  Of course, this growth and musical maturity would ultimately reach its nadir with 1986's Master of Puppets. 

Being only 4yrs old when Cliff was taken and not getting into Metallica until 1991's self-titled "The Black Album", the legend of Cliff already had an aura about it.  As my friends and I discovered the early records, pre-"Enter Sandman", I remember a sort of haze of confusion surrounding Burton's legacy.  At that point, none of us really had the full story of just what happened to him -- after all, we were all just pre-teens as we were discovering the band and learning their history.  We'd stare at the folding cassette booklets for those first three albums, recognizing younger versions of Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett...and staring with a sense of wonder at the photos of Cliff.  Through word of mouth from older classmates and through reading various bits in magazines, we started to get a better picture of Cliff.


Photo:  Ross Halfin

In particular, I've always been on the mindset that I have to know everything about whatever it is that I get "into" and, of course, Metallica was no different.  Since all of this was going down pre-internet, that meant I had to do some homework.  Somewhere along the way I stumbled on Metal Edge Presents special on Metallica and, low and behold, there was a pull-out poster of Cliff and, as fate would have it, he was wearing an original Dawn of the Dead t-shirt.  At that very moment, two of my favorite things in the world -- Metallica and Dawn of the Dead -- merged as though the Gods were telling me "THIS is the band you need to be into."  I was sold and became a lifelong Metallica fan right then and there in the magazine section of a supermarket in New Jersey.


Around this same time, my family and I (along with my best friend, Chris, also the kid who introduced me to Metallica) were vacationing in upstate Pennsylvania when my dad decided to take us on a surprise trip to nearby Binghamton, NY.  We were actually going to see a famous carousel, but Chris and I spotted a record store called Music City and begged Dad to pull over.  This place was a mecca for the burgeoning Metallica fans that we were -- let along MUSIC fans, as we had tons of "import" CDs (bootlegs), shirts, and bootleg cassette tapes at our disposable.  In the video section, there was a copy of The $19.98 Home Vid:  Cliff 'Em All.  At this point in my Metallica fandom, anything with Cliff was a welcomed treasure/history lesson, as I'd missed the 1992 edition of MTV's Metallica Rockumentary.

Check out that Pushead artwork!

That night, Chris and I literally bounced around the living room as we readied the VCR to play Cliff 'Em All -- to the point, where I got my foot wedged deep within the couch whilst jumping around with excitement before we even started the video!  Again, since this was before the internet, I had no idea what Cliff sounded like when he spoke or when he did back-up vocals live, so needless to say, I was glued to the TV as we poured through the copious amounts of fan-filmed footage contained on this incredible video compilation tribute.  When we finally caught a glimpse of the '86 MTV interview with James and Cliff (the original clip where it was taken from is below) and heard the bass player's philosophy on what Metallica was and should be . . . man alive! 

"We do what we wanna do, ya know?  If they consider that sellin' out, then . . . whatever."

Of course, the standout clip from Cliff 'Em All is, hands down, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" from Oakland, CA's Day On The Green festival 8/31/85.  Cliff's wailing bass intro is truly the stuff of legend and, from the moment I first saw it, I knew why he was so well-respected and missed by fans older than me! 





From that moment on, Cliff was pretty much the coolest dude in the room for me.  The first live recording featuring Cliff that I got my hands must have been the Puppets In El Paso bootleg, which was a show from El Paso, TX 5/12/86.  Hearing Cliff's bass work on "For Whom The Bell Tolls" (as well as the rest of the show) was truly something else . . .

Every year on the anniversary of his death, I find myself listening to either the first three records exclusively or live shows from his tenure with the band.  I've always thought it as a great way to honor the man, ya know?  On this morning's commute, the first three tracks were, of course, "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth", "The Call of Ktulu", and "Orion". 


As a Metallica collector, I cherish every new live recording (audio or video) that I come across and the deluxe remastered box sets of both Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning were no different.  Each set contains a wealth of great quality live audio, as well as exclusive DVDs; in particular the Lightning set's DVD features the complete Metal Hammer Festival 9/15/85 gig (as glimpsed in Cliff 'Em All), including one of Cliff's best bass solos!  For any fan, this was truly like finding the Holy Grail of Metallica live DVDs -- a pro-shot show with Cliff!!  As it stands now, I look forward to what is in store for the eventual Master of Puppets deluxe remastered box set...


Today, it seems that Cliff's memory is alive and well in the Metallica world; in 2005, the band finally started playing "Orion" live (albeit just the first half, as they opened for The Rolling Stones) -- they finally played the whole song the following year when they celebrated the 20th anniversary of Master of Puppets by playing the entire album.  As a matter of fact, every time they play "Orion", James dedicates it to Cliff.  These days, they've been known to play "Whiskey In The Jar" as an encore and, again, dedicate it to Cliff as well.  I think it's safe to say that he's become the band's guardian angel, leading them when he was in the band and now guiding and protecting them from beyond. 

Clifford Lee Burton 2/10/62 - 9/27/86 

Rest In Peace.

Photo Credit:  Ross Halfin

Metallica @ Lollapalooza 8/1/15: A Retrospective

photo credit: Jeff Yeager

(most photo credits to Sandee, best Wife ever!)




Lollapalooza . . . a gem of the 90s music scene, the touring festival that gave one indie credibility and some sort of bragging rights.  In its earliest years, to be honest, it never really caught my radar outside of the scant MTV News clip, as I really had no interest (or at least maybe a passing interest) in most of the bands that stacked those early lineups.  That all changed, of course, when Metallica headlined in 1996. 


Although I'm still kicking myself for not catching that tour -- it would have been my first Metallica show, but I really had no idea as to how to get tickets for concerts back then! -- all I can do now is look back and photos and the scant bootleg recordings I've seen from it.  Just recently, I got a DVD of Metallica's performance from the Randalls Island, NY 7/10/96 stop which, along with three proshot video clips and soundboard B-sides from the Irvine, CA 8/4/96 show, completes my Lollapalooza '96 experience.  One thing that I do remember quite fondly though, was the vehement animosity towards Metallica for headlining the festival that year.  As Load was just released, the band were already experiencing a bit of flack from their fans, but now the "Alternative" crowd was giving them shit for ruining their precious festival! 


Years would go by and different lineups would come to pass, but I'd always skip Lollapalooza (in its touring format) and, even after it found its permanent home in Chicago as a destination festival, I always opted to skip it -- and get the hell outta dodge, too!  However, I always secretly hoped that Metallica would one day return to the festival and headline it, thereby giving me an excuse to finally check it out . . . 2015 answered my prayers!


In recent years, as Lollapalooza would slowly announce its lineup, I'd say in my circles, there was always a rumor of Metallica playing it -- unless, of course, they had summer dates in Europe booked for whatever weekend the festival was scheduled for.  The rumors of their 2015 headlining slot crept up very quickly, with only my buddy Matt reminding me about it the day before the lineup was announced and one-day passes went on sale.  That day, of course, I was deep in jury duty (cue the dramatic music of doom!), but I was still able to access my phone and remained logged into the website all morning. 


Then, of course, I couldn't secure tickets for my wife, Sandee, and me!  Frustration abounded, but since I was still in jury duty, I had to keep a calm head and remain cool.  My persistence finally paid off and I was able to secure passes!   Then, of course, the talk about where we'd actually watch the show from came up . . . now, if you know me, I'm not one to simply watch from the back or the nosebleeds.  Especially if it's a band I love (like Metallica) and have seen many times from the rail, with band members in my face, etc....there's just no simply "let's watch from the back" in my vocabulary. 


"But it's a festival...arena shows are for the rail" was one retort I heard a lot of.  I silently agreed...but still, the wheels turned as to how me and Wife (and Matt and his wife Jackie) would make sure we had the best viewing spot for this show.  At that point, I really didn't care much for the rest of the festival or the lineup...this was Metalli-palooza '15 yo!  As the date drew closer, I hoped and prayed that the band would announce Snakepit passes or, even an on-stage contest which they had done the year prior in Europe to great success.  FINALLY, at the few US dates prior to Lolla, when they had on-stage winners, I knew we'd have it for our show . . . but then there was the contest itself.  Almost as exciting as entering for a Meet & Greet contest!  Low and behold, I won and although I couldn't really believe it myself, I was still of the mindset that, if you put your mind to something -- no matter how insane it may be -- it can happen!


As the days ticked down to the show itself, my anticipation grew and grew; I'd shown pictures to Wife and family of the previous shows that had fans on-stage and said "That's gonna be us!"  I started to plan out just where I wanted to be on the stage...as if I had the option of "Well, where would you like to be?" anyway!  But still...I never gave up. 


The morning of the show, the four of us hit up a fancy lunch with our friends Chris and Jenn (it was her first time seeing Metallica) . . . but before that, we had to take care of one important piece of the puzzle:  picking up our on-stage wristbands! 

Wristbands secured!

For me, it was Christmas Morning all day!  At this point in the day, I don't think any of us knew quite what to expect...


Once we got to the venue, it was a complete clusterfuck trying to get through security -- though, MAJOR props to those folks for making sure everyone is safe at Lolla.  After all six of us getting through the gates, we milled about and checked out the merch stands.  One cool benefit of the festival are the locker stations, so we were able to keep all of our merch and other supplies stashed for the duration of the day.  Not bad.  The Samsung Galaxy stage (or Main Stage) was at the far end of the festival area . . . honestly, it doesn't seem that large when there is no festival going on and it's just empty softball fields but man, what a hike from Buckingham Fountain (yes, the Married...With Children fountain) to the main stage! 


While waiting for confirmation as to where we were all supposed to meet up to be lead on-stage, a small community of MetClubbers gathered in shaded hilltop area, stage-left.  This wasn't actually a bad view of the show, but come on...we're going on-stage!

One thing about Metallica shows, no matter where in the country or globe, is that they're always family reunions!  It was great seeing folks who I hadn't seen since the second Fillmore show in San Francisco on 12/7/11 (some of whom I'd known/talked to online for years before finally meeting at that show).  KISS has the KISS Army...the Grateful Dead have the Deadheads....Metallica has the MetClub (or Fifth Members as we're called now).  Still, at this point in the day, my anticipation was rising as I was sizing up the situation and trying to ensure we'd all have a good time. 


After what seemed like a few hours, we finally got the call to move down towards the stage . . . my heart sank as I saw a ton of people come through and head backstage.  My thoughts were that they'd get the primo spots on-stage...but nope, they were either just going back to the actual backstage area which was like a small village, as I didn't see too many of them once we got up there.

Waiting in line to go backstage.

Once we got back there, it seemed like the Lolla people or local crew had no idea where we were supposed to line up.  My heart again sank as it seemed like we were in the very back of the line as we moved to one spot....only find out that we were near the front of the line when we were told go back to another spot! 


You remember that scene in Jaws where Robert Shaw's Quint is recounting the Indianapolis story and their rescue from shark-infested waters and says "You know time when I was most frightened? Waitin' for my turn"?  That's how I felt as they lead us in small groups up a small flight of stairs to the wings of the backstage area.  This was it.  Almost there.  White-knuckle with anticipation!  At that point, you could probably have blown me over with a feather!


Finally...this was our view:

Yeah...that's a lot of people.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as intimidating as it could have been or maybe was for other Clubbers up there!  Sure, there was a bit of knee-jerk reaction to want to hide as soon as I stepped out there, but then, I almost immediately felt comfortable . . . aside from the many utterances of "Wow!" and "Hoe-leeee Shit!"  We were met with cheers amidst a scant boos and middle fingers . . . of which both of my middle fingers were returned!  Everyone up on stage were polite and friendly...everyone had a great spot to see the action unfold . . .and then "The Ecstasy of Gold" started and we were ON . . . all of us on-stage singing along.


Before I knew it, Lars walks right past us to get to his drumkit and hands his drink to my friends Andrew and Tricia next to me. At this point, I was still holding out hope that they'd open with "Breadfan", but as soon as James Hetfield stepped up to the microphone with an announcement, I knew we're in for "Fuel" and with that, he demanded "Gimme Fuel, Gimme Fire, Gimme That Which I Desire!"  And, just like that, we were off to a kickass show . . .



Surprisingly -- or maybe not..I still haven't decided -- the crowd was into it from the very beginning.  I remember looking down at the kids in the front row and being glad I wasn't in their shoes as they were getting SMASHED against the rail by the 300,000 strong crowd.  Like the pros that they are, Metallica stormed onto the stage and had that crowd in the palm of their hands the instant they started playing! 

Not the view I'm used to!

(Pic lifted from WGN's website)

Kirk "The Ripper" Hammett melting faces!



Robert Trujillo thundering away!

After the next song, "For Whom The Bell Tolls", the band could have said "Thank you and good night" and the crowd would have been satisfied.  But no, they continued the show with "Wherever I May Roam" and "King Nothing" -- indicating that this was to be a "festival friendly" setlist without many deep cuts or rare gems.  However, without fail no matter how many times I see Metallica, they always seem to play about six or seven songs that I either haven't seen live ever or haven't seen live in forever . . . "King" had been absent for me since 2004, so it was a nice surprise.  Following that cut, Hetfield introduced some old stuff in "Disposable Heroes" which, from what I could tell, pretty much smashed the kids down in the crowd into dust. 

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" was up next and the beautiful Chicago skyline and cool, summer breeze all combined for a surreal mood during it. The band continued to blaze through a set of songs that easily could have been encores or show-stoppers almost one right after the other.  Finally, Hetfield addressed the crowd about how he had come the night before to see "Sir Paul Something...", which of course elicited many cheers.  He further explained how Paul McCartney (the previous night's headliner) had gotten some incredible crowd participation and that now it was Metallica's turn. As soon as they started "Cyanide", it seemed like the entire city of Chicago was chanting "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!"  In all my years, THIS must be what a European festival crowd looks like.  Simply amazing.  And, today, listening to the recording of this show, I still get goosebumps at this part because the crowd is so monstrously LOUD!


A short while later, "Creeping Death" reared its ugly head to wring some more crowd participation -- there's nothing quite like a few hundred thousand "hippies" chanting "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"  Hetfield broke a string on his white Flying V guitar because, well, the mood was way too metal for all six strings!   Kirk Hammett blasted through an extended/improvised solo at the end of the song... even Hetfield and Trujillo were stunned by how maniacal "The Ripper" was!

Throwin' out a double-barreled finger-point during "Creeping Death"

Matt throwing out his own finger-point during "Creeping Death"

Somewhere around this point, my buddy Andrew asked me about the banner that I had on me.  Earlier in the day, I said I had a banner proclaiming "Happy Birthday Papa Het" under the assumption that, given Hetfield's birthday was 2 days away, the band and crew would pie him in on-stage celebration!  "All in good time," I replied back, tapping my cargo pocket where the banner was folded up.  "All in good time." 


Up next was a song that I needed to hear once again, "Fade To Black".  Just like the last time I saw it played live -- MSG 11/15/09 -- I pretty much lost my mind during the intro.  After the vocals were done, I figured it was the opportune time to break out the banner . . . and the rest is history.  During Kirk's closing solo, James like to get the crowd to sing the rhythm melody that he's playing, and started his way down the line of kids on-stage, getting in everyone's faces and singing along with us.

Mind pretty much blown.

To say I was on Cloud 9 for the rest of the show would be an understatement!  Remember what I said about hearing songs that I either hadn't seen live yet or hadn't heard in a long while?  This was solidified by the one-two punch of covers "Whiskey In The Jar" (a Stateside rarity, btw) and "Am I Evil?" . . . I hadn't seen the latter since my first show in '97 and it was the first time I heard the intro for it.  Bonus!

The night ended with the usual "Nothing Else Matters" and "Enter Sandman", which literally blew the place up with energy and excitement.  Seriously...they've played that song 1,183 times since its live debut literally 25yrs ago today in Petaluma, CA!  If I were in a band, I'd kill for that just that one song that continues to have such an effect on large crowds (of course, Metallica have an entire catalog of tracks that do just that!). 

Kirk, waiting for James to start "Enter Sandman"

As the band was leaving the stage/handing out guitar picks and drumsticks, Kirk made his way down the on-stage backdrop, uttering a "share the picks" as he dropped a handful into my cupped hands.  Thanks Kirk!  The curfew must have been looming as the band didn't get to do their usual signing off bits before leaving the stage (I believe the Lolla people cut the power on the stage mics).  As Hetfield was leaving the stage, I still had my banner out, hoping he'd notice it and maybe trade me a wristband for it (I know...NERD) . . . just as he walked by, he gave me a point, a "Thank you" and a wink.


As we were all ushered off the stage, we were directed to a large cooler filled with bottled waters and sodas . . . when I noticed a clear Solo cup with raspberry pink lemonade in it and a Red Bull next to it.  "That's Lars'!" I exclaimed to Sandee.  We grabbed 'em both and a setlist -- which someone must have lifted from her back pocket!   The ice-cold, refreshing drinks were a nice capper to an incredible night!

During the show and immediately after it, I kept thinking "HOW is this gonna be topped the next time I see Metallica?"  It very likely can't and probably won't be!  It was a once in a lifetime moment -- though, if I'd gone to multiple shows last summer, I could have experienced it again -- that I'll NEVER forget and is a story I'll probably be telling in the nursing home someday!


Full setlist was:


Fuel
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Wherever I May Roam
King Nothing
Disposable Heroes
(Kirk Solo #1)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Cyanide
The Unforgiven
Sad But True
(Bass Solo)
One
Master of Puppets
Creeping Death
(Kirk Solo #2)
Fade To Black
Seek & Destroy
-------------------
Whiskey In The Jar
Am I Evil?
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman






Check out the live recording of the show available over at LiveMetallica.com on CD and multiple digital formats!