Altsounds - Metallica [Live] @ the O2

This was my most anticipated gig of the year. I brought tickets the moment they went on sale and there was no way I was missing this gig, no matter how drastic the alternative situation may have been.

Shockingly, I arrived super early, feeling right at home amongst the other band t-shirt clad, longhaired (and that’s more the guys than the girls) and inwardly excitable crowd milling out front of the O2. Having only ever been to the O2 for sporting events previously, I am amazed at the mammoth scale which the stadium boasts for a concert like tonights. A rectangular stage has been placed directly in the centre of the arena, surrounded already with a throng of (mostly male) fans.

Catching both openers The Sword and Machine Head from my seats in perfect proximity to the stage, while still maintaining sufficient reviewing room, I’m impressed with the calibre and suitability of both acts. I sit next to a guy who I thought may have been autistic at first, but then decide he was just REALLY enjoying Machine Head.

I have come to expect certain things from bands that have been around for such a long time, and Metallica was no exception. I expect them to be grandiose, polished, epic and even something as trivial as on time. So I was pleasantly impressed when the lights went down at exactly 9pm and the entire arena filled with noise from the already sweaty and amping audience. The opening bars of ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ can barely be heard above the fan’s own sound, but the track sets the perfect tone for the band’s entrance. Four shadows of men can be seen scurrying from the dressing room doors to the stage, while the soundtrack fades into ‘That was Just Your Life’, the usher track from Metallica’s most recent release Death Magnetic.

With the lights still dimmed, it is only possible to imagine how ‘That was Just Your Life’ looks live. The song is reminiscent of the Metallica we all know and love released previous to 1991, and just as the final beat goes down, stunning white lights are turned on to reveal the four most powerful men in metal today.

Following Death Magnetic’s track list, next up is ‘The End of the Line’ which continues the reminiscent heaviness and are both aided by intense pyrotechnic displays coming from centre stage.
First words are spoken from lead singer, James Hetfield,

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“We’re here tonight to play you guys some of the new stuff…but you know what goes well with the new stuff?...Old stuff!”

to which they rip into ’Creeping Death’ from their epic 1984 album Ride the Lightning and ‘Holier Than Thou’ from their massive 1991 self-titled album.

As soon as the gun fire and fight recording comes fading in, everyone knows which track is next, and ‘One’ is just as epic as it was upon first release. Even 21 years down the line ‘One’ still holds strong with Metallica fans, as Hetfield proves after the track is over by stating

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“Wow, you guys really like that song, huh?!”

And he’s not wrong, we do love that song!
Hetfield then welcomes back the Metallica show veterans and gives stick to the “Metallica Virgins” asking

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“What took you so long?”

There are about equal squeals for both sides of experience proving that for some, the chance to catch a band as massive as Metallica, whether you were a die hard fan before or not, could not be passed up.

‘Broken, Beat & Scarred’ and ‘Cyanide’ from Death Magnetic bring out the real show, and drummer Lars Ulrich can be seen finishing each with a jump from his kit in the centre of the stage out to the awaiting crowd for a bit more time up close and personal.

Ripping into a double hit with ‘Sad But True’ from their self-titled 5th album, which encompasses an insane bass solo that has Rob Trujillo bent over backwards on the floor squeezing the last ounce of sound out of his instrument, followed by their Bob Seger cover of ‘Turn the Page’ originally from covers album Garage Inc. Hetfield’s voice is perfect for the tone of this track, and his southern drawl is even more apparent live.

With the lights dimmed in between tracks, the boys take a moment to switch guitars before returning for their latest single (and forty-fourth, might I add) ‘All Nightmare Long’, which boasts the perfect segue for master guitarist Kirk 'The Ripper' Hammett to perform a blistering guitar solo, while Lars’s kit is spun 1/3 the way around to face another part of the stadium.

With all lights down, a solo spotlight comes on to a lonesome Hetfield standing upon a set of speakers, playing the opening riff to ‘The Day That Never Comes’, the first single from Death Magnetic. This then leads into the most amazing run of ‘Master of Puppets’ (crazy sight to see tens-of-thousands of people pumping their fists along to ‘Master, Master…’), ‘Damage Inc’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘Enter Sandman’.

After a very unconvincing goodbye, surprisingly the boys return with Hetfield joking,

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“Oh, you're still here!?”

and then treating everyone to some more retro hits with Motorhead’s ’Too late, too late’ and ‘Phantom Lord’ from their 1983 debut Kill ‘Em All.

Thinking this may be it for real now, a lot of people start to bail out of the arena, which was a silly move considering Metallica still had one more for the evening, which Hetfield introduces,

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“You need three words for this next one…Seek and Destroy!”

Black beach balls with Death Magnetic blazoned across them come falling passed the coffin-like light fittings and down amidst the band, who then kick them fair and square into the mass of hard core fans left once the house lights are turned back on.

Whether you were originally a hard core Metallica fan before heading to the O2 this evening or not, I think you would walk out with a respect for the four men who are still putting on a show as amazing as they ever have.
The combination of laser lights, pyrotechnics and the best metal music you will find made for one hell of a night out. The absolute precision of the songs and the performance was impeccable and it’s obvious these guys know how to put on a damn good show, which only seems to get better the longer they keep at it.

There was no pretentiousness to Metallica. The mere fact that they were willing to stay out on stage after the house lights came on, throwing guitar picks and drum sticks into the crowd, and each saying a short goodbye, shows true showmanship and genuine performance talent.
In Hetfield’s farewell, he admits he wants to still be at this in years to come; and I think I can speak for the thousands who came out to the O2 this evening when I say I sincerely hope they are.

Metallica played:

This is Just Your life
The End of The Line
Creeping Death
Holier Than Thou
One
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Cyanide
Sad but True
Turn the Page
All Nightmare Long
Day the Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Damage Inc
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Too late, Too late
Phantom Lord
Seek and Destroy

Metallica.com