With this gig only announced 2 weeks ago (at such short notice that there was no time to print up tickets. Entry by email confirmation only) and tickets costing a fiver. Me and my mates didn’t know what to expect from this concert at the O2 last night. If Metallica played only 5 songs for £5 you couldn’t complain could you?
8.30ish the house lights went down, purple lights around the stage lit up and fake smoke filled the arena.
San Francisco metal gods Metallica took to the stage and started by belting out 2 new tracks (That Was Just Your Life & The End Of The Line) from the newly released album Death Magnetic.
3 classics followed in the form of The Thing That Should Not Be, Of Wolf And Man & One to keep the old school fans happy.
The stage was set in the middle of the arena so that all fans would be able get a look of the band. Rectangular with mikes in every corner, the stage also had the drum kit in the middle on a circular riser that moved round after every song.
Lars, James, Rob and Kirk were on top form and as tight as a mouse’s arse hole. After a near 5 year break they seem to be back fresher and better than ever.
4 more songs throughout the gig were played from the new album and the one that I was most impressed with was The Day That Never Comes. Pounding drums and guitar riff that had my rocking my head back to front. This song was sandwiched in-between the legendry For Whom The Bell Tolls and Master Of Puppet’s.
The most surprising song of the night for me had to be the terrible Frantic from the St Anger album which in my opinion is a dire album. So much so that on the bands 2004 tour of the same name they only played 1 song from that album as fans took an instant dislike to St Anger.
In between songs James had good banter with the crowd and told us “put your fucking cameras away, enjoy the moment. Putting a blurred 2 minute video on you tube wont make you a legend. Enjoy it now.”
It got me thinking that when I started attending gigs at the age of 15, people used to hold up flames from lighters for the slow songs. Now its mobile phones they hold up and watch the gig through 3 inch cameras with recording functions so they can put it on their PC when they get back home. What the fuck is all that about? James was right – “Enjoy the moment now !!”
I digress, they ended the night on the colossus Blackened only to return to the stage for 3 more songs.
The band played for almost 2 hours and for £5 you can’t argue with that. When the band return next March (as per James last night) you can expect tickets to go for the normal (but bloody expensive) £65 plus.
I found out today that all proceeds went to a Music Charity so thanks to Metallica for that. I guess that blows the “Rock Stars are all up their own arses” theory out of the water.
My verdict was a great performance and a set list that was for die-hards (like me). If you went there for the obvious live (trendy) songs….. unlucky motherfuckers.
Set list in full:
That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
The Thing That Should Not Be
Of Wolf And Man
One
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Frantic
Until It Sleeps
Wherever I May Roam
For Whom The Bell Tolls
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Blackened
- – - – - – - -
Stone Cold Crazy
Jump In The Fire
Seek and Destroy
Ps Bring back lighters and put away your phones!!
Posted under Live Reviews, Music
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