|
Not
content with getting our asses kicked for one night only, the Metallicaworld
on tour crew returned to the fold for another onslaught from the things
that should not be. A set list change was to be expected and that’s
exactly what we got. Tonight my friends the boys were on fire, leaving
no stone unturned, the smiles upon their faces said it all and with
James proclaiming, “we’re feeling pretty good, you better watch
out” you know that its going to be a little special.
Feeling
pumped up by the time AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top, If You
Want to Rock and Roll” is finished the lights dim and the striking
chords of the Ecstasy of Gold thunder across the 17 000 strong crowd,
the Metallica frenzy is just beginning. With the opening favourite of
Battery sounding as strong as ever, and then firing remorselessly into
the Four Horseman (my personal favourite of the night) and the not to
oft heard Ride the Lightning, the ‘tallica boys don’t let up
tonight. Its classic after classic after fucking classic.
Hetfield’s
voice is stronger than I’ve heard it for a while (don’t get me wrong
here, I’m not saying it was weak before, but its been stepped up a
touch) Kirks leads are as sweet as ever and the strong rhythm section of
Rob and Lars have tightened up even more so over the summer and overall
we have an unbelievably tight and powerful sounding Metallica dishing up
all our favourite tracks.
The
start of Sanitarium tonight really gets those shivers going tonight,
being played at a fractionally slower tempo allows the melody to really
come across, but still manages to punish us yet further a the song
develops into its behemoth like manner. Bellz begins with its usual
rousing kick drum intro and a bass solo from Rob before out of no where
the song kicks in with the entire crowds arms punching the shit out of
the air.
Tonight
choosing only 2 songs from St Anger to include in the set, we get Dirty
Window and Frantic from St Anger but surprisingly not the title track.
The band have really transformed these songs into being part of the
Metallica show with crowd interaction aplenty helping them to really
come across well with an incredible amount of power and energy,
particularly with the rolling riff of Dirty Window a newer addition to
the set, although quite honestly it sounds like its been there for
years. Sad But True is placed between these songs and sounds fucking
monstrous. James begins the song by singing the chorus from the platform
behind the drums before the crowd sing the “Sad But True” part and
then the song proper begins.
Sorrow,
Puppetz and Fight Fire with Fire bring the main set to a close and do so
with a phenomenal amount of power. The hulking riff of Sorrow to the
sing-a-long and melody of the full length Puppetz, which we seem to get
treated with more often than not these days, onto another set rarity in
Fight Fire with Fire, which sounds fucking incredible nearly twenty
years on from its original release, like every other one of
Metallica’s songs, it stands the test of time. Its interesting to hear
some of the songs that haven’t been played for a while with the new
sound that the band seem to have now, a very clear sound, very crisp. It
gives the songs a whole new breath of life (not that they needed it
anyway) and adds a new dimension to the live performance.
Seek
and Destroy, a set standard, never tires and sounds as fresh as ever.
The huge crowd singing every syllable and are quite frankly deafening.
The set standard of Nothing Else Matters never disappoints, particularly
now that Lars and Kirk indulge themselves in a bit of instrument
swapping and we get to hear Lars play Smoke on the Water on guitar which
is always something to behold. Creeping Death picks the energy back up
with a vengeance with the “Die, Die, Die” part being sung by every
person in the building.
The
sounds and bombs and gunfire mean only one thing, One is hear and a
great version it is, rounding of the set with Sandman is a winning
combination. Pyrotechnic mania in these last songs, which is something
that always gets the crowd going. The band returns to the stage and
gives us Blitzkrieg and Motorbreath to round off the evening. An
absolutely stunning gig, the fifth time I have had the chance to see
Metallica play and the best time also. Every time I have seen this band
play they deliver, but tonight it was taken to a whole new level of
power and energy, with the announcement at the end of the show that
they’ll be back in the summer, you better make sure you are there
because as we speak this band are taking no prisoners.
Olly
Smith 2003 |
