I certainly didn’t see Metallica in their “prime.” I don’t know if it makes me a terrible fan or an incredibly dedicated one that it took me 17 years to see the metal gods live for the first time. And I certainly wish I could have been closer for the duration of the show. What I do know is that Metallica absolutely killed it performing at The Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. I may be late to the game, but I am still happy.
Quick background info: I was handed Master of Puppets on my 8th birthday, which spawned a long and tortous love affiar with the greatest metal band to walk the planet. But due to growing up in a city 60 miles outside of L.A. (Riverside….blech) and being poor all the time, I simply never got the chance to see them live. I realize what blasphemy this is, but I have rectified this problem!
Thanks to the hard work of our editor, Leslie Simon, I scored a photo pass and a ticket to the first night of Metallica’s shows in town. (Inglewood, to be exact.) It was also the second “in-the-round” show, where the stage was set up in the middle of the arena. I bussed it out to Inglewood because the rain prevented me from biking there. Due to the bus going out of service a mile away from the venue (???????), I missed a chance to see both The Sword AND Machinehead for the first time. Bummer.
The Forum treats their photographers incredibly well; we got escorts to the photo pit and were given the option to lock up our gear in the offices of the venue to enjoy the show in peace. I assembled with about 10 other professional photographers, which was slightly intimidating. Here were people who’d spent years perfecting their art: photogs from the L.A. Times, the L.A. Weekly, the O.C. Weekly, and a couple from Getty and Wire Image.
And then there’s me, a tattooed nerd who just bought his first professional digital SLR and has only one prime lens. But this ultimately didn’t phase me for two reasons:
- Everyone in the room was suprisingly kind, open, and nice. I’ve had plenty of bad experiences (especially at Coachella) with photographers who are stand-offish and flat-out rude. Not the case here!
- HOLY CRAP I AM ABOUT TO SEE METALLICA FOR THE FIRST TIME. None of you can ruin this for me!
I’d certainly be lying if I didn’t admit how nervous I got when it was announced that we’d be heading out into the venue in less than five minutes. I couldn’t believe that the one thing that’s always been a constant for me for 17 years, Metallica, would be less than a foot away from me. Was I going to be disappointed and let down? Was the setlist going to cover their recent records over the material I’d grown up with?
As we walked out through the hallways and onto the general admission floor, my heart started beating faster. I mean, really, I was having a complete and total fanboy moment. I was seeing Metallica. !!!!!!!!! I chatted with fans on the barricade, snapped some photos, and nervously paced back and forth in anticipation.
When the lights went out, I had to restrain myself from jumping up and down. It was SRS BZNS time. After the familiar melodies of Ennio Morriccone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold,” finished, the opening of “That Was Just Your Life,” off of Death Magnetic, played over the house speakers. This was the only complaint I had all night: three times, Metallica chose to play intros to their songs off of master tapes instead of playing it live. YOU ARE METALLICA. THIS IS UNNECESSARY. You guys wrote …And Justice For All, for god’s sake, one of the most complicated and difficult records in the world! You can certainly perform the intro to a song you just wrote, right?
But that was the only drawback all night. I’m not the biggest fan of the new record, but the new songs sound so huge and heavy in a live setting. They opened with “That Was Just Your Life,” and segued straight into the second song off that record, “The End of the Line.”
Oh yeah, and I was less than a foot away from Kirk Hammet while he ripped out the incredible solo on “The End of the Line.” SWOON.
I switched from my midrange zoom lens to my 50mm prime because…..hell, we were so close, there was no need for a zoom lens. And just as I managed to get my setup ready, they burst into “Creeping Death.” From there on out, it was an occasional song from Death Magnetic and then a great selection of songs from the first five records. This included the band replacing “Wherever I May Roam” with “Harvester of Sorrow,” which they followed with “One.” I was in metal heaven.
Well, as close as I could get to metal heaven, considering I was in the stands. But the “in-the-round” setup allowed everyone to feel much closer to the stage than a more traditional positioning. Additionally, the sound was incredible from virtually anywhere in the arena. I didn’t feel like I was far away at all.
The real treat, however, was two-fold: the band’s stark friendliness to their fans and a fascinating setlist. Throughout the show, the band constantly interacted with their fans on a one-on-one basis. Whereas most large bands might have said a few words during the set, all four members of Metallica came off stage for long periods of time to talk to their dedicated fans. At one point, while James sang “Nothing Else Matters” by himself, Kirk Hammett literally sat on the edge of the stage, autographed items, and talked with a small group of people. Rob Trujillo constantly played between the barricade and the stage. Lars would run from his drum kit to interact with those close to the band. That’s the sign of a classy group of dudes.
BUT THE SETLIST. OH GOD. “Creeping Death.” “Harvester of Sorrow.” “Master of Puppets.” “The Unforgiven.” And, or course, the two huge surprises that night: An exact version of “Damage, Inc.” and tacking “Green Hell” onto their cover of the Misfits’ classic, “Last Caress.” I distinctly remember seeing other people’s faces light up with joy when they performed these rare songs.
It was unreal, guys. During “Search and Destroy,” the final song, tons of black Metallica beach balls fell on the stage and the crowd. The band, simply put, was having the time of their life. They received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd and then promptly spent nearly ten minutes thanking everyone.
I could not have been happier.
FULL SETLIST:
That Was Just Your Life
The End of the Line
Creeping Death
Harvester of Sorrow (!!!!)
One
Broken, Beaten, Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
The Unforgiven
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Damage, Inc.
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Whiplash/Last Caress
Green Hell
Seek and Destroy
Make sure to check out my gallery of Metallica at The Forum!
December 23rd, 2008 
Music 
Posted in 
I want these to be the 3 highest rated episodes of any show, ever. 
