"That was just Metallica!!!" - Concert Review.

By Bob Zerull

5 Stars:

(Metallica concert - 11/08/08, Moline, IL)

I'm a Metallica fan. This will have been my 5th Metallica concert. My first Metallica concert was the Summer Sanitarium Tour in St. Louis Missouri with Korn, Kid Rock, Powerman 5000, and System of a Down. We got there at one in the afternoon, it was 100 degrees and by the time Metallica was over I had lost 30 lbs. The parking lot was close to a mile away from the stadium and one of us must have inadvertently popped the trunk before we went to the show, because it was open when we got back after the show and the car battery was dead. It couldn't even be jumped. Yet somehow that was the best concert I had ever been to, probably because my Metallica cherry had been popped.



Every Metallica show has its defining moment, but between all the live shows and live videos that I have seen, I pretty much knew what to expect. I knew what James was going to say between songs, I knew what Lars would say after the show, I knew that at the end of "Enter Sandman" they'd pause forever and then go back into that monster riff. Basically every Metallica show was going to be comparable to one another, which isn't a bad thing since they are amazing performers. This last time I was knocked on my ass.

The opening act was a band called The Sword. The Sword is pretty much a straight forward band inspired by 80's thrash metal, particularly Metallica. The Sword is from Austin, Texas and apparently Lars Ulrich is one of their biggest supporters. While the band was on a previous tour, they had heard that Lars was a huge fan. As a joke they had put Lars on the VIP list every night. As they toured America night after night Lars never showed. After a show in San Fransisco, Lars showed up backstage and the now The Sword is opening for Metallica.

Metallica's stage was set up in the middle of the arena rather than the typical end stage set up. At times it was hard to see the band, but The Sword was a solid opener with some nice riffs that were nothing spectacular, but a good start to a great night.



Down took the stage next. Down is a super group led by front man Phil Anselmo of Pantera and guitarist Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity. Metallica has balls by letting a front man such as Phil Anselmo open for them. That man has a presence. I guarantee you less than a quarter of that arena had ever heard of Down. For most of the show the people in the seats were sitting. By the end of the show Phil had everybody on their feet with their fists pumping. Whether he was bashing the microphone into his head (cutting his head open) or dedicating a song to the late Dimebag Darrell, Phil owned that stage.

Fifteen minutes later the lights cut out and "Ecstasy of Gold" from the movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" blasted through the speakers. As soon as the song ended the band took the stage and ripped into "That Was Just Your Life" from the new album "Death Magnetic." The band played the first song to an extravagant light show that would have made Pink Floyd proud.

I can honestly say that I have never been a part of a crowd that was so excited to hear new material from an established band. Metallica played five songs off their new album. Usually the running joke is that when the older established bands play new songs you go grab a beer or go to the bathroom. Not tonight. I'd have been happy if they played nothing but new stuff and I don't think I'd be alone.

The first big shocker of the night was "Harvester of Sorrow," which I had never seen them play live. During "One," they showed off their colored flaming pyro. Prior to jumping into "Sad But True," James apologized for the song being too heavy. They seemed like a band on a mission. I think it has been a long time since a new Metallica album earned them this many new fans. Not one song was played from the albums "Load," "Reload," or "St. Anger."

It's hard to pick out the highlights of a show that never quit. For me I suppose "The Four Horsemen," "Last Caress," and "Breadfan" were at least the biggest surprises. Metallica closed the show with "Seek and Destroy" while giant inflatable black beach balls dropped on the crowd. If you have a chance to see this tour I recommend checking it out. Even if you've seen Metallica a thousand times before, there was something different about Metallica this time around.



BYLINE:

Bob Zerull is a frequent movie and concert goer who talks about his ventures to arenas and theaters more than any person should be allowed to do. Now, he puts them down on paper. Email him your thoughts at: bzerull19@gmail.com.