Metallica @ Prudential Center, 2.1.09

Metallica is a legend. They are gods in the world of metal. Regardless of their mid-90s output (Load and ReLoad) and their more recent lackluster albums (St. Anger) anyone who goes to a Metallica concert knows that they are in for a show.

After the first two songs, both cuts from Death Magnetic, James went to the microphone and said, ‘You know what we found goes really well with the new stuff?’ and everyone screamed back at him, ‘THE OLD STUFF!!!’ And he was right: the new songs did fit in quite well with the old ones – because they sound almost exactly the same. Sometimes this was a good thing. Despite not knowing any of the new songs, I could anticipate the song structure and continue headbanging to the beat. They were familiar to my ears although I had not heard them. Of course, the downside was that the songs were predictable and even slightly cliché. Death Magnetic’s lead single ‘The Day That Never Comes’ is at its essence a combination of the ‘Fade to Black’ riff, ‘One’s guitar solo, and a simplified (read: pretty awful) version of the ‘Harvester of Sorrow’ lyrics. The song’s structures followed the Metallica template set forth in earlier albums (with some variables): intro, verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, (breakdown,) solo, (verse,) chorus, outro. I barely had to pay attention to know what was happening, which in retrospect was probably a good thing because the new lyrics are fairly dreadful.

Metallica balanced the song order by playing two new cuts followed by a few signature tunes. The way they presented them blatantly drew the parallel between old and new, highlighting the contribution of bassist Rob Trujillo in returning to their metal roots. A lot of press about Death Magnetic has mentioned that in striving to recreate their old sound, they ended up becoming a parody of themselves because they tried too hard. It seemed their attitude at this show was to demonstrate that the album was not just a fluke or a gimmick; Metallica’s return as a serious metal band was legitimate. The setlist reinforced this point, drawing heavily from the early records that represented quintessential Metallica. They attacked hard with ‘Master Of Puppets,’ ‘One,’ ‘Creeping Death,’ and ‘Seek And Destroy.’ The band played everything with extreme vigor to the point where they sped up a lot of their older songs. Perhaps they thought the songs sound better when played faster, but my inclination is to believe that they did it just to prove they could.

Metallica earned their reputation as metal gods partially because of their relentless touring and massive stage presence. This still holds true today. James Hetfield is one of the great frontmen of rock, and his towering figure is impressive even from the nosebleed seats. Bassist Rob Trujillo lumbers around in monkey-steps and seems to have taken over his predecessor’s role as chief crowd instigator. Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist, keeps a generally low profile until he solos though he does his fair share of energizing the crowd. Much maligned drummer Lars Ulrich is his usual animalistic shirtless self, sneering and grimacing all night. The stage itself was set up as a rectangular platform with microphones at each corner as well as two extra mics along the length. Lars’ drum set was on a circular disc in the middle that rotated each time they took a break so that he faced each side of the audience during one portion of the show. It was a simple set up that left plenty of room for both standard over-the-top pyrotechnics and stage-meandering. Kirk, James, and Rob wandered all around the stage interacting with the audience and each other. All the enthusiasm they put into their performance they received back from the crowd in equal measure.

With the band as a whole feeling more unified, a spirit of gratitude and camaraderie emerged that was absent from previous concerts. Metallica also showed off their playful side for the encore: James requested that the house lights be turned on so they could see the audience, and when they began playing ‘Die Die My Darling’ large black beach balls emblazoned with the Metallica logo came raining down on the stage. They bounced out into the audience where they were punched into the air and eventually found their way back onto the platform. Whenever a ball lay in a band member’s path he would kick it out into the crowd again to much cheering. This kind of rapport is what continues to draw fans to Metallica concerts even 25 years after they first began.

Going to any concert of a legendary band with high expectations can be dangerous, but there is no need to worry with Metallica. Metallica delivers everytime, everywhere. And that is why I love them.

setlist:

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
Harvester of Sorrow
One
Broken, Beat and Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Sanitarium
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
encore:
Die Die My Darling
Breadfan
Seek and Destroy

words and photos by Terror