 It
has been many years since I last saw Metallica, back in 96 I think
it was in the Point Depot, Dublin. The famous figure of eight stage
show. The band were at a huge commercial peak, the black album having
broken them through to a larger audience, and now the new slick Load
album taking them ever closer to the mainstream. Those who remembered
Metallica when they were the kings of the underground felt they had
lost the band, and the covers album and orchestral experiment of the
years between then and now did nothing to belie that feeling.
It was a rather surprised crowd then that turned up at the RDS. The new album had surprised everybody with its brutal non-produced punk edge, its pure metal riffs, its eschewing of guitar solos and anything that even slightly resembled a ballad. The album sounded like nothing other than the follow up to "And Justice For All", like the 15 odd years of shiny videos, shiny clothes and shiny eyeliner had never happened. So how could Metallica marry this reborn underground sound to their big stadium shows built around the power-balladry of "Until It Sleeps" or "The Unforgiven"? Simple really when you think about it, pretend the whole Load, Re-load, sparkly spandex rock star phase never even happened, and instead pulverise the entire 35,000 crowd into submission with brutal slab after brutal slab of totally timeless classic metal. The
band opened with a three strike salvo of sheer metal brilliance,
Battery, Master of Puppets, Harvester of Sorrow. This was delivered
with utter commitment and ferocity with hardly a word exchanged.
You just can't argue with an opening triplet of that quality and
from then on in the crowd were entirely on Metallica's side. But
The thorny subject of the new album was finally broached by Hetfield prior to the band playing the only two tracks to be aired from it tonight, sandwiched either side of the monstrous Sad But True. Both Frantic and St Anger sounded great live, extremely heavy. Both fitted into the set easily and should be there for years to come. But this is my only complaint of the night; these are the only two new songs played, why? I mean come on, surely Metallica haven't yet reached that AC/DC or Rolling Stones stage where it's just the hits and two songs off the new album. What about the brilliant old school Purify or the belligerent Dirty Window?
The first encore opened with Fuel, the only Load/Re-load track played the whole night, before Lars tried his hand at guitar for the opening chords of Nothing Else Matters. He was predictably bad. Nothing Else Matters was the only let up all night from full on metal, and gave the crowd a chance to do the old lighter thing, which still looks completely out of place at a Tallica show. Creeping Death then slayed the entire audience before the band disappeared again. They returned a final time for this tour's usual encore of One and Sandman, both lapped up in abundance. That was the band finished and they remained behind only to speak to the crowd, despite the calls for Whiskey In The Jar, which I'm glad they didn't play (alright I know it was Lynott's Birthday but fuck it, Metallica aren't a shitty cabaret act). Metallica then keep it real by concentrating on the old shit and ignoring the majority of their MTV friendly 90s output. Where does that place them then, when the powers that be had them pigeonholed as the friendly sellable face of proper metal and they go and throw a spanner in the works by effectively heading back down an underground path? Who knows and who really cares. As long as shows like this keep happening and Albums like St Anger keep getting made people will keep taking an interest. What about the support acts I hear you cry, well, sorry, but both were absolutely, abysmally, diabolically,unspeakably shite Reviewed by Duck SET LIST |
that
didn't mean they were going to let up on the gas, following after
a brief hello with two more total classics. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
was the first of these, the third Puppet's song, and was greeted
with an almighty cheer. Judging from this cheer and the amount of
tee-shirts around the crowd Puppets is still definitely the hardcore
fan's, both young and old, favourite album. For Whom the Bell Tolls
followed and by this stage myself and all around were delirious
with the choice of material being aired.
But
despite a lack of new album material the band were determined to
keep it heavy rounding off the first set with two classic Kill 'Em
All tracks and finally Blackened, the highlight of the night. Such
a brilliant and typical Tallica classic made all the more impressive
by the huge erupting fire pots that detonated throughout.