Pics courtesy of Jung-Rok “Wazza” Kim with his Sony Cybershot DSC-HX5V.
My name is Ritchie. I am a Metalhead.
I’m sure there are plenty of mild mannered people out there whose daytime work ethic belies their musical allegiance, and like me, go a little crazy given the chance. Especially when metal juggernauts grace us with their presence, as happened last Thursday night at the Metallica concert at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Unfortunately I missed the first act of the night, Baroness, but was seated just 5 rows from the front for the next band, Lamb of God. So I sat down with eager anticipation for their set, and they obliged greatly and satisfyingly. Randy Blythe did his best to rip his vocal chords from his throat, and the band pummelled their way through 9 blasting (although a little predictable) songs. Randy wore a “Music Saves Lives” shirt – I have to find one of those.
Drummer Chris Adler is a walking (sitting) contradiction. He is the master of the pounding rhythms, the driving percussive force of Lamb of God’s powerful compositions, yet on stage he seems to have a zen-like calm, even as he’s battering the double bass and punching out stuttering, syncopated beats. I loved watching him – no drummer antics or throwing sticks in the air, just a dude who truly lets the instrument do all the talking.
The biggest issue I find when seeing such a great band is the fact that the crowd barely get into them when they’re in support mode. Of course I understand that everyone’s waiting for the main act, but the energy these guys exuded was deserving of a more raucous reception. I bemoan the fact that the biggest cheer was when they announced who was coming up next. I, for one, had a respectably sore neck and throat from shouting and banging along and trust that many in the audience did likewise.
I’ve seen Metallica many times, but every time their signature intro tune (“The Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone) heralds their arrival on stage, my hairs still stand on end. The slight anticlimax was the pre-recorded first passages of “That Was Just Your Life”, playing while the band made their flashlight-led way to the stage. However, all was forgiven as the live instruments rumbled into life and the laser show leapt into action.
I have a newfound respect for Lars Ulrich as a drummer. His stripped down kit consisted of only the snare, double bass, two tomtoms and two floor toms, plus a few cymbals. He was on fire all night. Rob Trujillo capably rumbled his way through the evening, and Kirk Hammet didn’t stop smiling.
It all played out like a big metal group hug. James Hetfield even paused to ask, hand on heart, “Do you feel it?” He took on an even preachier vibe when he questioned us, “Are you alive? How does it feel to be alive?” It felt a little cheesy, reaching its crescendo when Hetfield inquired if we wanted heavy, letting us know that “Metallica gives you heavy, BABY!”. At that point I must admit, I laughed out loud.
The celebratory atmosphere lasted all night, each song’s lyrics memorised and demonstrated by the entire Acer Arena audience like a dog-eared selection from a hymn book. One highlight was the instrumental “Orion”, brilliantly preformed and nicely end-capped with a nod to Cliff Burton, the band’s late bass player. “Battery” was destructive and precise, which made it all the more painful to sit through “Nothing Else Matters” as the following sing-along.
The night ended with all the house lights flooding the entire room, and dozens of black Metallica beach balls raining down from the Arena’s ceiling, a surrealistic vision at a metal gig if I’ve ever seen one. Even more so was Lars’ proclamation as he left the stage that the Saturday gig would be the biggest, loudest, most awesome gig ever! It made us Thursday attendees feel a little sad, like we hadn’t done enough to placate the metal gods in front of us.
As we walked out into the late evening, some with guitar picks, drum sticks and crushed black balloons handed out by Metallica during an extended stage farewell, we could say that James, Kirk, Rob and Lars can still rock out with the best of them. It’s definitely not thrash metal, but it was a great trip down memory lane. Thanks guys!
Ada Lili says
Hey! I was searching for the T-shirt Randy Blythe wore and I came across your blog. I went to the Metallica concert in Adelaide, the mosh was insane, this one guy got to the front by holding a stick of salami and yelling “I’ve got salami!”, everyone moved for him. Not really starting up much thrilling conversation but it’s just good to hear about other peoples Metallica experiences ^__^
Ritchie says
Hi Ada, that mosh story is a crack up. I’ve never seen a person use a food product to get to the front of the stage, a handy hint next time I’m at a butcher the day before a gig! I’ve seen Metallica many times now, and this was definitely a level above the Load/Reload tours. I loved the fact that it had a stripped down feel to it, even to Lars’ drum kit – just a simple 5 piece. This time round, it was definitely about the music. Thanks for your comment!