February 3, 2009

Metallica at the Prudential Center

I got to see Metallica on Sunday, the last night of their US tour with Machine Head and The Sword. It was my first Metallica concert. Here is my review:

The Sword opened in fine form, contrary to what many people said. They didn't take a lot of breaks and kept the energy flowing. It was nice to see a good young band opening for one of the biggest bands ever. They played some good songs from their new album like "How Heavy This Axe" and "Maiden, Mother, and Crone," and closed with "Freya." Great set.

Machine Head came on next, and they played an amazing set. They opened with "Clenching the Fists of Dissent," and followed it with "Imperium." Great one-two punch to start. Frontman Rob Flynn was incredibly engaging, the band was tight, and their setlist was killer. They shot through "Halo" and "Beautiful Mourning," two of the best songs from their latest album, and ended with the essential "Davidian." They got chants of "Machine Fuckin' Head!" from the crowd, and definitely gained some fans that night.

Metallica came in with a laser light show and opened with "That Was Just Your Life" and "The End of the Line." Then they went into some old classics, flying through "Creeping Death," "Harvester of Sorrow," and "One," before going back into new stuff with "All Nightmare Long" and "The Day That Never Comes." Their performance was spot-on except for one member: Lars Ulrich, who not only couldn't keep time to save his life, but also had to get up from his drumkit after every song and stretch his legs. However, the other three guys made up for his shortcomings with tight playing and plenty of stage presence. Closing out with "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "Nothing Else Matters," and "Enter Sandman," the crowd went wild for them. They came back for an encore of "Die Die My Darling," "Breadfan," and "Seek & Destroy." The last song began with an epic balloon drop. It was epic for two reasons. One, all the balloons were actually beach balls. Two, the beach balls were jet black. It was AWESOME!

I am quite glad to have finally seen one of the greatest bands in history. It was great to be a part of the last night of their performance.

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