METALLICA

WORLD MAGNETIC TOUR

NOVEMBER 14

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK

  As the house lights were about to go off and I awaited the band to take the stage I knew that I was going to see one of those classic concerts you talk about for years. From the anticipation of the crowd to the coffin shaped lighting tracks I knew I was going to be in for a ride given by top notch pros. The band Metallica have been doing this for over 25 years and nobody does it better. The hard rock veterans are supporting their latest release entitled Death Magnetic (Sept 2008), the ninth release from the band was also produced by Rick Rubin and is the band’s fifth consecutive to debut at number one.

  They hit the stage in almost total darkness except for multicolored laser lights that stream from the ceiling and spread out at different points on the stage. The band played in the round in the center of the Garden and there were eight microphones evenly placed on the stage so that everyone could feel as if they had a front row seat. “That Was Just Your Life” opens the show into “The End of The Line” both from the new cd and then go for the jugular with the classic “For Whom the Bell Tolls” which sent the Garden into a fit! The following night “Creeping Death” was played after the two openers so it looks like they change the set list around quite a bit on this the tour.  “Fade To Black” replaced Bob Segar's cover “Turn The Page”on Sunday night. The place erupts as they hammer out “Master of Puppets” towards the end of the set and  the unofficailly close the show with “Enter Sandman”.

  An encore set of a Diamondhead cover “Helpless” that went into “Whiplash”, “Seek and Destroy” and “Blitzkreig send everybody home feeling as if they got their money's worth. The band members stay up on the stage an extra fifteen minutes or so handing out guitar picks and drumsticks to anyone that hung around while the house lights were on.  I guess it was just a sign of how much these guys appreciate their fans who they have always been good to, so it's just great to see that they haven’t changed. The tour ends in the states on December 12 in San Jose but continues in South America in January 2010. Not sure if they will be headed back to the US but you never know. Their website has a hundred ways to hear or see them live at any of the past shows at www.metallica.com

   These guys are one of only a handful of bands that can still sell out arenas across the country and deliver the goods night after night all the while supporting great new music. Check out  www.metallica.com for everything Metallica!