After several years of absence, in fall 2008, Metallica reclaimed the stage with its ninth studio album entitled Death Magnetic. The much anticipated album, which, to many fans, represented Metallica’s return to its heavy metal roots and its acclaimed musicianship, prepared the launching pad for a world tour that kicked off in 2008 and is expected to last for over two years, spanning over fifteen countries.
The second North American leg of Metallica’s World Magnetic Tour, which debuted in September in Nashville, Tennessee, swept across the South, making a stop in Atlanta on Sunday.
Metallica’s Magnetic Performance
Like any band that has been around for decades, Metallica have made their share of mistakes, alienating some of the old school fans with their 1990s albums Load (1996) and ReLoad (1997) and especially with their more recent effort St. Anger (released in 2003).
However, few bands in history have managed to bring their live performance to such high energy levels and to continue to engage fans so completely decade after decade. In a spectacular performance that featured laser shows, flames and impressive guitar and drums solos, the metal veterans won the hearts of the thousands of fans that filled Philips Arena on Sunday.
The opening acts that Metallica selected for their Atlanta concert were the speed metal band Lamb of God and Gojira, a French death metal band reminiscent of Sepultura. While Gojira featured unusual rhythm patterns, sudden start-and-stop riffs and death growls that didn’t seem to appeal to Metallica fans, Lamb of God managed to engage the audience with their fast, abrasive riffs and especially with their guitar solos. Nevertheless, anxiety heightened and excitement seemed to turn into impatience as the thousands of fans anticipated the appearance of the godfathers of metal on the stage.
The members of Metallica, who were received with loud enthusiasm by the multigenerational audience, performed on a stage placed in the center of the floor, dividing their face time between fans all around the arena. The band has been playing in-the-round since the days of the Black Album (1991) promotion tour, connecting with fans both on a musical and on a personal level.
Front man James Hetfield’s impeccable vocal performance and his infectious energy invigorated the crowd at Philips Arena, engaging fans in a musical dialogue with the band and challenging them to new levels of adrenaline.
Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and new bassist Robert Trujillo smashed out Metallica’s signature riffs, while Lars Ulrich electrified the audience with his aggressive and precise percussion. The setlist featured many of the songs on the latest album, Death Magnetic, while also indulging die-hard fans with Metallica ultra hits like Master of Puppets, One and Enter Sandman.
An almost visible electric current ran through the audience as Hetfield performed One surrounded by flames springing from the floor, with Hammett’s soul-slicing guitar solo reaching into every corner of the arena.
Metallica rewarded fans with their signature fast tempos and much anticipated guitar solos, as well as an explosive solo by drummer Lars Ulrich. Enter Sandman marked the official end of Metallica’s performance at Philips Arena, but the band returned for a powerful encore which ended with a Metallica classic – Seek and Destroy. Almost two decades after the success of their Black Album, the band is back with a heavier, more polished sound, and with a musical range more expressive and dynamic than ever.
Metallica – Masters of Lights
In addition to a first rate vocal and instrumental performance, Metallica offered fans a visual treat. The laser show that highlighted the climactic points of the evening – such as the epic performance of Master of Puppets – featured green, blue, red and yellow beams that shimmered like rainbows over the low-lit stage and dissolved into the darkened arena.
Flames were also used to punctuate dramatic performances and, during the encore, black balloons marked with Metallica insignia rained over the audience and flooded the stage. The band played under coffins hanging from the ceiling (the symbol of the Death Magnetic album), which were intermittently lit, adding another layer to Metallica’s magnetic performance.
A Multigenerational Experience
Back in the eighties, when Metallica roared their way through thrash metal, few would have imagined that, some day, fathers and sons would attend the band’s concerts together. However, Metallica is one of the few bands that, instead of losing ground to new performers, manage to expand their fan base year after year.
The fist-pumping audience at Philips Arena included people in their fifties and sixties, who have probably been on board since the release of Kill ‘Em All (1983) or Master of Puppets (1986), as well as enthusiastic teenagers who are just now discovering the musical phenomenon called Metallica. Over the years, the band have promoted an aggressive rhythm and musicianship that won the hearts of hard core metal fans, while at times displaying a softer, harmonic side of Metallica, which appealed to more mainstream rock-loving audiences.
On Sunday night, the legendary band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2009, mesmerized the multigenerational audience in Atlanta, proving once again that the show is not over for Metallica.
Atlanta Setlist:
- That Was Just Your Life
- The End of the Line
- Ride the Lightning
- No Remorse
- One
- Broken, Beat and Scarred
- Cyanide
- Sad But True
- Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
- All Nightmare Long
- The Day That Never Comes
- Master of Puppets
- Blackened
- Nothing Else Matters
- Enter Sandman
Encore:
- Last Caress
- Hit the Lights
- Seek and Destroy
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