Heavy Metal Superfan Blog

I went to see Metallica on Saturday night, for the second time this year. (I caught the first night of their previous two-night East Coast stand, too, back at the tail end of January in Newark, NJ. You can read about that here.)

If you haven't seen this tour, they've been playing "in the round": The stage is in the center of the arena's floor, and they run all over the place, facing various sides of the crowd at different times, seemingly at will. (At one point, James Hetfield came to one corner of the audience and asked, "Have I been neglecting you?") Even Lars Ulrich's drum kit is rotated 90 degrees or so a few times during the set, so he makes a full circle throughout their two-hour set, too.



It's more interesting to see Metallica live in 2009 than it's been in several years, because they're touring in support of a really good album. I don't care if you don't think Death Magnetic stands up to Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning, but there's simply no arguing that it's better than St. Anger or either of the Load albums. And the intricacy and length of the DM songs has caused Metallica to pull some of their older, longer, more complex songs out of retirement. At the January 31 show, they played "...And Justice For All" in its entirety, and Saturday night, they played "One," which they've been doing on a bunch of shows, and a month ago in Cleveland, they played four songs from the Justice album - "Harvester of Sorrow," "The Shortest Straw," "One" and "Dyers Eve." (This is where I remind you that Metallica sells full high-quality downloads of all their live shows from the past few years at LiveMetallica.com.)



Believe it or not, Lars Ulrich is the key to the live Metallica experience. His drumming is widely criticized, and indeed there were times on Saturday night, particularly in the set's first third, where he seemed really off, a half-beat or more behind his bandmates. But at the same time, his sloppy, almost punk-rock drumming added a fascinating looseness to some of the more technical, intricate songs. When I saw them play "...And Justice For All" back in January, it almost sounded like they were jamming on the song, rather than running through its parts like a classical ensemble, as it does on the album.

Anyway, the show was good, but ultimately a little too similar to the January performance for me. Hetfield's stage banter is very upbeat, very life-coach: He talks a lot about Metallica fans being a family, and about how we, the fans, are there to make the band feel good just as the band is there to make us feel good, etc., etc. It gets a little off-putting, a little too touchy-feely dad.

Hetfield's latter-day vocals have been criticized as well, for being too "redneck" or whatever. Well, earlier on Saturday, I was listening to Live In The '80s, a four-disc bootleg featuring a show from 1982 (when Dave Mustaine was still in the band and Cliff Burton had yet to join), one from a year or so later featuring Ride the Lightning tracks, one showcasing Master of Puppets, and one documenting most of ...And Justice For All. Trust me when I tell you that James Hetfield has never been a great singer. His current delivery is no sillier or more affected than his attempts to be a snarling NWOBHM guy and hit shrieking high notes were in 1982.

Opening acts at MSG were Lamb of God and Volbeat. I haven't seen Lamb of God live since 2005 or so, when they were on Ozzfest's second stage along with Mastodon, and they were really good. Their set was tight and ferocious, just like their albums. (I don't know whether Wrath has been fully appreciated by the metal nation, coming as it did on the heels of the disappointing Sacrament, but it's a great album and worth revisiting if you haven't listened to it in a while.) They were funny at times, too; at one point singer Randy Blythe said, "This next song is dedicated to my mom, who's making her first trip to New York City tonight. I love you, Mom. It's called 'Redneck.'" I think I spotted his mom, too; either that or he was being very friendly to a middle-aged woman in the front of the crowd.

The first band on, Volbeat, seemed like kind of a weird fit. They're from Denmark and they play a kind of Gothic rockabilly thing, like a cross between Social Distortion and Sisters Of Mercy, with some Misfits thrown in (they played a cover of "Angelfuck" toward the end of their set). They seemed overjoyed to be in such a huge venue, an enthusiasm that transferred to the crowd, who mostly dug 'em.

[Photos blatantly stolen from LiveMetallica.com.]

Never forget those who serve.

Black Sabbath, "War Pigs"



Metallica, "One"



Slayer, "Ghosts Of War"



Amon Amarth, "Runes To My Memory"



Flipper, "Sacrifice"

Roanoke, Virginia TV station WSLS 10 reported that additional details were released in the disappearance of Morgan Dana Harrington, the missing 20-year-old junior from Virginia Tech who was last seen at Metallica's October 17, 2009 concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Interviews with various arena staff and other people in the vicinity of the arena that night have placed a young woman matching Harrington's description outside the facility from approximately 8:30 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m.:

8:20 – 8:30 p.m.* - Harrington is outside the arena near the main entrance and is attempting to re-enter the arena, but is told that arena policy requires her to have a ticket stub to do so.

8:30 – 8:48 p.m.* - Witnesses recall seeing a woman fitting Harrington's description outside the arena at various locations.

8:48 p.m.* - Harrington talks to her friends by cell phone.

8:48 – 9:00 p.m.* – Additional sightings of her outside the arena are reported.

9:00 - 9:10 p.m.* - Harrington is seen walking through the University Hall parking lot towards Lannigan Field.

9:10 – 9:20 p.m.* - Individuals report seeing Harrington walking in the grassy, overflow parking lot at Lannigan Field. The lot is often used for RV parking.

9:20 – 9:30 p.m. - She is seen walking on the Copeley Road railroad bridge, between Ivy Road and the track at Lannigan Field. Investigators are asking for anyone who might have seen a young woman fitting Harrington's description getting into a vehicle around this time or later to contact police. Also, anyone who might recall seeing a vehicle randomly stopped in the roadway on Copeley Road that night is asked to notify police. Copeley Road is about two blocks away from the John Paul Jones arena.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the tip line at 434-352-3467.

Metallica has added $50,000 to an existing $100,000 reward offer for information helping to find a missing Virginia woman who disappeared after one of their concerts. 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington (that's her in the picture) has been missing since seeing the band play at a Charlottesville, VA concert on Saturday, October 17.

The band also posted a notice on its website under the heading "One Of Our Fans Is Missing." The notice reads, in part, "Morgan has blond hair and blue eyes, is 5'6", 120 lbs., and was wearing a black Pantera T-shirt, black skirt, and black boots... She was not carrying ID or a cell phone. Morgan was separated from her friends shortly before 9:00 pm at the venue."

Metallica has urged anyone with information regarding the disappearance to come forward and also asked fans to check if Harrington can be seen in their photos and video footage from the concert.

More on this story from MSNBC | Video

Lamb of God has announced their fall 2009 tour schedule in support of their most recent album, Wrath, and it includes 25 shows with Metallica (and Gojira!) as well as 25 additional headlining shows, with support on those dates from GWAR and Job For A Cowboy. Dates are as follows, with Metallica shows in bold:

September

14 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
15 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena
16 Memphis, TN Minglewood Theater
17 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
19 Montreal, Quebec Bell Center
20 Montreal, Quebec Bell Center
21 Providence, RI Lupos at the Strand
22 Montclair, NJ Welmont Theater
23 Pittsburgh, PA Amphitheater at Station Square
25 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Events Center
26 Lubbock, TX Lonestar Amphitheater
27 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
28 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
29 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center

October

01 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center
02 Jacksonville, FL Plush
03 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
04 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
05 Orlando, FL Hard Rock
07 Little Rock, AR Clear Channel Metroplex
08 Wichita, KS Cottilion
09 Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom
10 Fargo, ND Playmakers Pavilion
12 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
13 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
15 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
16 Knoxville, TX Valarium
17 Charlottesville, VA JPJ Arena
18 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena
20 Norfolk, VA Norva
21 Raleigh, NC Disco Rodeo
23 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
24 Big Flats, NY Taggs
25 London, Ontario JLC
26 Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre
27 Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre
29 Moncton, New Brunswick Coliseum Hall C
30 Halifax, Nova Scotia Cunard Centre
31 Quebec City, Quebec Colisée Pepsi

November

01 Quebec City, Quebec Colisée Pepsi
03 Ottawa, Ontario Scotiabank Place
05 Ft. Wayne, IN Pierres
06 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
07 Springfield, MO Shrine Mosque
09 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
10 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena
11 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
12 Albany, NY Times Union Center
14 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
15 New York, NY Madison Square Garden

You can't have metal without screaming, overdriven electric guitars. And while some of the best metal bands around have just one guitarist, a lot of the true greats have two axes up front, ripping through the speakers in tandem. So for this weekend's poll, you decide which band has the greatest dual-guitar team in all of metal. Voting closes at 10 AM Monday, so vote early and often!

Metallica has announced the opening acts for its upcoming U.S. tour dates, posting the following message on metallica.com:

"While we are still enjoying our European summer vacation, a quick note here about the fall shows in North America. Our French friends Gojira will be joining us, along with Lamb of God, for shows September 14 - October 18, while Lars' [Ulrich] brethren from Denmark Volbeat will be hanging for the shows October 26 - December 12. One other quick thing - unfortunately, Lamb of God cannot continue on with us in December, so we'll have more news about those shows for you later."

Metallica's fall U.S. tour dates are as follows:

09/14/2009 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
09/15/2009 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena
09/17/2009 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
09/19/2009 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
09/20/2009 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
09/28/2009 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
09/29/2009 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
10/01/2009 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center
10/03/2009 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
10/04/2009 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
10/12/2009 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
10/13/2009 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
10/15/2009 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
10/17/2009 Charlottesville, VA JPJ Arena
10/18/2009 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
10/26/2009 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
10/27/2009 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
10/29/2009 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
10/31/2009 Quebec City, QC Colisee Pepsi
11/01/2009 Quebec City, QC Colisee Pepsi
11/03/2009 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
11/09/2009 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
11/10/2009 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena
11/12/2009 Albany, NY Times Union Center
11/14/2009 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
11/15/2009 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
12/05/2009 Las Vegas , NV Mandalay Bay
12/07/2009 Boise, ID Idaho Center
12/08/2009 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
12/10/2009 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
12/12/2009 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion