Report

Metallica Rocks, As Usual on the World Magnetic Tour: January 26 & 27, 2009, Allstate Arena, Chicago IL

Band Photo: Metallica (?)

Metallica has been touring the country promoting the new album “Death Magnetic” over the past four months, and the tour is their first in 5 years. The excitement was palpable in the arena, with the audience cheering every techie and roadie during the set changes. The excitement was warranted, and the wait was well worth it.

The evening started with The Sword and Machine Head. Both worthy bands in their own right, but the performances themselves were lackluster. The Sword’s songs were washed out in the big arena, and Machine Head tried hard to live up to Metallica, but couldn’t overcome poor sound quality and songs that really just sounded like a kitchen blender. There were an impressive amount of Machine Head fans in the audience, but even they seemed disappointed when the set was over.

Metallica took the stage in darkness while “Ecstasy of Gold” played. A little bit of a surprise as they didn’t play AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” on the PA before “Ecstasy of Gold” started, but a small quibble. The first song out of the gate both nights was “That was Just Your Life,” fitting as it is the first song on Death Magnetic as well. “The End of the Line” followed each night as well.

The center stage was accompanied by coffins suspending from the ceiling, a new laser light setup and the usual pyrotechnics. One surprise was huge inflatable Metallica beach balls falling from the ceiling during “Seek and Destroy” which was the last song of the night each time around.

Of 18 songs, the set list had six from “Death Magnetic” each night. This is to be expected on an album tour, but didn’t leave any room for songs from “Load,” “Reload” or “St. Anger.” Metallica seemed intent on going back to their roots and proving they can still thrash with the best of them. Say what you will about those albums, but “Ain’t my Bitch” and “Fuel” are always welcome concerts plays.

There weren’t many surprises during the shows – “Ride the Lightning” the first night was unexpected and awesome, as was “Motorbreath” during the encore. Mostly Metallica stayed to the big guns both nights, keeping to their best and most well known songs almost exclusively.

The set order seemed pretty standard as well, as all the “Death Magnetic” material fell in the same slots both nights. The other songs rotated somewhat, but each slot again was a particular type of song. For example, the third and fourth songs on the first night were “Creeping Death” and “Ride the Lightning,” while the second night they played “Harvester of Sorrow” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” in those positions.

The sound also left something to be desired. It sounded as if the mid-range was brought way down, and the high treble and low bass were lifted. Once the volume was cranked it was difficult to pick out specific notes and chords, and the distortion reverberated around the concrete arena. If you didn’t have an intimate knowledge of a song, it was easy to get lost; this was particularly prevalent on the “Death Magnetic” material, as many of the fans don’t know those songs as well as, say, “Master of Puppets.”

All that being said, however, the shows were still some of the best I’ve seen in the last few years. This is for three main reasons. First, Metallica has written and can play some of the best metal fare of all time, and as good as the songs sound on an album they are stronger and more vibrant live. Secondly James, Lars, Kirk and Robert don’t just go through the motions, they rock. Hard. And it shows. Every note, section and song is played with aggressive abandon. And third, the band has fun on stage. They joke, smile, and genuinely enjoy the whole show. The unforced confidence transfers to the crowd, which can then relax and just enjoy.

So all in all, despite the somewhat sub-par sound production and lack of surprises on the set list, I would see Metallica play every night if I could. New metal bands, new metal music, none of it matters when Metallica is on - these guys are still the best. The two shows were the kind of shows that probably inspired the audience to play their Metallica records for weeks on end afterward, until the Metallica-withdrawal finally subsided.

Monday, January 26 Set List

1. That was Just Your Life
2. The End of the Line
3. Creeping Death
4. Ride the Lightning
5. One
6. Broken, Beat & Scarred
7. Cyanide
8. Sad But True
9. Wherever I May Roam
10. All Nightmare Long
11. Kirk Solo #1
12. The Day That Never Comes
13. Master of Puppets
14. Blackened
15. Kirk Solo #2
16. Nothing Else Matters
17. Enter Sandman
18. Last Caress
19. Motorbreath
20. Seek and Destroy

Tuesday, January 27 Set List

1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End of the Line
3. Harvester of Sorrow
4. For Whom the Bell Tolls
5. One
6. Broken, Beat & Scarred
7. Cyanide
8. Sad But True
9. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. Kirk Solo #1
12. The Day That Never Comes
13. Master of Puppets
14. Fight Fire With Fire
15. Kirk Solo #2
16. Nothing Else Matters
17. Enter Sandman
18. Die Die My Darling
19. Whiplash
20. Seek and Destroy

Joel is indebted to his high school friend Joe B. for giving him "Kill 'Em All," "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets" for his 16th birthday. Now that he works from home for his day job at a small ad agency in Chicago, he can play those albums, and Meshuggah, as much as he wants.