Review: Metallica finally gives hometown fans what they wanted

After more than two years and certain shows Metallica s M World Tour has in the end landed in the band s hometown Bay Area And here we were beginning to think it might never happen Yet Bay Area metal fans wishes came true as the trek which began way back in April in Amsterdam and is presently scheduled through a pair of early July gigs in London hit the San Francisco ers Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara on Friday June with a second offering set for Sunday See metallica com tour to purchase tickets for Sunday s show or for other concert information Of curriculum we should have known that Metallica wouldn t forget the Bay Area Indeed the quartet which ranks as the biggest-selling Bay Area act of all time perpetually goes out of its way to show local fans how much they mean to the band And it was certainly no different on Friday as Metallica took the stage right before p m and delivered an excellent two-hour set that managed to come in just under the Levi s Stadium s much-discussed p m weekend curfew The mighty men of Metallica vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield drummer Lars Ulrich lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo seemed absolutely thrilled to be back home and rocking out in front of -plus Bay Area fans Oh my God Hetfield noted as he stared out toward the legions of fans wearing Metallica gear in the upper decks of the stadium I ve got the best job in the entire world James Hetfield Metallica's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist performs at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Friday June Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group The Metallica show which followed marginally enjoyable opening sets from horror-metal mavericks Ice Nine Kills and former nu-metal hitmakers Limp Bizkit got off to an incredibly strong start as the group first unleashed a ferocious version of Creeping Death and then rocked right into a powerful Harvester of Sorrow That dizzying one-two-punch combination set the bar for the rest of the -song set mighty high and really Metallica would only reach those heights again once they settled back into greatest hits territory toward the end of the show Yet the group still sounded terrific as it mined chosen deeper cuts from its -album catalog including a pair apiece from s Death Magnetic Cyanide The Day That Never Comes and s Seasons If Darkness Had a Son and the title track Of those lesser-known numbers The Day That Never Comes was the real stand-out thanks one of Hammett s numerous incendiary leads of the night Robert Trujillo Metallica's bass guitarist performs at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Friday June Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Unfortunately Metallica did not touch upon what is by far it s best album of the st century the double-disc banger Hardwired to Self-Destruct But perhaps the group will delve into that triumph on Sunday Related Articles Review Metallica s James Hetfield says he couldn t have dreamt this Review Metallica sets this amazing concert record during California show Is it even workable to have too much Metallica If so here s the answer Looking forward Metallica Kendrick Lamar SZA and more heading to Bay Area Review Metallica shifts into reverse and the outcome is spectacular One of the really nice things about Metallica s current No Repeat Weekend format where it performs entirely different set lists at each of the two shows in a particular city is that it allows them to venture much deeper into the catalog and play more rarities Of unit on the financial side it requires fans to buy tickets for both nights if they want to hear both Master of Puppets and Enter Sandman And these die-hard Metallica fans are very willing to do just that In terms of Metallica audiences however this one was well below average in regard to both enthusiasm and force Maybe that had something to do with the unseasonably chilly weather which was a big talking point all night or from having to put up with a long day of Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills in order to get to the main event Whatever the reason the audience definitely seemed to check out a bit during stretches of the show Sure those moments usually corresponded with the lesser-known offerings on the setlist But that hasn t stopped other Metallica crowds that I ve seen gobble up every note that the band plays on the stage Kirk Hammett Metallica's lead guitarist performs at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Friday June Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Thankfully the lukewarm fan response at times wasn t reflected in the group s effort level as the four musicians tore through topnotch takes on Cyanide and Orion Hetfield dedicated to latter to their fallen brother Cliff Burton the late great Metallica bassist who was the primary songwriter of that gorgeous instrumental identified on s Master of Puppets Metallica was working from a massive stage that absolutely dominated the middle of the stadium s floor Low-frills in nature but incredibly practical in design the stage was hollow in the middle except for those lucky fans allowed to fill in the space and basically resembled one long and curvy circular track on which the band would log in plenty of procedures as they entertained fans on all sides of stadium Even Ulrich was set in motion as he worked four different drum kits that would suddenly appear then disappear at different spots on the stage Metallica also utilized eight tall video towers each boosting cool wrap-around screens to carry all the action to those fans sitting in the upper decks of the stadium That was a smart move in multiple regards not the least of which that those raised video screens were pretty unobtrusive and didn t block views of the actual stage Having dealt with the chilly weather all night the audience definitely thawed out and came alive during the homestretch of the show as Hammett Ulrich Hatfield and Trujillo looking particularly cool in his Black Sabbath Vol shirt coalesced their ample talents around the always-poignant Nothing Else Matters and then thundered through Sad but True Mosh pits erupted right at the start of an high-energy take of Fuel and the good times would continue through a powerful show-ending pairing of Seek Destroy and Master of Puppets I reported you Hetfield remarked to the crowd I have the best job in the world It s a pretty great one Mr Hetfield And we can t wait to see you do your job again on Sunday at Levi s Kirk Hammett Metallica's lead guitarist performs at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Friday June Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Metallica setlist June Creeping Death Harvester of Sorrow Hit the Lights King Nothing Seasons If Darkness Had a Son Kirk and Rob Doodle The Day That Never Comes Cyanide Orion Nothing Else Matters Sad but True Battery Fuel Seek Destroy Master of Puppets James Hetfield Metallica's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist performs at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Friday June Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group