Photos and Review by Max Stewart
Metallica still reign supreme as the almighty kings of metal, let’s just go ahead and get that out of the way. In fact, we may never see this popular of a metal band again in our lifetime. Considering their seasoned status in the music realm, Metallica still playing to 70,000+ fans consistently across the globe proves without a doubt their mighty musical supremacy.
In the days of auto-tune, overly-produced heavy bands, and cringe-worthy Top 40 material, rock fans can all take comfort in the fact that a band who values the riff and groove above all else is still playing football stadiums to legions of metalheads. Not only that, attendees at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta ranged from purist headbangers around since the Kill ‘Em All days to teenagers struggling to learn some of lead guitarist’s Kirk Hammett’s riffs in their parents’ basement. Remarkably, the band has not lost a spark of energy, even in their 44th year performing together. They actually appear to be enjoying the fruits of their labor and smelling the roses with their fanbase. Singer / guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, bassist Robert Trujillo, and Hammett all maintained an infectious exuberance while thrashing their way through a timeless catalog of tunes.
But before Metallica took the stage, Suicidal Tendencies (which actually includes Trujillo’s son Tye Trujillo on bass) kicked things off to set the bar for the thrashing rifftastic night ahead. Next, the 90s metal icons Pantera dominated the stage for an hour, with original members Phil Anselmo (singer) and Rex Brown (bassist) joining the iconic Zakk Wylde on guitar (Ozzy Osborne) and Charlie Benante on drums (Anthrax). This newly-formed band has been a screaming success and more importantly a touching way to pay tribute to the late original members, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, while including a couple longtime friends of the band. The foursome masterfully brought a new life to tunes like “Cowboys from Hell”, “A New Level” and “I’m Broken”, inspiring thousands of head bangs as the sun was setting in Georgia.
When Metallica took the stage just before 9:00 pm, the intro included AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n Roll)” and their tried-and-true album entrance tune: “The Ecstasy of Gold” from ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. The audience clung to every distorted note and splintering guitar solo, screaming (“Seek and Destroy”) and singing joyously (“Nothing Else Matters”) when it was required. The night was certainly not a ‘Greatest Hits’ show in which the band phoned it in, took their check, and went back to the Four Seasons. The setlist was nicely varied to include tunes from every era, including two songs from 2023’s 72 Seasons (“If Darkness Had a Son” and “Lux Æterna”) and two from 2008’s Death Magnetic (“Cyanide” and “The Day That Never Comes”). Their song selection of earlier releases was well-balanced and piercingly-executed, including “Seek & Destroy” from their debut Kill ‘Em All, two from 1984’s Ride The Lightning (monstrously epic “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Creeping Death”), two from 1986’s Masters of Puppets (thrashing staple “Master of Puppets” and the epic “Orion”), and one from 1988’s …And Justice for All (ironically, “One”). Hammett and Trujillo also paid tribute to the local legends Allman Brothers Band with a little noodling on the ABB tune “One Way Out”.
Ulrich’s passionate devotion to every snare hit alongside Trujillo’s crawling intensity on bass make Metallica’s rhythm section always boisterous and mesmerizing. Playing these heavy songs to the masses in a stadium, Metallica certainly brought the heat to all in attendance (literally, using a heavy dose of pyrotechnics during “Fuel”), including to folks in the nosebleeds. We even spotted some celebrities in the audience basking in the energy, including horror legend Greg Nicotero and ATL rock interview extraordinaire Rick Beato. Those fans in the far corners of Mercedes Benz Stadium had to enjoy the full-scale production complete with gargantuan screens on multiple columns, giant balloons that were bouncing around during “Seek and Destroy”. Their self-titled and best-selling record to date (dubbed, The Black Album) was well-represented and included the broodingly-heavy “Sad But True”, the drive-time staple, “Enter Sandman”, and the ultimate power ballad “Nothing Else Matters”.
Metallica is by far and away the most successful metal band of all time, selling over 150 million records worldwide. With that unfathomable amount of success, seeing them in concert is certainly an epic spectacle, but one that makes you feel alive and well with 70,000 of your closest friends.
Given that Metallica have had their fair share of tragedy (Bassist Cliff Burton’s death in 1986) and inner turmoil (the St. Anger era), fans have to love seeing the band enjoy themselves onstage as they feed off the excitement of a monstrous crowd. They also seem to genuinely appreciate their die-hard fans, spending what seemed like 10 minutes after the last notes of the night tossing out hundreds of guitar picks to people in the pit. Catch them on tour this year in a stadium near youuuwahhh, cause not many things in this world can beat a Metallica face-melt.
