Metallica, Volbeat - May 12, 2017 - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

On a cold and overcast evening, we arrived at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, to see the mighty Metallica. Rain was predicted in the forecast but for the most part, with the exception of a drizzle at times, held off for the fast-paced marathon of metal. It was a long awaited return of the rock titans as it was the second stop of Metallica's first full-fledged US tour in eight years.

The show was suppose to be a three band bill. However, Avenged Sevenfold dropped out earlier in the day, as guitarist Synyster Gates flew home to be with his wife, who went into early labor with their first child. Many fans were upset by this and by the number of Avenged Sevenfold t-shirts I saw at the show, a lot of people were there to see them. The band tried to make amends, announcing a makeup date on June 21 at BB&T Pavilion in Camden, NJ.

Upon entering the bowl of seats, Volbeat, the opening act was already underway. They were better than I expected, having a pop metal sound with catchy harmonies from lead singer Michael Poulsen on top of the hard hitting, heavy guitar and drum parts. I only knew a few songs from the band reigning from Denmark, "Seal the Deal," "Heaven nor Hell," and "A Warrior's Call." However, they did play a song I was very familiar with, Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." It was played as an intro to the "Folsom Prison Blues" inspired "Sad Man's Tongue." With Cash being a big influence on Poulsen, it was a nice tribute. During the song, the iconic image of Cash flipping off a cameraman was on the video board looking down on the crowd. Volbeat was a inspiring opening act with a lot of energy to warm up the crowd.

I've been to stadium shows before, seeing Bruce Springsteen twice at Citizens Bank Park and Pearl Jam at Fenway Park, but this was on a much larger scale. Lincoln Financial Field has a concert capacity of about 70,000 compared to Citizens Bank Park and Fenway Park, which hold around 44,000 and 38,000 respectively. The stage was set up at roughly the 30 yard line, spanning nearly the width of the field. Unlike past stadium shows I've been to, with there being assigned seating on the field, this show treated the field as a giant pit. It was also a different rock crowd. While Springsteen and Pearl Jam are straight forward rock and roll with relatively easy going fans, Metallica is thrash metal with more aggressive fans. It showed as there were several mosh pits going at once throughout the show and at one point at least ten different slam dancing session were underway.

When the clock struck nine, the lights went down and "The Ecstasy of Gold" from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly played over the PA system as the compelling scene from the movie played on the video board, which grew from normal sized screens earlier in the show to the entire backdrop of the stage. The drum roll intro to "Hardwired" echoed into the night and Metallica ran on stage just in time to take over the opening guitar riff. The first time hearing Metallica live is a slap in the face. The speed of such powerful riffs, bass lines, and drum beats combined are shocking even though you know it's coming. After the opening number, they went into another song off the new album Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, "Atlas, Rise!" Balloons inflated at the top of the stage only to explode at the conclusion of the song. During "Now That We're Dead," you could get the sense of what a large scale metal show is all about. With the crowd chanting "Die!" and smoke settling over the pit full of moshers, it was the perfect depiction of hell. It was intimidating and eyeopening but exciting at the same time. Halfway through the song, large drums were brought out onto the stage and the band took part in a extended drum solo. It was cheesy and not something I cared for. It reminded me of Imagine Dragons. The band brought the fire for "Moth Into Flame" with fire shooting into the sky and a line of fire running back and forth across the stage. You could feel the heat from the bursts of fire, it felt good on such a cool night.

Just when you thought that it couldn't become a bigger production, it did. The stadium went dark and all you could hear was the sound effects to the opening to "One." Lasers shot across the stage, replicating machine gun fire, followed by explosions, and flares fired into the air high above the stadium. They achieved the impression that you were in a war zone. Pyrotechnics were taken to a whole different level that I've never seen before. All of the effects made it feel like I was watching one of those stunt reenactments at Disney or Universal Studios. It is a fine line between engaging a stadium crowd and having too many effects that it takes away from the music. Metallica may have crossed the line a few times but overall put on a fantastic show.

One monumental song was followed by another with "Master of Puppets." The set was capped of with "Seek & Destroy," played at the front of a half circle cutout of the stage, giving the audience a different vantage point. A drum kit rose from beneath the stage for drummer Lars Ulrich while singer James Hetfield kindly chatted with the crowd. The encore was second to none as they ripped through the thunderous "Battery," epic ballad "Nothing Else Matters," and the classic and biggest song to date "Enter Sandman." They took a final bow to show their gratitude to the Philly metal-heads who waited nearly a decade to see the return of metal's most successful band.

Although the music has not lost its edge, the band has lost their sinister and dangerous image that they had in the 80s. The turning point was probably the mainstream success of The Black Album. Following the release of the album, the band was criticized for selling out and transitioned from underground metal gods to mainstream global rock icons. This is not bashing one of the best rock album of all time, it is just the reality. However, without the album, Metallica would certainly not be still touring worldwide 25 years later.

The stamina of this band from a show standpoint is incredible. Looking at the set, some may think "they only played 18 songs" or "they only played for two hours." For as fast as they play and as long as the songs are, it is extraordinary that they played as long as they did. I can't begin to fathom how a band can play as fast as they do. Ulrich has said that he doesn't know if the band can play into their 70s. Hopefully they can, if not it was great to see them live when they can still rock at the top of their game.

Setlist:

Volbeat:
1.  The Devil's Bleeding Crown

2.  Seal the Deal

3.  Lola Montez

4.  Heaven nor Hell / A Warrior's Call
5.  Sad Man's Tongue (with Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" intro)
6.  Let It Burn
7.  Black Rose
8.  Hallelujah Goat
9.  The Hangman's Body Count
10. Dead but Rising
11. Still Counting

Metallica:
Intro:
The Ecstasy of Gold
Hardwired Intro
1.  Hardwired
2.  Atlas, Rise!
3.  For Whom the Bell Tolls
4.  Creeping Death
5.  The Unforgiven
6.  Now That We're Dead
7.  Moth Into Flame
8.  Wherever I May Roam
9.  Halo on Fire
10. Motorbreath
11. Sad but True
12. One
13. Master of Puppets
14. Fade to Black
15. Seek & Destroy

Encore:
16. Battery
17. Nothing Else Matters
18. Enter Sandman