METALLICA, Lamb of God and Volbeat - Grand Rapids, MI [9th November 2009]

What a show! Metallica's best setlist in all the three times I have seen them so far. No Load/Reload stuff! Everything Arranged perfectly from the old stuff, black album and Death Magnetic. I will never forget this night for its so memorable for so many reasons.

Volbeat started the show and they were TIGHT! You have to check this band out if you haven't yet heard them. Various websites tag them as groove/heavy metal but I would think them of as a rock and roll band gone heavy metal. Michael is a great vocalist - the way he can handle both guitar and vocal duties is impressive. They played 5 originals and a cover song (Misfits cover). They sounded as good as their studio stuff and were a treat to watch. They are a "fun" band to listen and watch to - make sure you listen to them, you will definitely like it irrespective of the genre you are into.

Lamb of God was next. I have to say, I like the intro "The Passing" from the new album Wrath. They are opening their sets with this intro since the album came out. Though the album is not that good as As The Palaces Burn and Ashes of The Wake, it still is a decent album IMO. Their setlist was:

The Passing

In Your Words

Set to Fail

Walk With Me In Hell

Now You've Got Something To Die For

Ruin

Dead Seeds

Laid to Rest

Redneck

Black Label

This is my most enjoyable LoG set ever! May be it was atmosphere and the crowd. I banged my head to the extreme and had a great time. There were times Mark Morton saw me miss on catching the guitar picks when he threw them In the front row.. Finally, one touched my fingers and fell ahead of the front row near the security guy. Mark pointed to the security guy to hand that pick to me. That's a nice Wrath pick he used amidst the set that the security guy handed to me finally and I thanked Mark by waiving the devil signs. I have always wished they play 11th Hour live. For the three times i have seen them, I haven't seen them play 11th Hour and As The Palaces Burn - two LoG songs I love the most. Anyway, it was a great set and they were kickass, great musicians!

Metallica was next. As the light went off and "The Ecstacy of Gold" started, I could sense the atmosphere. Mobiles and lighters were lit over the entire arena and the singalong to The Ecstasy of Gold was orgasmic! Metallica opened the set with "that was just your life" - the way they have been doing for the entire World Magnetic Tour. That song features some great laser effects live on this tour. Check out the videos on youtube for the same. The set is very lavish and am not sure how they manage to keep up the set each day when they have concerts consecutive days in places miles apart. They might be having more than 1 set - that shows the power of the Metallica management. Anyway, it just wasn't the lavish set but also their performance which as much better than the Moline show I attended last year. It was very much like the performance in Indianapolis (when I saw in October) with James sounding good on vocals, Lars sounding great on drums and Rob delivering the goods as always. Kirk Hammett rapes many solos live these days and we know that! :P

The End of The Line was next, another decent track off Death magnetic. Then was the time for old stuff - For whom the bell tolls and THE FOUR HORSEMEN. The atmosphere was so pumped up during these two tracks! Because my camera battery died amidst the set, I enjoyed the set more than any previous shows. Taking lot of pictures kills the experience. The broken neck after the show was a testimony of the fun I had in the front row! :D

ONE was next. Lot of fire and flames a song brilliantly done. Lars sounds great on drums live. I researched on why the livemetallica.com songs so not sound the same on drums as in live performance! The reason is the arrangement done by Metallica done for live recordings. The double bass is not so audible in the recordings. But in a live set you can feel that blow in your face! Check out Metallica's NIMES DVD if you have any question on Lars' drum playing.

Broken, beat and Scarred and Cyanide were next. These songs have become a great sing-along. Metallica admitted that the involvement from crowd on these was huge. I could fucking hear crowd screaming the chorus SO LOUD!

And then a mid tempo but a heavy song! James always starts Sad But True saying "Do you want something heavy?". Hell Yea! Be it taht the song tempo is ow but that song is heavy as hell live!!

And then was a time for surprise. During the soundcheck that an acoustic guitar was being tested for the sound. We knew that moment that we had The Unforgiven in store for us. James is no more the same on vocals as he was during the black album era but still the song sounded decent live. Kirk did a great job on the solo (finally!).

My Apocalypse was next. They have got a new intro for My Apocalypse. Not sure hoe many know it yet, but it’s an intro James created for the song. It had a thumping drum, sound of rain/water falling, and a piano giving a good way for the song to proceed. My Apocalypse - A great thrasher from Death Magnetic that I wanted to see live since long. They nailed it perfectly. The Day That Never Comes was next and done perfectly.

Then it was Master of Puppets that had the moment of the gig and one of the best moments of my life. James ended the two verse and choruses of Master of Puppets and just before he is about to begin the melodic part, he throws a guitar pick in the front row which I was very lucky to catch. This is going to stay with me to the end of my very life for its so special. \m/

And then it was another highest moment of the gig - the song I had MOST DREAMED of seeing live. FIGHT FIRE WITH FUCKING FIRE. I had goosebumps just as the acoustic intro started! I haven't banged my head in years like the way this song live made me do it. I would have seen stage for not more than 30-45 seconds for the entire song. And for those 30-45 seconds that I remember, All I could see on stage was FIRE, FLAMES and James riffing SO FAST and attacking fiercely with vocals! As the song was half way through - James asks his signature question "Grand Rapids! Are you Alive? How does it Feel to be alive? Show me!" I have never screamed in ages the way I screamed to that question. Haha! I have never been so alive before. What followed was a lightning solo, a great harmony between guitars, Lars' double bass, the opening riff again and the best song of the gig ends in just four and half minutes. I just wish I get to hear it from Metallica some more times in the years to come. At the end of the song James asks, how do you feel Grand Rapids? Haha! I literally was very emotional when this song ended. Before going for the gig I had dreams of watching My Apocalypse, FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE and Hit the Lights and my wishes were granted! Thank god!

To slow down the things after a shaking fight fire with fire, Kirk played a solo and started Nothing Else matters - the biggest Metallica sing-along! I love the live versions they are playing since last few months with James playing the Nothing Else Matters solo in entirety as it is on the studio album. He had changed the solo with a hammer on-pull off part he used to play halfway through the solo. The original solo has a lot of FEEL. Good to see him getting back to that!

Enter Sandman was next, perfectly done! And then it was the time for an encore.

The guys came back to do the encore set, they started with a cover song (they are doing this in every set they play). This day's song was "the Wait, a Killing Joke cover. James' guitar had some problem before Kirk was about to play a solo on the song amidst the song. He had to change the guitar it while Kirk played the rhythm. Kirk continued the solo as James got his guitar back - great to see them handle such problem with ease, shows how immensely experienced they are!

HIT THE LIGHTS was next - another track I have dreamed of seeing live. The wish was granted and they nailed the song well. Another song that took off all the energy and the voice I had left with me.

Seek And Destroy ended their set with a huge participation from the crowd. After the set they threw picks in the front row and I got three more Metallica picks. What a memorable night! The only thing I regret is not meeting them. But then I met a guy who has seen them 23 times and had only a single chance of meeting them since 1995. So, it's not that easy meeting them :D I am happy with I have got - may be next time!

METALLICA'S SETLIST FOR THE NIGHT:

That Was Just Your Life

The End Of The Line

For Whom The Bell Tolls

The Four Horsemen

One

Broken, Beat And Scarred

Cyanide

Sad But True

The Unforgiven

My Apocalypse

The Day That Never Comes

Master Of Puppets

Fight Fire With Fire

Nothing Else Matters

Enter Sandman

- - - - - - - -

The Wait

Hit The Lights

Seek and Destroy