Metallica...
... has destroyed my eardrums for about the next 3 days! This was the first time I'd seen them since Donington in 1991. It was in the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, which is basically a big dome. There were probably 10 thousand there. I read somewhere it was the smallest arena they were playing on the whole tour. It sold out in 22 minutes, apparently, so eBay supplied ours.
Support was Godsmack, who are quite a big band in this part of the world. They were OK but don't do a whole lot for me, a bit samey. The most interesting bit was when the lead singer jumped on a second drum kit and did a "duelling drums" routine with the main drummer, including a bit of Rush thrown in there (YYZ).
Intermission saw various females competing to show their bare breasts. An interesting slice of American rock-concert culture... The stage was in the middle of the arena, and we got a standing spot in the second row back, so a pretty good view really.
My best recollection of the set list (not entirely in order) is:
Blackened (quality)
Ride the Lightning (quality)
Fuel (mucho pyro & flames, OK)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (OK)
Creeping Death (quality)
No Leaf Clover (OK)
Frantic (crap)
Dirty Window (crap)
Sad But True (quality)
Master of Puppets (easily the stand out track of the night, first time I've heard them play it all the way through rather than cutting it short halfway through).
I Disappear (OK)
Battery (quality... Hetfield stormed over to bash out the opening riff, but 5 feet in front of me)
One (loudest pyro ever in the intro, fingers in ears, percussion bouncing off my chest)
Enter Sandman (OK)
Nothing Else Matters (OK, tho' he sings the whole thing an octave down)
St Anger (crap)
Die, Die My Darling (OK)
Dyer's Eve (OK)
Highpoints: Great view, revolving stage, close proximity, Kirk really on his game, reasonable coverage of Ride, Puppets & Justice. Nostalgia factor... heck, this is METALLICA up there!
Big Lowpoints: All tracks off the abysmal St Anger. Simply not worthy of the mighty Metallica. Sounded just as bad live as the CD and took all the energy out of the crowd when they got played. The telling moment is that Rob Trujillo put his bass down for half of St Anger and started dancing... you never noticed he'd stopped playing.
Lesser lowpoints: Crummy sound due to revolving stage. Sometimes it was great but when certain speakers revolved away from you, things like the lead guitar & vocals disappeared from the mix for minutes. (There was an upside in that during blackened & Creeping Death we could hear nothing but James' rhythm guitar which is no bad thing). Girls in the front row moaning incessantly about being pushed... what do you expect, you're in the front row of a Metallica concert?!?! Nothing played off Kill 'Em All - when on this tour so far they've played Hit the Lights, Whiplash, Phantom Lord, 4 Horsemen, Seek & Destroy & Metal Militia.
Overall 6 or a 7 out of 10. Somehow I'd hoped it would be better. They played a good professional show but lacking in passion a bit - Hetfield going through the motions a bit, I thought. I'll not be hurrying back to see them - maybe in another 13 years.
So The Darkness have the lead so far this year and are returning to Milwaukee June 24 - but Rush have 3 bites at the cherry this year starting June 7 - only 5 weeks away!
10:32:19 PM 
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