by Onome Uyovbievbo
SANTA CLARA — Metallica brings their thunderous riffs and boisterous bashes to Levi’s Stadium, Sunday to mark the end of night 2 as part of their M72 Tour “No Repeat” Weekend.
As a kid who was too young to experience the humble beginnings of the band and now 44 years into their tenure as heavy metal legends, I grew up watching iconic live shows on youtube on the small screen of my home to seeing them perform in the largest of arenas in the country, it was truly a dream to witness the legends in action.
The set began with a subtle rumbling with the crowd restless with anticipation as Lars Ulrich thrashed upon his bright yellow drum kit and ushered into the beginning of “Whiplash” from their 1983 debut album, Kill Them All. The distorted whaling of Kirk’s guitar brought the night up to a rapturous speed. With Robert Trujillo maintaining the thumping bass line, James Hetfield played into the track with his piercing vocals.
In droves, the audience began to break out in pockets of mosh pits and headbangers alike during Hammett whaling solos. During one point of the show, Trujillo did a sweet cover of local legends, Dead Kennedy’s “California Über Alles” with Kirk as support, showing off his vocal chops.
“For Whom The Bell Tolls” allowed Trujillo to flex his chops to the bass which originally laid down by the late Bay Area native, Cliff Burton. The quartet performed another fan favorite from the aforementioned album, “Ride The Lighting” and “The Call of Ktulu” with Hetfield donning a cigar in mouth mid-performance. The energy was palpable as the stadium erupted in unison, with the words dripping from every mouth.
To break from their songs of old, The group performed songs from their latest album, 72 Seasons which included “Lux Æterna”, “Screaming Suicide”, and “Inamorata”. One unexpected track from the ‘No Repeat” weekend was, Whiskey In The Jar, a song from the Garage Inc. days that people either love or hate but was an appreciated easter egg by those who enjoyed that time in the band’s history.
Entranced and hypothesized by Hammett’s masterful work in songs such as “Wherever I May Roam” and especially in “The Unforgiven” allowed Heyfield to project another side of his vocal range with softer, airer vocals from an album that had been referenced to be their most commercial album and yet one of the most successful ’til this day, their self-titled album, Metallica (aka The Black Album).
Known as heroes of the bay, the legendary band ended the show as strongly as they begun the night. Ramping up the speed with “Blackened” and “Moth Into Flame” and finally ending with “One” and “Enter Sandman”. Metallica put on a hell of a 2 hour performance spanning chapters of their discography to give fans an unforgettable experience.
To witness a band that has touched generations of fans over 40 years of music and reaching countless others that discover their music everyday, it’s easy to remember why and how legendary the group has become.
Setlist:
- Whiplash
- For Whom The Bells Tolls
- Ride The Lightning
- The Memory Remains
- Lux Æterna
- Screaming Suicude
- Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
- Wherever I May Roam
- The Call Of Ktulu
- The Unforgiven
- Whiskey In The Jar
- Blackened
- Moth Into Flame
- One
- Enter Sandman
Opening for the headliners, Pantera gave a ruckus performance performing hit songs, “Mouth of War”, “Cowboys From Hell”, and “Walk” that have become historic rock pillars headed by two of the original group members, Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante rounding out the group.
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