HSBC Arena Nov 10 2009 Buffalo NY USA
Seeing Metallica live is not a concert, it isn’t an event, it is a life moment. It stays with you days, weeks even years afterwards. The energy this band brings with them and puts out is intense to say the least. No matter what the age of those in attendance, it’s a given you are seeing living legends in action, pioneers of metal that have made their mark time and time again in the world of music. Those of us at the World Magnetic Tour stop of Buffalo NY were gifted a set list to die for; killer tracks from the past and present, as well as a laser light show and pyrotechnics display that would melt your face off. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammet and Robert Trujillo were all on their game.
That Was Just Your Life, off of their new album Death Magnetic, was the first track of the night; all house lights were down and James was aglow by one ominous light as he sang. As the song entered a significant riff, the lights burst on and flooded the arena. The stage was center of the stadium and all members of the band worked every area of it, from side to side as mics were placed every 15 feet or so around the floor. Lasers flooded the stage from 4 giant coffins looming overhead of the stage. In conjunction with the lasers and pyro shooting off from platforms adjacent to Lars’ drum kit center stage, the coffins were mechanically lowered and lifted, even tilted at times within feet of the bands reach. Lars would often leave his drum riser between tracks to interact with the crowd, passing drumsticks or spitting water onto them in a playful manner. Often, when he would return to his kit, the platform on which it was set would have turned to face a new direction, having gone through an entire 360 degree turn by the end of the show.
The audience was made up of such diversity in age it truly showed how much of an impact this band has had on so many generations, decades separated some fans from others. Metallica’s most recent album, Death Magnetic has received a fair bit more acceptances from fans compared to past albums such as Reload and St. Anger. Much of the crowd sang along during Cyanide. When the band began the signature notes of their much loved track, One, the crowd erupted with a roar of approval, and again during Sad But True and Master of Puppets. We were treated to some other fan favorites such as Creeping Death and Damage Inc, Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman. It was truly an epic show full of epic Metallica classics.
James made sure to pay dues to both opening acts of the night, Volbeat, from Denmark, as well as fellow metal warriors, Lamb of God from Virginia. As the band wound down and thanked the crowd Lars came out from behind his kit once more to signal the end of the show, waving his arms and mouthing the words “Go Home.” Behind him the band took off their guitars but then promptly put them back on as the crowd begged for more. Robert struck a note on his bass, Lars jumped and turned to see everyone but he was ready for more. He quickly charged back to his kit and the intro to a 3 song encore began. After the second to last song Phantom Lord was over, James requested that the house lights be brought back up for the final song of the evening. As the band tore into Seek & Destroy around a hundred or more large black “Metallica” emblazed beach balls fell from the stadium rafters onto the audience below. Soon they were bouncing aloft and everywhere, many made it onto the stage itself only to be kicked back into the crowd by band members as they played through the final song. The band came together on all sides of the stage to thank the crowd and bow, as well as to toss out guitar pics and drum sticks to lucky fans. Metallica will be on tour for some time to come, heading to South America and keeping the ball rolling on the World Magnetic Tour, pleasing old fans and forever making new ones, and with a track record like theirs that will never be a problem.
Setlist 1. That Was Just Your Life 2. The End Of The Line 3. Creeping Death 4. No Remorse 5. One 6. Broken, Beat And Scarred 7. Cyanide 8. Sad But True 9. Turn The Page (Bob Seager cover) 10. All Nightmare Long 11. The Day That Never Comes 12. Master Of Puppets 13. Damage Inc. 14. Nothing Else Matters 15. Enter Sandman Encore: 16. Blitzkrieg (Blitzkrieg cover) 17. Phantom Lord 18. Seek & Destroy
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