xXBADGERXx goes to see Metallica at the O2 Arena

A little bit of back story here . It was 2 Decades ago that I went to see my first ever band . It was Metallica playing at the Birmingham NEC and I was blown away by it all . Fast forward to this month and they release a new album and to celebrate this they did 2 shows , one in Berlin and one on Monday night at the o2 Arena in Greenwich , London . The tickets were available only through their fan clubs in various forms and myself , being a lower peon of the fan club pecking order (too tight to pay the going rate ) , managed to get what was left of the crumbs from the fan club table . 2 tickets per customer , per credit card .

I was working on the day they came out so gave my details to a mate in Dagenham and they managed to bag the said tickets . The deal is this , it`s a charity event so no tickets are issued , you go there with your confirmation email printed out , the credit card you used to buy the tickets and some State issued photo ID to prove you were the owner of the card . You scan your card at the venue , flash your ID and your in .... job done .

So .... it comes to this Sunday and yours truly has a May-hew-sive hangover from Birthday celebrations . I manage to gulp some coffee down , sleep another hour , shower ...... then head off from North Wales to ye olde ancient city of Londinium . The journey there is uneventful (for me this is a first) and I get there in around 5 hours . Excitement ensues as me and my mate chat about all stuff Metallica and the gigs we have seen them at . My mate asks me if I have all that I need for the show ? The credit card ? .... Check , the email confirmation printed out ? .... Check , Photo ID ? .... Oh bluddy hell . The vision of my driver`s licence sat in my kitchen at home sprang to mind and I confessed to forgetting it . I get called all the names under the Sun and I go into "Fast Thinking" mode . The only thing I can think of is Facebook , it has my picture on the page and my email address . I print the page off and call the Arena , the young lady told me it wasn`t Kosher ID and to just try my luck .

It comes to going to the Arena and I must admit I don`t fancy my chances too much with this cunning plan . We park my mate`s car and head into the Arena . I buy a couple of T-Shirts that state that I was there , even if I don`t get in , I`ll have the T-Shirt . We go and grab some scoff and the excitement of a Metalli-Event is tangible , for the first time in my life I am Pooh-ing it , this is going to end so badly and this looks like an event not to be missed . We join the monumental queue for our section and my mate is haranguing me about ID , I feel terrible .... truly truly terrible . We notice people being turned away by security and my stomache Bungee jumps down to my feet and then hurtles back towards my mouth . I have a bad feeling about this . I hear people muttering as they walk past about Maestro cards and having to go to a different kiosk , My stomache stops Bungee activities and some hope returns .

The Queue shortens and people start checking email confirmations . We are in the right Queue at least . 30 minutes later it`s our turn on the door and my mate starts babbling ..... I make reassurances with "Chill - OK - Chill .... I`m going into blag mode , stay with me" . The confirmation is shown , I am asked to produce my card and then the ID . I hand him the card and he doesn`t scan it , his hand is out for ID . I hand him the facebook page and say "look , I forgot the ID , I`ve travelled 300 miles , BUT , I have this!!!!" . He looks at my Facebook printout , I point out my Face on it , there`s the photo bit done , I point at it and say "There`s my email , which is the same as the confirmation email and I also point at my status message which has something along the lines of "Woooohoooo off to London to See Metallica" . I flash him a cheesy grin and wink "Eh , come on , that`s ID right there buddy" . He rolls his eyes and I think "uh-oh" , he suddenly scans my card and says "Enjoy the Show" . YEEEEEEEHAAAAA we are IN!!!!! .

We are seated and the atmosphere is building . There are empty seats all over the place and we realise that we are some of the first in and it`s a long wait . The crowds keep coming in . They blast us with classic tracks from the likes of Pantera , Machine Head , Slayer and Fear Factory which raise cheers and plenty of sing-a-longs , this is already turning into an event from the sheer atmosphere alone . Then the sheer genius of somebody up in the rafters happens , they fold their confirmation email into a paper aeroplane and launch it . It spends so much time in the air and floats gently down onto the central stage . Over the next hour the Arena fills up and paper aeroplanes in their hundreds start winging their way downwards , if one landed on the stage huge roars and cheers went up . The girl in front of me launches one and it immediately lands in some poor chaps Lager , a huge cheer goes up and she tries to hide . I fashion one and launch it right up into the thermals and we all watch as it glides around the Arena for ages in circles and misses the stage by a Gnat`s whisker which brings a huge groan to the Arena ..... GUTTED . The girl in front of me fashions something that looks like an X-Wing fighter from Star Wars and guess what ? , she claims another Lager from somebody further down and has an uncanny knack for landing in the drink .

Eventually the lights go down and we are treated to Metallica`s intro music and the place goes wild , every single seat in the house now has a howling lunatic in it and fever pitch is reached . Metallica burst onto the stage and start playing "That was just your Life" , they prowl the stage as there are Mics all around it so they can play to any part of their surrounding fans . James Hetfield is in full on head down mode and is winding the crowd up with a raised fist and getting us all chanting . The haunting guitar work breaks into full on riffery with Lars Ulrich`s staccato drums . Every hair in the audience stands on end and then Hetfield barks out the vocals without relent . We are pummelled by the drums and all join in with the vocals . Kirk Hammett is back to form with the blistering solo`s and all is good with the world , and Rob Trujillo prowls the stage with menacing Basslines and egging the crowd on even more . They then break into "End of the Line" that has us all singing away and the atmosphere is excellent , paper aeroplanes are still flying around and the event is off to a blinding start . They then talk to us for a minute as Lars changes his Prada sweatshirt , James asks us how we are all enjoying the release PARTAYY . Pretty darn good so far . Then they start the Riff for "The thing that should not be" , the place goes wild and we are all bathed in ominous green light as the vocals are treated to an ethereal quality with effects , pretty spooky stuff and we get a bit of audience participitation . We are all in very high spirits and they swap guitars and start the opening riff to "Of Wolf and Man" .... the place goes nuts , and we almost drown them out singing along .

We were then treated to the lights going down as Lars` kit revolved to face a different part of the audience and we hear shouting and the sound of machine gun fire and the band emerge into strobe lights and start playing "One" , the roof nearly comes off the place and I am grinning like an idiot and have gone back 20 years . Meltdown ensues and the atmosphere is stratospheric . We are then treated to "Broken , Beat and Scarred" and "Cyanide" whereafter Lars changes his shirt again , James teases him by saying "Where`re you going Lars , you`re so Metal changing your shirt man ... Wuss" . James then states "This next song is from the well loved St.Anger , I don`t care what you say , this song kicks ass Live" and we are hit with "Frantic" , the audience lap it up and sing along and James is happy .

We then get a chill out song with "Until it sleeps" and the drum kit revolves again , we then get the exotic sounds of "Wherever I may roam" and a huge cheer goes up . I`m singing along nicely but getting really annoyed by the guy next to me asking what the songs are and from what album they are from . My mate just rolls the eyes and sings along . We then get "For whom the Bell tolls" and I am just accepting that this event was one I was destined to have enjoyed no matter what . After this song is finished they play a song that I wasn`t too keen on with the new Album .... "The day that never Comes" , after hearing it played Live I have changed my mind and it`s a winner giving us all a chance of respite and to rest our voices and give the band a chance to chill a bit as well . The ending of the song has us all back into the mood again and ready for "MASTER OF PUPPETS" .... I am out of my seat and seriously chanting so hard I coughed up a nut , the place goes ape and it`s FULL ON Metallica . We are given no rest as they hit us with "Blackened" and I am off again , Mental activity all round . Finally , They leave the stage and we chant for their return .

They jump back up onto the stage after a couple of minutes and the house lights go up , thousands of people can be seen and the Party atmosphere goes into overdrive as they thrash out "Stone cold crazy" and "Jump in the fire" . Then finally the eponymous audience sing-a-long "Seek and Dee-stroyyyy" , black beach balls with the Metallica logo are dropped from the roof and they are volleyed all over the place , the band hoof them off the stage whilst playing and the audience hoof them back trying to hit Lars , sheer brilliance and a good way to end the night . They thank us for coming and tell us they will see us in March next year . They throw stuff out to the audience and finally leave us in awe and with a journey home . Outside the Arena it is buzzing and it sounds like the party is going to continue outside .

Think what you will of the album , Live it is a winner and I will be adding more Metalli-gigs to my itinerary next year , it`s been too long .

[northwind]

Coooooool. I saw 'em at Reading again this year, they were epic. Just seemed totally re-energised. Not that they were ever bad live mind, but there's something new about them now (clue- it plays bass) which really seems to have revitalised them and a lot of the songs, too, much more groove and stomp and invention than they've had for ages.

Really wish I'd got to this show, sounds far better than the Reading one

If they go back to doing their 3 hour epic shows again on tour I will be well and truly made up , can`t see it happening but you can live in hope

I can;t beleive they played blackened. You must have made a right mess of your undies when that intro came on over the PA!!!

I know I would have, its one of the best metallica songs

And northy, you are right - that certain new inspiration is one Mr Trujillo!! He's the coolest dude on the face of the planet. Has anyone seen the vid where he plays flamenco guitar?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktjlVvMYlA

Loved the write up, felt like I was there . Sounds like you both had a phenominal time

Great write up! Really brought the energy of a live Metallica gig to life. My mate went too and said he really enjoyed it. I still don't like new Metallica much, but you can't deny that they are an awesome band still live!

+1 top write up.

sounds awesome!

I sent my mate the link to this thread (he's a big metallica fan...but not a bike fan, hence not on this forum) and he wanted me to say this:

My Mate Was There!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He would have been the one headbanging. And singing loud. And generally looking like he was high on drugs (but really he was high on metallica, not drugs...he dosnt do drugs....ohhhhh you know what I mean)