Metallica w/ Godsmack � 10/17/04 � MCI Center � Washington, DC
Metallica can be called sellouts, old-timers, or any other name that critics can come up with for them. But it doesn�t mean anything so long as this band keeps performing live. Metallica played a blistering, nearly three hour long set, showcasing almost completely old songs. Opening with 1988�s speed-metal classic �Blackened,� Metallica never looked back. They played songs off all of their albums from the last 20 years. Recognizing that few fans were wild fans about the newer material, the band only played the title track off 2003�s St. Anger, �No Leaf Clover� (one of the new tracks on) 1999�s S & M, one song off 1998�s Reload, and nothing off Load or Garage Inc. Almost everything from the set came from 1991 or before. The song selection was genius, mixing up both the older punk-style tracks with the slower, more emotional ones.
James Hetfield�s vocals shined Sunday at the MCI Center, playing to a sold out crowd of predominantly 18-30 year old white males. Hetfield�s voice has significantly lowered since the band debuted in 1983, but the intensity remains the same. Kirk Hammett is still lightning fast on his solos, and still as accurate as ever. A short jam session early in the set allowed him to showcase his talents through blazing-fast solos intermixed with teases of Metallica songs. It�s amazing that drummer Lars Ulrich is still alive at 40 years old, more closely resembling a hyperactive child than a middle aged man. After almost every song he jumped up from behind his not-so-massive drum set, encouraging fans to get into the concert. By the end of the set, however, he appeared to be in excruciating pain, but for good reason. Newest member Robert Trujillo played well on bass, but did not seem to wow anybody. His solo section was impressive for someone who is knowledgeable with the instrument, but to the common listener, it sounded like a mess of noise.
The highlights of the set were fast tracks �Fight Fire with Fire,� �Blackened,� �Fuel,� �Master of Puppets,� and �One,� which was complete with extensive pyrotechnics to create a scene of war. Slow songs �The Unforgiven� and �Nothing Else Matters� proved that the band does have diversity in songwriting and were also very impressive. Metallica even busted out the very-rarely played �The God That Failed� for the Nation�s Capital. The band closed with �Enter Sandman� and encored with �Disposable Heroes.� A second encore was played after a long thank you from the band, in which they through out hundred�s of guitar picks to the ravenous crowd, finally finishing the night with �Seek and Destroy� from the band�s debut album �Kill �Em All.� Despite being quite old to still be metal icons, Metallica still knows how to bring the goods. The band seemed to being having a great time on stage and the crowd loved their every move.
Godsmack opened the show with a 45-minute set pulling songs from all four of their releases. They were the face of an up-and-coming nu-metal movement in 1998, but now have exhausted the sound, showing little growth in six years of existence. All of their songs sound very similar, even having similar lyrics; �Go away!� appears in almost every song that that was played. Flame puffs brought some excitement to a very boring stage presence. Despite a sub-par set, the crowd was very into Godsmack, obvious fans of radio hits as opposed to musical talent. The only real high point of the set was the �drum war� of sort between DC-native drummer Shannon Larkin and singer Sully Erna. Overall, the show was fantastic. Metallica proved why they are still on top of the rock world.
OVERALL: 5 out of 5 stars. Metallica delivered a nearly flawless performance, end of story.
Back to Reviews Main
