Location: Donnington Park, Castle Donnington, UK
Date: June 6th, 2004
Venue: Download Festival
Other Artists:Soulfly, Machine Head, Damage Plan, Life Of Agony, Korn

Today was supposed to be a special day. It WAS, but for reasons neither I or my brother Andy could have believed at the start of the day.

We set off just after 10am for our first Donnington in 9 years, and the 10 year anniversary of my first visit in 1994 where I first saw Pantera, Sepultura, The Wildhearts, Biohazard and Aerosmith. Good memories to live up to.

By mid-day we had arrived at the venue, having picked up a family of Scousers at a nearby Servo who needed a lift. I'd finished a four-pack by this stage too, so was in fine spirits for the days events. Upon entering the venue we hooked up with an Aussie bloke called Justin who I got chatting to because of his Big Day Out '04 T-Shirt. We enjoyed the sun and rockin vibes of the afternoon together before Andy accompanied me to my big date with the Metallica Fan Club for the pre-show meet and greet with the band. This was a moment I'd waited 12 years for and I was vibed up for it. Our plan was to get Andy in too by the often undervalued method of the TOTAL BLAG.

We were escorted to the other side of the site by Robert, the Metclub rep who sorts out the Meet and Greets at every show (we remembered him from the '99 National Bowl show). We were told we could have to wait anything from 20 minutes to an hour and a half for the band to be ready to see us, so we dug in for The Wait. Things were good though. Slayer had been moved into the tent nearest to us due to a traffic delay, so it was all good. The first let down was Slayer not showing. God knows what happened, but shortly after it was the last thing I cared about. Robert re-appeared after about an hour or so to give us the news that ripped my guts out for the first time that day. Appartently we were told that the band had decided to stay in Portugal an extra day to go to the beach and that Lars had missed his flight with the rest of the band. They were now in a situation where being late they had too much Press to do and therefore could not do the Meet and Greet. I was stunned. So was Andy.

Having to walk away from the group and the situation was like leaving your family. Hard and hurtful. For the first time ever my faith in MetallicA was challenged and I felt let down and betrayed. I guess part of this was because I was a 'competition winner'. We WERE given Guitar Picks and signed photo's by Jaymz, Kirk and Rob, but it was really of little comfort. So - what could we do other than take my stuff I'd brought to get signed back to the car and look forward to my 8th MetallicA show.

Korn were cool. We stood about after however WAITING FOR THE REAL DEAL. Having picked up about 500 MetallicA 'Some Kind Of Monster' stickers (the new MetallicA doco 'movie', out in September) to hand out to fans we used them to get to the front of the crowd. And there we stood for The Wait pt2.

I think there were more annoying little MetallicA virgins at the front than at ANY other show I'd been to, but I think this was probably an observation that stemmed from the rejection of the Meet and Greet fiasco. Anyway, we waited, and waited AND WAITED. After about an hour I started to get worried and smelled a rat. I said as much to Andy. I feared the worst. I SERIOUSLY thought that the band had split up. I had visions of backstage rows - Lars and Jaymz coming to blows. We'd just seen the Some Kind Of Monster trailer, which pretty much showed how close the band had come to splitting during the making of St. Anger, and this situation didn't make things much better.

By this point we had jokingly considered the option of heading home. I sort of felt we were being messed about. Anyway, things EVENTUALLY came around and the PA started knockin out AC/DC's 'It's a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)' and I knew the band were coming. All my reservations about the day were thrown to the wind as Andy and I prepped for the onslaught. Then the unbelievable happened...

'Ecstacy for Gold' from The Good The Bad And The Ugly (their usual intro tape) didn't play, and on strolled a serious looking Jaymz, Robert and Kirk. Jaymz then began to explain to us all about Lars having a 'turn' on the plane from Portugal, which had been redirected to Germany. I started freaking out. All the faith that had drained from me about the band turned to total concern and worry for Lars. His kit had looked so close to the front of the audience on the stage and I was SO looking forward to seeing him play, then to find out he was seriously sick - it was awful.

Jaymz told us they were going try and put a show together for us and so Andy and I exchanged looks and voiced our support to the band. Then 'Ecstacy for Gold' started, complete with video from the movie of a bloke running across a graveyard. MetallicA's power in all things life and death hit home and I looked to the sky once again (WHETHER THERE IS A ROOF ON OR NOT, and as I have always done since Milton Keynes '93, my second MetallicA show) to thank God for letting me attend another show.

For what I was about to recieve, may the lord make me truely thankfull...

Seeing the band without Lars sucked basically. Don't get me wrong, the boys put on a great cover-show, and the fill in drummers stepped up to do the job of their lives. Starting with Dave Lombardo of SlayeR (who looked most stressed about the whole thing, yet did a good job of two big 'Tallica numbers), Joey from Slipknot and Flemming (Lars's Drum Technician) all concerned made the best of things. As a general observation I think Joey really added his style to Seek and Destroy and 'Roam making them unique (although he really screwed up the arrangement of Bellz) and Flemming's rendition of Fade to Black was the most 'background noise' drumming I have ever heard.

But this is mere nitpicking.

The show as a whole actually came together - it HAPPENED - which in anyone's book was an acheivement. Understandably, MetallicA and co looked uncomfortable during moments but Robert Trujillo's dilligence at keeping the (/whichever!) man behind the kit comfortable, confident and RIGHT on the beat was second to non, allowing Jaymz and Kirk to perform their showmanship to the best of their (reduced) ability (still FUKN AWESOME). However, as we walked away from the show my main feeling was one of seeing half a show. It was almost as though we'd all lost a limb that night, and it really brought it home to me just how important a person Lars Ulrich is not only in my favourite band, but also in my life. Long may Lars, Jaymz, Kirk and Robert play together and may they never play apart under the name of MetallicA again.

Setlist: Battery w/ Dave Lombardo from Slayer
The Four Horsemen w/ Dave Lombardo from Slayer
For Whom The Bell Tolls w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Creeping Death w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Seek And Destroy w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Fade To Black w/ Flemming Ramunsen (Lars' Drum Tech)
Wherever I May Roam w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Last Caress w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Sad But True w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Nothing Else Matters w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot
Enter Sandman w/ Joey Jordison from Slipknot

Here is the review from Steffan Chirazi, editor of the MetallicA fan club magazine 'So What!';

"You're always around for the special ones!" laughs James Hetfield as I stand watching the band prepare for their Donington dambuster of a set behind the stage curtain moments before Battery.
For the last few hours James, Kirk and Rob had been busily jamming with Joey Jordison from Slipknot and Dave Lombardo from Slayer. Word filtered through that Lars suffered a medical emergency and frankly, I don't like to ask too many questions when the boys are preparing to deliver in unusual circumstances. The CD players were out, the guys were ripping through jams and the clock was ticking. Atlanta 2000 Sanitarium anybody? I mean, the comparisons are too crazy, too symmetrically perfect...so did we really, ever doubt that this Metallica show would be anything less than plain goddam cool? No. Why? Because when their backs are against the wall, they ALWAYS ALWAYS deliver.

In a sense, the thought of watching Dave Lombardo hammering Battery was something many have dreamt might happen in some crazy "rock swap" game, and as for Jordison, the man behind the mask, his command of the Metallicatalogue was rumored (and proven) to be second to none.

Before the guys went onstage their energy was high high high, and with the show having been delayed without announcement, James stepped out and filled in the crowd on what had been going on, informing them of the Lars situation and that the guys had some friends stepping up to fill in. Thus it was that Lombardo bashed out a brutal Battery, a crushing statement that this show was not going to do anything less than deliver. The uniqueness got even greater after Lombardo drilled out Horsemen, when Jordison appeared clad in his Slip-mask to deliver For Whom The Bell Tolls (adding his own unique twist and flavor) before tearing through Creeping Death and Seek and Destroy.

Then came my favorite moment... Flemming Larsen, Lars' tech for so many years, delivering a flawless Fade To Black, spotless, calm and with a family feeling to huge to capture... or was it watching James ask suddenly who was gonna do Nothing Else Matters behind the stage, moments before it went down, and seeing Joey, mask shining evil in the night-light, take a deep breath and step up to nail the waltzy percussion... or James beaming a grin back at Joey and chuckling "when do we get some masks?" Or was it just watching the guys step up themselves, continually delivering song after song and not losing a beat...or was it Rob making sure that all occupants of the stool were comfortable and on the count?

Look, I could go on and on (I know I know,hard to believe -!!), but time is running out here, the clean-up crew are creeping in and I'm losing time.
Listen.
This was not a fill-in.
These were not substitutes.
That was UNIQUE SHOW.
An EVENT.
And everyone stepped up.
Really.

This was family metal, the true way it should be, the proper Donington spirit, in many ways so much more than anyone could've expected.

There will be more news as it comes through, and ignore the rumors that will inevitably spring up until you read it here.Too many people out there wanna grab "scoops" and end up missing both the point and the facts altogether.

And right here, right now, the big story is that Metallica stepped up to support their missing brother (with the help of some friends) and that the night was yet another unique chapter of Metallihistory.

A final abiding memory?
Seeing the members of Slayer and Slipknot watching their respective drummers do the business and wearing big, fat, shit-eating grins.

A special night of metal?
Ohhhhh yes, I think so...

Steffan Chirazi
SW! Editor

Location: Sydney, Australia
Date: Jan 23, 2004
Venue: Showgrounds
Other Artists:Skulker, Fear Factory, The Darkness, Gerling, The Black Eyed Peas, 1200 Techniques, The Dandy Warholes, Muse, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Strokes, The Flaming Lips

A more different show to Wednesday (for me at least) there could not have been.

Outdoors, to a festival crowd, this was MetallicA in 'meet the people' mode. However, from the first song onwards I could feel the difference, both for the band and for myself. The band were not playing to the same harcore fans who knew every word to every song they were playing to at their headline show. Coupled with this, the Big Day Out 'D' safety barrier meant that the majority of crazy MetallicA fans could not just push their way to the front, in the usual 'survival of the angriest' MetallicA show fasion. What resulted was a lacklustre crowd and MetallicA pissing into the proverbial wind. The energy recycling scheme I'd mentioned about at the previous show was not in action, for me or the band, at least as far as I could feel. The gap created by the 'D' meant that the initial steam pushed out by the band was not filtering through to the masses and this damped the whole experience for me. Jaymz seemed a bit tired tired too, and came across a little like a middle aged man pretending to be angry (a very scary thing for me to both realise and say!)

Also, on a personal note admittedly, this being my last night in Sydney I felt a bit like I was in the wrong place having seen MetallicA two nights before. I felt like I should have stuck with my mates and more importantly, my girlfriend on this special evening.

It was awesome to see them mix it up with Bellz (Robs bass solo was ace), Battery and Fade, but altogether this was just another MetGig to add to the list. Ultimately I could have just stuck with my SEC experience.

Here is what MetOnTour.com said about the show;

MetOnTour (1/23/2004 11:15 PM) Alright, let's put it like this...Fuck the lightning, fuck the rain, we never stop, we never quit, 'cause these fuckers are Metallica! The band just finished another Big Day Out show, and they did it FULL FORCE as usual. Setlist is up, and so are our favorite photos of the night....MOT

Setlist: Blackened
Creeping Death
Harvester of Sorrow
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Frantic
Sad But True
Dirty Window
Seek and Destroy
Fade to black
Battery
--------
St. Anger
Nothing Else Matters
Master of Puppets
--------
One
Enter Sandman

Location: Sydney, Australia
Date: Jan 21, 2004
Venue: Entertainment Centre
Other Artists:The Datsuns

The atmosphere for this MetallicA show was second to none. Having stood out in the parking lot at the back of the venue for a few hours before the gig, waiting (successfully) to see the band go into the venue, I was pretty exited about this show. The first MetallicA show for me since The Big Day Out (no relation) at Milton Keynes in '99. Since then MetallicA have lost and found a Bass player, as well as a whole bunch of other ups and downs along the way. So, as I watched the lightning come in before the gig, the prospect of seeing my favourite band once again, indoors, with 12,000 other crazy MetallicA fans was one which I savoured.

Sure enough, after such a long wait I wasn't disappointed. My main fear had been that a lame Sydney crowd, so typical of ones which I'd experienced in the past, would spoil the vibe of the gig. However, in the build up to the main event (after the rather good 'Datsuns' had been booed and given the bird for EVERY song of their set) I discovered that there were some fans present who were super pumped for this moment. Admittedly most of them were ten years younger than me, and this was their first 'Tallica gig, but this was really only a plus rather than a negative. This was only verified in the 20 mins before the show, as the venue filled to it's sold out capacity, and the crowd began going fuckin nuts to the sound check. Large cheers were followed by Mexican Waves around the arena. This crowd was HUNGRY for MetallicA, which only made me more hungry for the show in turn.

From the second the intro of 'Ecstacy of Gold' played out, till the second the boys left the stage, the whole shebang was a blast. The band, in their normal way, gave everything, the audience (in a phenomenal fashion) gave double back. What do you get with such transfers of energy? Only one of, if not THE most exciting rock show on the planet. I 'banged my head against the scene like I never did before' (or at least like I hadn't done for about 5 years), moshed like a man possesed and took part in circle dances and pit fights the type of which I'd forgotten existed. This was a total celbration of everything about MetallicA I love. The show, the sound, the passion, the fans - the whole fuckin vibe. I came away complete.

Here is what Metontour.com said;

MetOnTour (1/21/2004 11:57 PM) "That was better than fucking Brisbane", a fan yelled to me, right after the show. Do I agree? Well, I think somehow the crowd here won the LOUD award of the week. On top of that, the almost over excited fans were flying over the barricader like CRAZY. Alright then, but how about the setlist? We had a different setlist, with a lot of joking around in between (and during) the songs. Yes, but how about the band performance. Not to say anything about previuous shows and performances, but did the guys not step it up pretty good?? I think they did....

Setlist: Blackened
Fuel
Seek and Destroy
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
The thing that should not be
Frantic
Creeping Death
Dirty Window
Sad But True
One
Whiplash
-------------------
Harvester of Sorrow
Nothing Else Matters
Master Of Puppets
-------------------
St. Anger
Enter Sandman
-------------------
So What
Hit The Lights