Heavy metal superstars Metallica hail from San Francisco, but at last night’s intimate show at the Apollo Theater, a rarity for these seasoned arena headliners, the left coasters thrilled the adoring crowd not just with power and precision, but with a familiarity that gave them a distinct hometown heroes vibe.
Organized by Sirius/XM radio, which broadcast the show live, the gig was arranged to promote this Friday’s release of “Through The Never,” the band’s Imax 3D concert film; and also might coincide with a rumored appearance later today at Yankee Stadium, where, word has it, they may play their hit “Enter Sandman” to salute retiring Yankee superstar Mariano Rivera, who has spent his career taking the mound to that song.
From the opening salvo of “Hit The Lights,” the first song on their 1983 debut, “Kill ‘Em All,” the mostly male crowd – including Howard Stern, who clapped and air-drummed throughout the night from his seat in the seventh row – pumped fists and chanted along as singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield milked their enthusiasm for all it was worth, even fist-bumping audience members during “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” and pausing after choruses to allow the crowd more time to erupt.
Over thirty years into a Hall of Fame career, Metallica is a model of precision. The selection of songs, skewed toward their early years, varied little from their studio versions, but careened around the compact space just a bit faster than usual, propelled by their traditional live energy and the extra excitement of playing this legendary venue.
After following “…Lights” with the thrash classics “Master of Puppets” – which found the crowd singing the notes of Hetfield’s guitar lead at his request – and “Ride The Lightning,” three songs the band ran together without pause, Hetfield, flanked by lead guitarist Kirk Hammett to his left and bassist Robert Trujillo to his right, took a moment to absorb the tradition surrounding him.
“I can’t believe they let us play this place,” he said. “So rich with history. Now we’re gonna mess it all up.”
They didn’t, of course. Most of the night’s songs were decades old and the band played off each other like lifelong friends, doubling and tripling riffs as drummer Lars Ulrich kept the bashing rhythm tight, but at no time did the music feel stale.
With Hetfield and Hammett dominating the lip of the stage, Hammett wailed furious leads while Trujillo stalked the room with his distinctive frog-type crouch, and every few songs you’d notice them and Hetfield sneak in a subtle smile.
Some of the show’s highlights included “The Day That Never Comes,” a song Hetfield said made him nervous due to the frenzied jam at its end (Ulrich clearly felt different, so juiced by the jam that he leaped off his drum kit with his face twisted into a proud scowl); “Orion,” a bass-driven instrumental that highlighted Trujillo and acknowledged the band’s late, original bassist Cliff Burton, about whom Hetfield said, “He’s here in spirit and in our hearts”; and the frenzied thrash of “Blackened” and “Sanitarium.”
Overall, the show was a two-ton adrenaline blast of hard rockin’ awesomeness, and a sign that after thirty years, Metallica has lost none of its power, and is aging as well as any band in music.