Metallica / Machine Head / the Sword - World Magnetic Tour - Glasgow SECC - 03.26.09

Posted by Chris Crowing on 03.28.2009

Carlsberg don’t do metal gigs, but if they did they still wouldn’t be as good as this one. Best gig ever. Fact!
Ok, well probably not, but it was bloody fantastic nonetheless - check it out!



I’ve been waiting for this show ever since Lars announced from the stage at Leeds in August that Metallica would be back in the spring.

No, that’s not true. I’ve been waiting for this ever since I first saw the video for “Until It Sleeps” and decided that this ‘metal’ thing was worth looking into. For all that I’ve twice seen the Four Horsemen ride roughshod over festival stages, there is always something more intimate, more atmospheric and more REAL about seeing a band at their own gig. Would I be disappointed?

There was a genuine sense of anticipation leading up to the gig - it felt like more than ‘just another show’ and there was a real feeling that this would be a lifelong memory, a real thing to have experienced.

I’ll freely admit that I missed the first few minutes of the Sword‘s set, and spent the next five minutes with my back to them as I (along with several hundred other folk) shouted at the people at the merch stall, trying to obtain a tour t-shirt, which I did for a rather reasonable £20. There were some LOVELY cut off denim vests and jackets and such, but I’m not made of money!

I retrieved my grossly overpriced beverage (I hesitate to call it ‘beer’) in it’s squeezy glass from my lady and our party slid through the crowd to a place of optimum visibility just below a huge and ominous looking coffin hanging from the ceiling.

Seeing as I only really saw a third of their set, I probably don’t do the Sword justice, but they seemed a band worthy of some attention, even if I can‘t see them going all that far. So much as I could tell they don’t do anything particularly new or notably impressive, but if you like Black Sabbath then you’ll probably have some time for the Sword. I always hesitate to use tired genre definitions, but I just can’t get away from ‘doomy’ as an apt way to describe their sound.

Like I say, I only really saw a bit of their set, and while I thought they were good, the impression they made was pretty negligible.

The ever reliable Machine Head were up next, and I’m sad to say that I was disappointed. Perhaps it’s because it’s the FOURTH time I’ve seen them in a little less than two years (headlining over Lamb of God and Chimera at the old Carling Academy; joint headlining with Trivium in the SECC on the Black Crusade tour and lastly supporting Slipknot at the SECC in December.)
Perhaps it was the pressure of supporting a band above their level, and whom they themselves clearly have a mountain of respect for as opposed to playing with bands either on a par with or below their ability?

That isn’t to say that they were terrible, but I’ve seen them play much, much better. Machine Head weren’t helped by a relatively poor sound - McClain’s drums were tinny and distant, Duce’s bass was too loud, but very sludgy and indistinct. Even worse, (especially as I’m a guitarist) Flynn and Demmel’s usually blisteringly clear yet brutal double axe attack seemed low in the mix, and somehow muted.

While we did get the usual big hitters in “Imperium” and “Davidian,” I was disappointed not to hear “Old” or “The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears” - although I didn’t expect the latter seeing as The Burning Red seems to have been retroactively removed from their canon!

Most disappointing was that they did not play their much vaunted cover of Iron Maiden‘s classic “Hallowed Be Thy Name” - I know they played it in Washington D.C and I know they played it in Nottingham - why the hell didn’t they play it in Glasgow?

That said, I was VERY happy to hear the always impressive “Descend the Shades of Night” - although this too was let down by a confusingly off sound mix.

Perhaps it’s time for Machine Head to pack away their touring bags, take some time off, and then get into a studio and give us the successor to The Blackening, as I really don’t think I’d pay to see them again for another year or three.

Then again, maybe I’m just being hard on them, because on this night it was all about one band.

Those who are not dyed in the wool Metallifans like myself will never understand the effect that their long standing intro tape “The Ecstasy of Gold” has on the likes of me. The hairs go up along your arms and at the back of your neck, you get a strange cold feeling at the bottom of your spine, like you need to pee a pint of ice and you get a tight feeling across your chest - the anticipation is THAT tangible.

As expected, the opening bars of “That Was Just Your Life” opens the show, and when the main riff kicks in, suddenly we could see James and company darting about the stage, to a very impressive and surprising laser show.



Whatever Machine Head‘s audio issues had been, it clearly had nothing to do with Metallica‘s sound set up, as they sounded precise, clear and oh so wonderfully loud. Sure, Lars’ snare still sounds like the lid of a biscuit tin, but not nearly so much as it did on St. Anger.

The new material translates wonderfully onto the live arena, being full of addictive riffs, soaring lead licks and purely visceral rhythms. This theme continued as the set moved on, still in Death Magnetic form to “The End of the Line” whose rolling bluesy riff came across brilliantly.

I’ll pause for a moment to say that I reckon the World Magnetic stage set is the best I’ve ever seen. The stage used in Glasgow seems a little smaller than I’ve seen in pictures and videos from elsewhere on the tour, but the square stage in the middle of the hall meant that everyone was SO much closer to the action than would usually be possible. When the front row goes all around the stage, it means four times as many people can get that close to their idols, and that is a brilliant thing.

We stood about fifteen feet from the stage for the bulk of the show, (moving up to the front for the encores) and when James, Kirk and Rob were at the mikes or leaning over the monitors, you really felt like you could reach out and touch them. Throw in a killer light show, including four MASSIVE coffin shaped light batteries which moved about, sometimes lowering down till they were almost scraping James’ Mohawk, you had the effect of a big budget arena show mixed with an remarkable sense of intimacy. Top marks.

The Horsemen moved into classic territory for the next song, with “For Whom The Bell Tolls” living up to it’s status as a live classic, even enticing a remarkably tuneful crowd sing-along for the chorus. It’s also worth noting that the songs from Death Magnetic and Ride the Lightning sat really well next to each other, despite being from albums released some 25 years apart.

I was surprised by the next song which I hadn’t seen on any live reviews from previous shows on this tour. That said, it’s always nice to hear “Of Wolf and Man” because to me, it’s a much underrated and very anthemic and infectious tune..

As the howls and feedback fade away, we hear the sounds of helicopters in the distance - those of us who’ve experienced this before know what’s coming, but the pyrotechnic display that presages “One” is always impressive…



The song itself is of course by turns one of the most emotionally affecting, thought provoking and downright badass ever put to tape, and yet again, Metallica‘s performance is spot on.

James dedicates the next song, upcoming single “Broken, Beat & Scarred” to anyone who has come through troubles, and I don’t care what anyone says about the somewhat adolescent, even simplistic ‘what don’t kill ya / make ya more strong’ lyric - because this song fucking rules, and it’s a great moral for a song. Much better than ‘I hate myself and want to die’ anyway…

“My Apocalypse” is next, and comes off better live than it does on record (although I’d rather have heard “Cyanide” or “The Judas Kiss” and keeps the pace of the concert heavy and fast.

An old, old question is mooted next, as Mr. Hetfield asks if we like it heavy? Glasgow responds with a resounding YES as the crushing opening chords of “Sad But True” ring throughout the arena, probably causing acute bowel discomfort to people as far away as Paisley and making seagulls tumble from the air, mid-flight away into the Atlantic.

Well maybe not, but suffice to say that riff sounds like being slapped in the face by a gigantic yeti might feel.

A cover of Bob Seger‘s “Turn the Page” comes next, and slows the proceedings right down. Interestingly a lot of the crowd really didn’t seem to know the song, implying that tonight’s audience is mostly composed of kids who got into Metallica on the back of bands like Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold saying nice things about them and older veterans who disregarded the 90s output (or at least the ‘spare‘ albums like Garage Inc. and S&M.) Nonetheless, I like the song and enjoyed it, but would probably have preferred any number of ‘Tallica originals, or a more ‘fun’ (and dare I say it, classic) cover like “Am I Evil?” or “Breadfan” in it’s place.

“All Nightmare Long” brings the pace back up, and I am constantly amazed by the tempo changes and contrasting riffage on display in that song - and it sounds even better live than it does on record.

Kirk Hammet treated us to one of his trademark solos, introduced by some diarrhea inducing thrummy (if indistinct) bass from Rob Trulljo, and that segued almost perfectly into “The Day That Never Comes.” I still love this song, although I’ll agree the riffage on the end is a little bit tacked on - but you can’t deny it’s lots and lots of fun, as well as being arguably Hetfield’s best vocal performance ever.

More awesome riffage and moral tales of a wholly different kind of abuse were to follow in the shape of the legendary “Master of Puppets” which was perfectly performed in it’s entirety - and I have long been loud in my appreciation of the beautiful, relatively more sedate middle section building up to the roof rattling crescendo and crowd sing-along of ‘Master / master / where’s those dreams that I’ve been after? / Master / master / promised only lies… which then flows into that wonderful, breathless solo…

James’ trademark cackle at the end of “…Puppets” was followed by some most uncharacteristic, near classical guitars. I knew what was coming, but most of the kids didn’t seem to. This was the moment of the night for me as “Fight Fire With Fire” laid waste to the SECC, accompanied by yet more impressive pyrotechnics - you’d think James would be scared of that stuff, considering the history!

That blast of classic thrash metal was followed by another solo from Hammet, this time a more sedate, eastern themed one that wound up just the right side of outstaying it’s welcome and slipped into Metallica‘s trademark super ballad - “Nothing Else Matters.” It’s not my favorite ‘Tallica song, or even my favorite power ballad, but when you take your girl to a gig, it’s nice to have a song you can snuggle and sing along to, between all the less-loving getting sweaty. While it’s one of the last Metallica tunes to get a play on my mp3 player, seen live it’s nothing short of captivating and beautiful and it amazes me that a crowd can nail such a tender sing-along moment so very well.

Next up was the Most Recognizable (and Easy) Riff Ever, also known as The Bane of All Who Work In Guitar Stores - that’s right, it’s time for “Enter Sandman” baby! Anyone who tries to deny that this song isn’t a brilliant example of buildup and a combination of riffs, lyrics and breakdowns to get anyone singing and moshing along is either dead, deaf or thinks that Miley Cyrus is the world’s musical messiah. Sheer exhilaration through communal experience - it might have lacked the uber pyro I’m used to from seeing ‘Tallica at festivals, but in a contained, arena atmosphere, “…Sandman” has few peers for sheer Grrr! factor.

Hetfield attempted to say goodnight, and made to leave the stage at this point, but just like every other crowd in the world, Glasgow was not fooled, and the usual pantomime of ‘no, really - go home’ only lasted about two minutes before the Horsemen suited up again and ripped into “Die, Die My Darling.”

Again, this is a song that I love, and really enjoy - but couldn’t we have got some more Metallica songs - it’s not like the back catalogue is limited!

A real treat was in store next however as they pulled “Trapped Under Ice” out of cryofreeze (hehe) and proceeded to show the current crop of heavy metal youngsters how it was done in 1984. Un-be-fucking-lievable!



Heading down the home straight, James calls for the lights to be put up so he can see us all, then rips into eternal crowd pleaser “Seek & Destroy.” I haven’t had so much fun in years, and haven’t sung myself so ridiculously hoarse in a long, long time. As we got down to the seriously fun business of head banging and singing at the same time, giant balloons with Metallica and Death Magnetic logos fell from the ceiling and much fun was had batting them around, before some scuffles started as people started trying to claim them as souvenirs. No, I didn’t get one. L Now it’s probably not the most serious and ‘metal’ way to finish a show, but it was an absolute MOUNTAIN of fun, and all the po-faced purists should remember that it is all meant to be fun at the end of the day.

As the amplifiers cooled down, the band spent a few minutes acclaiming the crowd, tossing souvenirs to people (No, I didn’t get anything then either. L) and all too soon they were gone.

Already it seems like it wasn’t a real thing, like I dreamed the show and the reality is still to occur. For all that I would liked to have heard a few more/different songs, and Machine Head were (possibly through no fault of their own) disappointing, this was easily the best Metallica show I have been to, and as such one of, if not hands down THE best concert I have ever attended.

Writing this, 24 hours later, I am still a bit sore across the shoulders (I got off quite lightly this time), my throat is raw, and I remain somewhat emotionally stunned and drained by the show. The stage setup allowed me to feel like I was almost onstage with my heroes, and on more than a few occasions I felt like I could reach out and touch James Hetfield who is my personal musical idol. You simply can’t put a price or assign any relative value to that kind of experience.

I spent portions of this show grinning and jumping up and down like a schoolboy who’s eaten too much sugar before going to the zoo and portions standing in dumbstruck awe at the sheer awesomeness of the musicality (not to mention the peerless presentation and production) on display.

This show will live with me forever, and I’m just grateful to have witnessed it. I can’t wait till the next time the Metallica machine rolls through Scotland - I wonder if I can afford a ticket for Knebworth…

(By the way, the photos used here aren’t mine; they are from sunset2712’s blogspot page and were taken at the show at the Sheffield arena on 3/3/09 - I just used them as they are MUCH clearer than mine (I was in the pit and my camera phone is a bit shit) and they give a good impression of the production on this tour.)

Setlist

“That Was Just Your Life”
“The End of the Line”
“For Whom the Bell Tolls”
“Of Wolf and Man”
“One”
“Broken, Beat & Scarred”
“My Apocalypse”
“Sad But True”
“Turn the Page”
“All Nightmare Long”
Kirk Solo #1
“The Day That Never Comes”
“Master of Puppets”
“Fight Fire With Fire”
Kirk Solo #2
“Nothing Else Matters”
“Enter Sandman”
“Die, Die My Darling”
“Trapped Under Ice”
“Seek & Destroy”

Highpoints
The stage set up, awesome pyro and the massive level of passion and skill in the performance. Hearing all the usual expected classics (“Enter Sandman,” “Sad But True,” “Master of Puppets,” “One,” and “Seek & Destroy”) and them living up to and exceeding all expectations, as well as the next material hanging in really well with the stalwarts. Oh, and the unexpected bonus of hearing “Fight Fire With Fire” and “For Whom The Bell Tolls as well!

Lowpoints
Machine Head‘s sound issues. Not hearing “Creeping Death.” Given they played two covers, couldn’t we have gotten some more classic (or not so classic) ‘Tallica? I’d have loved to hear “Creeping Death,” “Fade to Black,” “The Four Horsemen,” “Hit the Lights,” “Harvester of Sorrow,” “Holier Than Thou,” “Disposable Heroes,” “Dyers Eve,” “My Friend of Misery,” “Ain’t My Bitch”, “Until It Sleeps,” “Hero of the Day,” “Fuel,” or even “All Within My Hands” - but that’s all small beer compared to the sheer immensity of the experience and I suppose that I’ll never be fully satisfied by a Metallica show that isn’t about four hours long!

The 411: Metallica are the very best at what they do, and they managed to mix a liberal dose of classic tracks in with new cuts from Death Magnetic with aplomb. The stage set allowed almost unparalleled access to the band, and created a remarkable sense of intimacy inside a 10’000 capacity venue. The playing, performing, production and passion were simply second to none and even if they weren’t this writers favorite band, I would say the same thing. Best. Gig. Ever.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]