Metallica shoots to thrill in Vancouver
Legendary metal band gives solid performance at 3D movie gig
METALLICA
When: Friday night ( again Saturday, with extra movie shoot Monday) Where: Rogers Arena Tickets: $ 49.50 — $ 125 plus service charges ( Saturday), $ 5 ( Monday) at Ticketmaster. ca or 1- 855- 985- 5000
It wasn’t really business as usual for Metallica on Friday night.
The trail- blazing thrash metal act was in Vancouver with more than just a concert in mind, Rogers Arena was peppered with a number of high- tech cameras capturing all the action for a forthcoming 3D movie directed by Nimrod Antal, the man behind action/ sci- fi/ horror flick Predators. It meant a number of things for fans. First of all, it meant everyone had to be in their seats by 7 p. m., a tall order for a sold- out crowd ready to party hard, bang their heads and, to paraphrase Metallica’s Whiplash, act like maniacs.
Second, no opening act. Well, not really. Metallica had originally invited Vancouver retro- metal act 3 Inches of Blood to set the stage but announced a couple of days later that, due to filming logistics, there would be no opening act at Friday and Saturday’s concerts.
If the 3D movie lives up to the visual and auditory madness of Friday night’s concert, fans going to theatres across the globe next year will be in for a treat that’s miles away from Justin Bieber or Katy Perry’s bubble gum forays into concert moviemaking.
In the end we got an opening monologue by so- called comedian Jim Brewer, who handed out a few “faggot,” Mexican and booze jokes as people made their way to their seats well past the 7 p. m. mark. He also got more than a few boos lobbed at him, and for good reason.
You can’t blame fans that much for straggling: Security created long lines at the doors, which opened just an hour before the scheduled start time.
Considering 16,000 people needed to get through the doors, buy merch, get their drinks and make their way to their seats in under 60 minutes, it would have been a miracle if it had worked. ( The show started at 8: 30 p. m.)
That being said, if the 3D movie lives up to the visual and auditory madness of Friday night’s concert, fans going to theatres across the globe next year will be in for a treat that’s miles away from Justin Bieber or Katy Perry’s bubble gum forays into concert moviemaking.
Kickoff track Creeping Death went at breakneck speed, fans pumping their fists in unison during the song’s bridge — “Die by my hand!”
James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo and Lars Ulrich handed a good cross- section of the band’s album catalogue, from Ride the Lightning ( For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning, the latter with a floating electric chair and electricity- blasting Tesla coils) and Master of Puppets ( Welcome Home, Battery), to Reload ( Fuel, with big blasts of flames that almost singed your eyebrows) and Death Magnetic ( Cyanide).
Though little material from the Metallica’s last album was on the menu, the band made full use of its giant floating coffins throughout, and had fun with pretend equipment failures that apparently tied in with the conceptual nature of the band’s concert movie.
Plenty of pyro and lasers too, with a central stage setup that lit up with animations, the set- up for One, from 1988’ s ... And Justice For All, featuring warlike explosions and sound effects that really amped the mood.
Metallica was in control, and the band sounded tight all evening. ( Eight straight nights in Mexico earlier this month and two more in Edmonton last week to rehearse the setlist ensured it all went without a hitch.)
Ulrich, who has often been criticized for being a somewhat sloppy drummer, was on top of his game, and Hammett handed out the solos with blistering precision.
Hetfield was in fine vocal form, but seemed to hold back at times, opting for a cleaner sound. And Trujillo really is a spotless bass player, leaning into his bass with a heavy and muscular gusto.
Fans obviously had a blast, and they were treated to quite a sonic and visual display, with material from 1991’ s Bob Rock- produced “black album,” partly recorded in Vancouver, getting a lot of love ( Wherever I May Roam, Sad But True).
If Friday and Saturday’s concerts aren’t enough, and for those who want to re- live the experience in a more choreographed and deliberately staged kind of way, the band will be running through the entire show for editing purposes on Monday night and tickets for the encore performance are a mere $ 5, ( although scalpers have wasted no time charging 10 times that) with all the money going to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Quite a classy move.