Metallica are huge. They are arguably the biggest metal band ever. Four sold out shows just in Sydney (plus more shows in other cities, 16 shows in Australia in total) is a testament to that. Back in my school days, them (and Nirvana) were the band that everyone was listening to and trading tapes. I went to a boarding school where you live at the school premised, where sources of entertainment was pretty limited apart from lots of sports facilities. I never really liked playing sports and while everyone else went to play football (soccer) after classes, some of us would bring out Metallica stash and rock out instead. I listened to all the songs and learnt all the lyrics, wrote article about them on the school magazine and would perform them during “cultural programmes”. Over the years, I went on many musical phases and listened to a lot of different bands and genres–a jazz phase, a blues phase, funk; but I would always listen to Metallica (mostly their pre-black album stuff, like many Metallica fans). In a way I had been waiting the whole time for this show!

Back to the present, Saturday 18th September 2010. Today was the DAY. I had spent the whole of week’s train journeys to and from work listening to Metallica (the first 5 albums and Death Magnetic). I spent most of Saturday morning and afternoon headbanging and “prepping” for the gig, watching Metallica’s “Français Pour Une Nuit”  DVD which was filmed and recorded live at Arénes de Nîmes. In the evening I headed up to Sydney’s Acer Arena for the gig, only to find halfway that I’d forgotten the ticket at home (typical of me). After going back for the ticket and taking the trains again to Acer Arena again, I realised I had missed the two opening bands of the night, The Sword and Fear Factory, although I wasn’t too bothered by it because I wasn’t too familiar with either of the bands (I’d heard of Fear Factory on a Gigantour DVD with Dream Theater, but never really took a lot of notice), and I’d come to watch Metallica. There was still some time before Metallica would be on stage so I queued up on merchandise sales and bought a tshirt, massive wristband (see the end of the post), and a booklet with photos from the World Magnetic Tour. I thought I’d grab a beer before the show but the bar queue was way too long and I couldn’t be bothered. I got myself a bottle of water (which required it to decanted onto a plastic cup) and headed to Gold Reserve seating area (the general admission standing tickets were completely sold out by the time I bought the ticket).

Being a sporting arena (and that Metallica usually always play in arena given their massive following), the stage was set in the center with the audience all around. I realised my seat was right above the entrance where they would enter from (yes!). The stage setup was same as the one in the “Français Pour Une Nuit” DVD–Lars’ fairly minimalist drum kit (compared to seeing Mike Portnoy’s black and silver monster when I saw Dream Theater live) was in the centre, with sets of 4 speaker cabinets laid out on either side and 4 mics on the either side for James to just walk around and sing to any mic near him (or for the other guys to sing backing vocals). There were several wah pedals around the stage for Kirk to use the one nearest to him.

After 10 minutes of waiting full of random cheers from the crowd a few mexican waves (sidenote on Mexican waves: …it it takes only the actions of a few dozen fans to trigger a wave. Once started, it usually rolls in a clockwise direction at a rate of about 12 m/s (40 ft/s), or about 22 seats per second. At any given time the wave is about 15 seats wide. These observations appear to be applicable across different cultures and sports, though details vary in individual cases), the lights finally went down and the PA started to play Ecstasy of Gold (Metallica’s introductory music, from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly)–the crowd went wild because it signalled that the gig had finally started. It was followed by the clean guitar intro of That Was Just Your Life, from the PA when the four ran from the entrance to the door and continued the song. Here’s the setlist they performed:

1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End Of The Line
3. Ride The Lightning
4. Fuel
5. Fade To Black
6. Broken, Beat And Scarred
7. The Four Horsemen
8. Sad But True
9. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
16. Encore:
17. Breadfan (Budgie cover)
18. Hit The Lights
19. Seek & Destroy

The whole setup was very similar to the Français Pour Une Nuit DVD–The way James introduced the songs, way he introduced Kirk’s solo, the way they connected (and acted, haha) the second guitar solo from Nothing Else Matters to Enter Sandman, the way James called the crowd “Metallica family”, the fact they played a cover song (which is different on each show) on the same spot on the set (3rd last), and started the encore set with the same riff from Frayed Ends of Sanity (AJFA). And oh! the concert ended exactly like the DVD with James asking (the light guys) to turn all lights on and playing Seek and Destroy while a army of black beach balls rained from the ceiling.

Metallica are really in their top form. The band’s form during the Some Kind of Monster documentary and the Escape from Studio 2006 tour really had the fans worried with James’ lack of ability to sing on key (and the lack of solos on St.Anger). They were tight as hell on this tour with James singing perfectly on key (and sounding better than ever, he did the older stuff like Ride The Lightning really well, also hitting high notes sometimes). The setlist (as you can see) included material mostly from Death Magnetic (their latest album), and mostly pre-black album songs. The only song from the Load/Re-load era was Fuel, which still fits quite nicely with all the early thrashy songs. I was quite glad so hear certain songs on the setlist: Fight Fire with Fire, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Hit The Lights and Breadfan. That was a nice surprise, headbanging to Fight Fire with Fire was especially awesome.

The thing with Metallica is given I’ve been listening to them for a very long time, I can sing along all the songs. And their songs also tend to be quite fast and catchy–very head bangable, both of which I ended up doing throughout the whole set (because of which is that I am sipping some green tea as I write this) A concert becomes so much better when you know the words and can sing along all the songs. Most of these songs were stuff I grew up listening to, and its just amazing to listening them LIVE having listened to them millions of times.  I really had a blast!

Here’s a video of the show thanks to dinbod:

Here’s the link if the video doesn’t show up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDAarga7p3E

\m/

Hetfield: “I’ve heard that Sydney likes their music heavy!”
Crowd: “YEAHHH!”
Hetfield: “You want heavy??”
Crowd: “YEAHHH!!!”
Hetfield: “‘Tallica gives you heavy, baby…”

*starts playing Sad But True*

I just received the Images and Word: Live in Tokyo/5 Years In A Livetime double-feature DVD by Dream Theater on the main today from Amazon. I was quite happy that I got the DVD on Amazon for less than half the retail price on the stores, but it didn’t come without any catch. I popped the DVD in and turns out to be a region1 disc (instead of region4 in Australia)! Anyway, thanks to my experience with these kind of stuff, I quickly figured out a solution that worked. Yay!

This DVD is seriously something all Dream Theater fans must have. I especially love the DVD commentary that goes on throughout the entire two discs by the whole band together. And there are some real funny bits in there. Just that in itself makes up for the trouble I guess.

Yep. 5th December 2009. That definitely a date to remember for me. My first Dream Theater show! I was looking forward to it ever since I found out about it sometime October.

Doors opened at 7 PM and got myself a Dream Theatre TShirt and a wristband \m/. I got in quite early and I the pit was filled up with about 10 rows of people. On the stage were instruments, amplifiers that lacked the hugeness associated with DT (Portnoy’s huge drum set, Myung and Petrucci’s massive amplifier cabs). Behind them was a black curtain suspended from above which obscured the rest of the stage. Having watched videos of them in BC&SL tour in Youtube I knew the DT gear were behind it.

Pain of Salvation came on to stage and started making jokes about the fact that they were from Sweden and the fact they drove a long time to get to Sydney (he then proceeded to add the fact that they drove from Brisbane not Sweden, because it isn’t possible to drive from Sweden to Australia). A soon as they started to play their first riff and vocalist Daniel Gildenlöw started to give out a shrill, energy started flowing and heads started banging. Most people not being familiar with Pain of Salvation (me included) people couldn’t sing along but the energy was there. But there were a group of people who had come to specifically see Pain of Salvation. I didn’t actually see them but I found out later was a group of Pain of Salvation fans with self-made Pain of Salvation t-shirts.

After Pain of Salvation finished their set, they proceeded backstage and their equipment is swiftly frisked away by the crew. Petrucci’s guitar tech brings Petrucci’s massive pedal board and places on stage right (his usual position). He brings a shiny Musicman John Petrucci BFR Signature Model guitar and does a final check before the show. Petrucci’s two footrests (for him to rest his foot while he plays billion notes per second, ) come in and the rig is complete. While the rig is being fixed an amazing acoustic cover of As I Am with a female vocalist is played through the PA system to the delight of many fans who sing along. Later, back from the concert I learn that they were Pipo and Elo and the fact that they play it on every show in the BC&SL tour. I’m a fan. Check it out:

As I Am – Pipo and Elo

The crew finish setting up and leave the stage. After a few minutes of nothing, suddenly a sound of thunder fills the entire place. To the fans ofcourse this is the opening of Nightmare To Remember and people start cheering. Soon Rudess’ twangy chorus-laden piano starts off, with the curtain still in its place and no sign of any band members. The suspense is chilling. Another couple of cracks of thunder and the curtain falls off with the crunch of Petrucci’s guitar revealing the band. Portnoy’s huge shiny drum kit is definitely the first thing anyone notices. Couple of bars later Myung’s throbbing bass combined with Portnoy’s relentless double-bass fill the sonic spectrum. That is when it hits you, “I am watching Dream Theater LIVE!” Having been used to watching Dream Theater on DVD in my tiny Macbook, the fact that they are actually right in front of you (I was at about 7th row from the front, almost directly in front of Petrucci) needs getting used to. I mean Petrucci was less than 100 metres away from me!!!

The show was rocking awesome. I am a big fan of Dream Theatre and for the past 6 months, that’s all I’ve been listening to. They songs are great, turns out they are even better live; didn’t know that was even possible! Their intricate drumwork, odd time signatures (I have to say it isn’t as easy to headband to odd time signatures, you’ll feel you’re constantly out of time), guitar and keyboard solos that seem to border vulgar display of power and powerful basslines driving the rhythm sections when Petrucci and Rudess are busy delivering a barrage of notes.

Here’s the setlist from the show

• Nightmare to Remember
• A Right of Passage
• Hollow Years
• Keyboard Solo
• Prophets of War
• The Mirror
• Lie
• Wither
• The Dance of Eternity
• One Last Time
• Solitary Shell
• In the Name of God
• Encore: The Count of Tuscany

Here are some Excerpts from the show, thanks to rufusdisturbed.

This one is solo excerpt from In The Name of God (from Train of Thought). Just witness the Majesty (pun intended, LOL) of Dream Theatre with that guitar/keyboard unison solo and when they come to the main riff after it and Portnoy is playing the drums standing up. Amazing!

Here another part of the same song when Portnoy gets off this throne (another Majesty pun LOL! For people not familiar with DT, they were known as Majesty before they were big, but had to change their name because of copyright issues) improvises on this cymbals from the stage.

And here’s Dance of Eternity, just an amazing song.

And here’s Nightmare To Remember opening the whole concert with the curtains fall down with the guitar thing: