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Some unfairly claim that James Hetfield’s pre-performance rituals are more entertaining than Metallica’s concerts themselves. Countless videos online show the singer crouching below the stage, praying, blowing his nose or puffing on a cigar to Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold”, Metallica’s lead-in tune. Not hidden behind the scenes, but right in front of the eyes of screaming fans who have probably booked a “Premium Experience Package” for it.
Hetfield often claps a few hands and shouts vocals to Morricone’s instrumental. Before that, the AC/DC evergreen “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” echoes through the stadium speakers, and it’s true: it took Metallica nine years to become a mainstream act after “Kill ‘Em All”, and they only became a stadium band even later.
Then James Hetfield enters the huge round stage, also this evening in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
The last great rock star?
Is Hetfield the last great rock star? Are Metallica perhaps even the greatest rock band of our time? Some things speak for it, some things against it. The main reason for this is how well the band has aged, unlike Guns N’ Roses. That their singer sings well and the band sounds good. Even Lars “Die Tongue” Ulrich’s drumming works much better live than some jokes have claimed for decades. However, the fact that Metallica – similar to AC/DC – released their last classic album around 35 years ago: the “Black Album” speaks against this. For AC/DC it was “The Razor’s Edge.” Both groups have long been stadium institutions whose audiences don’t come for a single song that was released after 1991. Acts like Bruce Springsteen, U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a bit ahead of them.
And yet it remains astonishing that a former thrash metal band, of all people, can reach such a gigantic audience. This is a unique position for a stadium band that, for all the love, has perhaps four of the 16 songs on its setlist that could be pop choruses: “Enter Sandman”, “The Memory Remains” (also thanks to the choir support of Marianne Faithfull on the “Reload” album), the spaghetti western anthem “The Unforgiven” (voiced on the double-neck guitar, of course!) and the Greek tragedy “Nothing Else”. Matters,” which has unfortunately found its way into countless guitar store audition modes. Hetfield underlines the wonderful drama of this “rock ballad” (horrible terminology, yes) by not letting Kirk Hammett take away the final guitar solo.
Record concert in the Berlin Olympic Stadium
A total of 95,000 people found their way to the Olympic Stadium; it is said to be the largest concert that has ever taken place there. The narrow catwalks make it possible – more space inside and no blocked stands. Metallica also avoid distracting visuals, apart from the fact that their videos are played on very high screen towers that don’t even have to come into view – rare for acts their size. At one point, Metallica shows concert tickets from the 1990s, with their antiquated typewriter printing and conditions like “No seat requirement” – does that still exist today? It’s also funny that all of Gojira’s drum equipment has to be moved over the sides of the stadium and out of the way inside.
Songs like “Creeping Death” or “Master of Puppets” are not typical stadium anthems for collective roaring along. AC/DC have more of that. “Look at all the love for heavy music,” says Hetfield in amazement. All the better that Metallica are only playing a single concert in Berlin this time and not two evenings according to their “No Repeat Weekend” principle with completely different setlists. At least you can be sure that you don’t miss “Enter Sandman”. Real fans would try to get tickets for both shows anyway.
Four phenotypes, one band
Anyone who has ever seen the “Some Kind of Monster” documentary can hardly imagine that Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett are good friends, but when Hetfield says to the audience “You understand what Metallica is all about” and accepts the cheers of tens of thousands of people, you understand a little what responsibility these musicians feel for their fans. Metallica communicate with each other through their songs, as cliché as it may sound. Four completely different phenotypes: Ulrich, the senior tournament tennis player, Hammett, the 80s Dracula, Hetfield, the Arctic hunter, and Rob Trujillo, who increasingly forgoes his crab walk and goes more towards Capoeira or is reminiscent of a prehistoric, surfing caveman.
Midway through the set, Trujillo and Hammett traditionally strike up a jam intended to demonstrate local connection to the city in which they are performing. Unfortunately, here it is a band’s hit song that actually only functions as a parody, just as this Berlin band has become a parody of itself. The only unpleasant moment of an otherwise routinely performed and extremely successful evening.
Farewell and promises
After the finale with “Enter Sandman” there is the obligatory fireworks display. All four musicians even give farewell speeches. Hammett says that this performance might have been the “biggest ever” of her career, but well, Moscow has been canceled for a few years anyway.
Ulrich goes into the ditch and has his photo taken with a fan who is holding up a poster: “Thanks for turning airports into memories”.
“We want to come back soon,” says James Hetfield. He is 63 years old and years ago got a tattoo in exactly the area where the skin ages particularly quickly with age. Time usually wins such duels. But as long as that skull on his neck doesn’t wrinkle, he will stay young. He even seems very young. “German-eeee-yah!” he shouts. As if 1986 never ended.
