Metallica’s sell-out show at the Nottingham’s Trent FM Arena was the venue’s biggest ever crowd writes ThisIsNottingham. The US band broke the attendance record with their in-the-round show, playing a two hour set in front of 10,337 fans. The previous record was 10,015 held by the Kings of Leon at a show in December last year.
“Metallica put on a spectacular gig last night – performed ‘in the round’ thus guaranteeing a great view for the fans – it was also the fastest selling gig here shifting an amazing 9,500 tickets in just one hour when it went on sale – another record breaking milestone for the venue.”
Incredibly, it was the first time Metallica had played Nottingham in the band’s 28-year history and it was a performance that will live long in the memory of the thousands who blurred into a sea of arms, fists and thrashing heads.
[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCfLS6Amnw[/pro-player]
Expectant fans screamed as Metallica appeared in synchronised laser beams and launched into That Was Just Your Life, the opening track from their latest album Death Magnetic.
Eight minutes later and the stage is alive with massive coffin shaped lighting rigs, the lasers are gone and we can now see Metallica for the first time in all their glory as they continue their set with another Death Magnetic tune, “The End Of The Line”.
This provides the crowd with their first opportunity for interaction with the band as a raucous “Hey, Hey, Hey” chant is ferociously demanded from frontman James Hetfield and fists are flying in the air.
The next two songs are pulled from the band’s impressive archive in the shape of “The Four Horsemen” and “Leper Messiah”, both of which rarely get played.
The next is from 1988′s …And Justice For All entitled “One”. This subdued war song is about a soldier who got blown up by a landmine and lost his sight, speech, hearing, arms and legs, but somehow survived. This Grammy award winner is preceded by a minute of multi-coloured pyrotechnic displays and sounds of gunfire. This has the crowd mesmerised.
Further tracks from Death Magnetic follow — including the world premiere of “The Judas Kiss”.
Things really start to hot up when Metallica belt out an electrifying “Master of Puppets” and the Nottingham crowd really comes to life with the repeated chant “Master, Master”. This eight minute song about drug addiction is followed by “Fight Fire With Fire” and the stage erupts once again with a barrage of pyrotechnics.
Seconds later we get time to catch our breaths, in the shape of 1991′s ballad “Nothing Else Matters” which is performed solo by James Hetfield for the duration of the first verse and chorus. A sea of lighters is seen around the venue as the rest of the band retake the stage to finish the song before exploding into the band’s most famous hit “Enter Sandman” where pyrotechnics once more illuminate the now darkened stage.
They give thanks to the crowd and a few people start to leave — clearly uneducated to the ways of Metallica. Two minutes later and the band are back for an encore of three songs, the first two being covers of Budgie’s “Breadfan” and Diamond Head’s “Helpless”, both of which haven’t been played in the UK for numerous years. The crowd are now begging for more as the band once again say thank you and goodnight.
James Hetfield thanks the crowd once again and bellows out that the last song is entitled “Seek and Destroy”. The house lights are up and big black inflated beach balls emblazoned with the Death Magnetic logo drop from the ceiling and are instantly bouncing around the stage and crowd.
Quote of the evening came from drummer Lars Ulrich as the band left the stage saying “Lets not leave it another 28 years to come to Nottingham”.
In years to come, local metal heads may be asked if they were there the night Metallica played Nottingham. The lucky ones will say yes.
See the full setlist from Metallica’ s Nottingham concert.
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