Metallica's explosive heavy-duty rock fest is a headbangers' ball

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Friday, August 8, 2003

Metallica's explosive heavy-duty rock fest is a headbangers' ball

By GENE STOUT
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER POP MUSIC CRITIC

That deafening roar coming from south of downtown on Thursday wasn't a return visit from the Blue Angels.

REVIEW

METALLICA SUMMER SANITARIUM TOUR

WHAT: Rock concert

WHEN: Thursday night at Seahawks Stadium

See our gallery of concert photos.

It was heavy-metal band Metallica and four other groups that made the ground shake as if a formation of F/A-18 Hornets roared by.

There's nothing sane about Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour. The Seattle show was an eight-hour marathon of head-banging, gut-punching rock 'n' roll combined with Fourth of July pyrotechnics.

Metallica launched the tour in hope of rekindling the excitement of the Monsters of Rock era, when really loud bands got together for really big summer shows.

Concertgoers poured into Seahawks Stadium as soon as gates opened at noon. They flooded the main field as crews assigned to strap wristbands on general-admission ticket holders scrambled to keep up with the human tide. The remaining concertgoers filled seats on the 100, 200 and even 300 levels.

Attendance surpassed 30,000, making the Metallica concert the biggest local rock show of the summer and perhaps the year. Seahawks Stadium is a great venue for a big rock event, one that deserves wider use if noise pollution doesn't become an issue.

The giant stage was positioned at the north end of the open-roofed stadium, with speakers facing south to minimize the jarring effects of a high-decibel concert on Pioneer Square and downtown Seattle.

Metallica took the stage shortly after 8 p.m. following raucous sets by younger guns Mudvayne, Deftones, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, whose outspoken, smart-mouthed frontman, Fred Durst, brought boos as well as cheers from concertgoers. But Durst won them over with a maniacally powerful performance.

Limp Bizkit's set featured "Break Stuff," "Nookie" and "Re-Arranged," as well as a surprising version of George Michael's "Faith" (complete with video clips of Michael) and an interesting take on The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" during which Durst ventured into the crowd.

Linkin Park preceded Limp Bizkit with a set featuring songs from its current album, "Meteora," as well as past records. Among the songs were sing-along versions of "Crawling" and "In the End." Mudvayne and Deftones offered the shortest sets of the day, about 45 minutes each.

Metallica opened with a film clip from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" followed by "Battery" and "Master of Puppets" from the group's arsenal of classic songs. Four video screens played close-ups of band members and displayed photos from the band's long career.

Surveying the giant cattle pen of rabid fans on the main field, singer-guitarist James Hetfield urged concertgoers to look after their fallen brethren to assure that no one was trampled underfoot. Hetfield is a great rock 'n' roll frontman, tough but caring -- and always engaging. He often involved the crowd, getting them to sing along or participate in some meaningful way in the performance.

He dedicated the thundering "Harvester of Sorrow" to fans who stuck with Metallica through tough times -- including the Napster controversy, the sudden departure of bassist Jason Newstad and Hetfield's nine months in rehab -- as well as to those who listened to Metallica while going through their own tough experiences.

Fellow band members Lars Ulrich on drums and Kirk Hammett on guitar offered solid, sometimes frenzied performances. Making his Seattle debut was the band's amazing new bassist, Robert Trujillo, who got a big cheer when he hopped across the stage during the intro to "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

Metallica's set was loaded with songs from its two-decade career, leaving room for only two songs from the band's current album, "St. Anger": the jagged, hard-rocking title song and "Frantic." A lot of concertgoers already knew the words to "St. Anger" and sang along.

Hammett's guitar playing on "No Remorse" was remarkable. Trujillo, who was in a playful mood throughout the two-hour set, spun in a circle during the teeth-gnashing "Seek and Destroy." Concertgoers fired up their cigarette lighters for "Blackened," but were later outgunned by flash pots. Hetfield, who was severely burned in the '90s by an errant flash pot, apparently has overcome any fear of fire.

Toward the end of the main set, the band performed the somber "Nothing Else Matters," while the crowd sang along. The set came to a close with "Creeping Death" and a volley of flash pots and fireworks that rivaled the Independence Day displays in many local communities.

Metallica brought the evening to a close with two of its most enduring songs, "One" and "Enter Sandman."

Concertgoers paid $75 a ticket for the marathon show. That worked out to about $15 a band -- not a bad price for a day filled with strong, hard-rocking performances.

More headlines and info from Downtown, International District, Pioneer Square, Sodo.