How can you possibly quantify the seismic impact of songs like “Seek & Destroy” and “Enter Sandman” when they’re played live and loud, igniting the air with soundwaves so combustible that you could swear Accor Stadium could burst into flames? You can’t.
Sydney waited patiently while Metallica shredded through the rest of their Australian tour before landing in Sydney, 12 years after they last touched down in the Harbour City. And on Saturday, November 15, the biggest and most successful metal band in history proved that they can still bring that supercharged sound and make it work remarkably well in a live setting. Just not consistently.
Sydney Olympic Park has definitely improved in terms of getting in and out. Oasis went smoothly. Metallica? For whatever reason, not so much. Parking was a nightmare, so the only Suicidal Tendencies (the opening act) were in the car park rather than the stage (for us anyway).
Commanding a sizable chunk of the crowd themselves, Evanescence were excellent and captured the crowd’s attention so that it was all bums on seats from the get-go. They finished with their two biggest hits, “My Immortal” and “Bring Me To Life” – both unsurprisingly crowd-pleasers, sparking the first of several stadium-wide scream-a-longs that, similar to Oasis, reiterated just how uniquely communal a concert of this stature can be.
There’s an Australian flavour before Metallica kick off at 8:35pm, the band’s arrival preceded by AC/DC’s “(It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll”) and a photomontage of the band in Australia over the years. Nostalgia bleeds into set-opener “Creeping Death” before Hetfield hits us with “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Fuel”. Three songs on and it’s clear these men, pushing 60, ain’t messing around.
“I’m so ready to kick some ass,” laughs Hetfield.
“The Metallica family is back together. I really do have the best job in the world.”
Everyone springs from their seats once the opening chords of “The Unforgiven” ring out. “Cyanide” from Death Magnetic is an uncomfortable watch – not because it’s bad, but because of the graphics of two people trapped and trying to get out of coffins. “Wherever I May Roam” is met with a sea of shouting fans and pumping fists. A lot was going on, with the crowd steadily shaking any nerves and matching the band’s energy (trying to, at least).
“Forget all the bullshit going on in life. Let’s leave it out there and have some fun.”
No one could blame Hetfield for not being able to physically match these behemoths he created decades ago. The man is 62, after all. It was time to give him a break halfway, and so Kirk Hammett and Trujillo bust into a little freestyle while talking about all the great Aussie bands out there. They trade barbs while riffing through mini covers of AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock” and Rose Tattoo’s “Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
The intermission feels out of place just as Metallica were really rearing up. “What a waste of time,” a guy next to me mutters. I kind of agree. Most of the crowd are putting their bums back on the seat at this point, with the energy taking a big dip. Although perhaps a necessary one, given the furious breathless finish that started with “Nothing Else Matters” and led all the way up to – you guessed it – “Enter Sandman”.
Interestingly, Lars still drums like a man half his age, who’s just taken a pile of ecstasy. Kirk continues to smile like he’s the nicest guy on Earth. Sure, they’re all in their early 60s now, but they’ve still got loads of energy to spare. Any reserves fans may have had coming into this concert were quickly dashed.
“Sydney, do you want heavy? Metallica gives you heavy baby,” Hetfield roars.
Metallica don’t need much production to get their point across, but they heap on the trimmings regardless. Visuals were interesting across the set, while some didn’t quite stick the landing. “Search & Destroy” typically means crushed beer cans, dive bars and probably a few bar fights. Here, it’s 25 beach balls launched into the crowd like it was Woodstock ’99. One hits James in the head.
“One” is an easy highlight of the night, with poignant visuals stamping the song’s theme, showing soldiers marching to war before eventually becoming skeletons. I see grown men grabbing people next to them for a hug, while others are swaying together. Just days prior, ANZ Stadium saw another huge outpour of collective emotion when Oasis gave us a three-hit encore that ended, appropriately, with “Champagne Supernova”. This is no different.
The show was polished; the men are in fine form, and all four seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely on stage – quite possibly because they had to cancel the Australian leg of their last tour in 2019. At times, the mic was quiet, so you couldn’t quite hear Hetfield, but the lighting and pyrotechnics were strong, and the band delivered a solid show.
Chris Singh
Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.