Metallica!

I had never seen Metallica. They dont come around the sticks very often and when they do it sells out in minutes. They came to Lincoln last night and yes it had sold out in minutes but I was ready back in March and scored a couple of tickets for whoaaaaaaaaa, how much??? Never mind because it was worth every penny.

Jim Bruere, ex SNL cast member, he of Half Baked fame, opened the show by telling jokes. Mostly about being old and at a Metallica show. He has balls, I'll give him that, because opening for the best metal band ever cannot be easy. We are a polite folk and Bruere didnt get heckled off the stage.

At 8:38 pm the foursome that is Metallica took the stage and launched into a hodge podge of noise called Hardwired, a tune off the new album. Followed by Atlas Rise, another tune so LOUD I couldnt get my old ears to adjust to. I was scared this would be the whole concert, my old ears unable to adjust to the volume.

Then James Hetfield spoke to the 15 thousand or so assembled devotees. We have some new songs and a few old songs. BANG! Seek and Destroy. The ears adjusted immediately and the next thing that happened was this old guy screeching "Searchinggggggg, Seek and Destroy". It was fuckin great. I was in my 20s again listening to the band of Bay Area misfits I have loved since I first heard Fade To Black at 3 am back in 1984 or so.

The concert featured a bunch of graying 50 something men play their asses off. Hetfield was in fine voice, growling the lyrics and knowing when to step back and let the crowd take over. He has his choice of 8 microphones and 8 different angles to sing as the concert was in the round as they say. Lars Ulrich was his usual man possessed pounding a drum kit that made him appear even smaller than he is. He is the best. Kirk Hammett, the guitar master of this gang, was shredding it all night and James Trujillo, one of the most animated bass players out there. kept the rhythm going even when the others went offstage to drink water I assume.

There were 60 year olds and 8 year olds within one seat of each other head banging together, Yes, the 8 year old had headphones on which I only asked to borrow once. A half assed mosh pit formed on the floor in which people rammed into each other very softly and politely and then got tired and stepped back.

Highlight-- hearing For Whom the Bell Tolls and Fade to Black back to back. I almost couldnt stand the happiness I felt screaming along with two of my favorite songs. Its been a bad 18 months, folks. This made it better.

Weirdest Moment-- before the show began, a bunch of 40 somethings with shaved heads and an irate Hispanic guy apparently saw Husker head coach Scott Frost in a luxury box right above us and became irate. Screaming at him and flipping him the bird with the energy of people half their age. It was strange. Now I really have no clue if it was Scott Frost in that box above us cuz I couldnt actually see, but why the hell else would 4 guys not together all know this guy named "Scott" and decide they all hated him?

Low Point-- The inevitable time when a bass player solos to give the rest of them a break. The lines for the bathroom were long as hell and i had to stand in a pile of piss to pee. Great. Oh and Nothing Else Matters cuz I always confuse it with Wherever We May Roam. One I love, and one I tolerate. Guess which is which.

No Surprise--it was a complete sausage fest. There were 4 men to every woman. But as I used to say 30 years back if you're a dude who liked Metallica you were ok in my book and if you were a woman who liked Metallica Im not sure I should be around you. Of course that was a long time ago. Now I think if a woman likes Metallica, she's cool too.

Most Moving--the pictures on the overhanging drones of World War I faces, film of armies, and the scenes from Johnny Got His Gun during One. Many just rocked out, but it made me think of the waste of war. Those were real people who died for nothing. Ok stop thinking so damn much. Hey remember the 1989 Grammys and their performance of One?

Disappointment-- they didnt play Welcome Home (Sanitarium) which in my opinion is their most underrated song. Oh well, I cannot complain. And that Lady Gaga dint run out on Moth into Flame.

And then after 2 1/2 hours and Enter Sandman they were gone. Probably for years. I will treasure again an experience of being with Max at a concert with a band I love he now loves. Theres nothing like seeing yourself in a kid throwing his hair around and throwing his fist in the air screaming Master of Puppets.

Its so cool!