{"id":10542,"date":"2018-11-01T08:55:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T13:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theentertainmentoutlet.com\/?p=10542"},"modified":"2021-05-12T14:26:21","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:26:21","slug":"10542","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theentertainmentoutlet.com\/?p=10542","title":{"rendered":"Metallica <\/b>
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
October 29, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On the current North American arena leg of Metallica\u2019s WorldWired Tour, all the shows are in cities that Metallica did not play on the 2017 stadium tour. Some of these cities, in fact, they haven\u2019t played in more than twenty years! While it hasn\u2019t been that long since Metallica came to Albany, this was their first stop in nearly nine years.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you managed to catch one of Metallica\u2019s shows in 2017, tonight was an entirely different experience. As soon as you enter the arena, you\u2019ll notice there\u2019s not a big stage at one end of the floor, but that they\u2019re playing \u201cin the round,\u201d with a diamond shape stage in the center of the floor. This has let them pack as many people into the shows as they can, and they\u2019ve been breaking attendance records at many stops on this tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Comedian Jim Breuer warms up the crowd with some heavy metal karaoke<\/p><\/div>\n

Before Metallica hits the stage, comedian Jim Breuer hosted a warm-up party. It\u2019s been no secret that Breuer is a big heavy metal fan, and he\u2019s been closely associated with Metallica for years, but it still was a surprising decision for Metallica to have a comedian open for them. Between telling jokes and stories, playing games with members of the audience, and leading the whole crowd through heavy metal karaoke, Breuer and his sidekick Joe Sibb guide everyone through an entirely Metallica-themed night, and make fun moments for them in the process. I caught the first show of this tour, back in September in Madison, Wisconsin, and it’s been interesting to watch the evolution of Breuer’s show from night to night.<\/span><\/p>\n

As entertaining as Breuer is, he\u2019s not the reason we\u2019re all here tonight. Before too long, he has Sibb fire up AC\/DC\u2019s \u201cLong Way to the Top,\u201d the lights go down, and the crowd goes wild, as Metallica makes their way to the stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting off with \u201cHardwired\u201d and \u201cAtlas, Rise,\u201d the same one-two punch that opens 2016\u2019s <\/span>Hardwired\u2026 to Self Destruct<\/span><\/i>, the band is playing loud and furious. Frontman James Hetfield addresses the crowd, and lets us know we\u2019re going to hear music from all aspects of their career, new, middle, and even old, as drummer Lars Ulrich counts off their 1983 classic track, \u201cSeek and Destroy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett<\/p><\/div>\n

At the start of the show, there\u2019s several video cubes mounted above the stage showing various artwork and camera feeds as the band performs. Suddenly, as \u201cSeek and Destroy\u201d gets going, the cubes begin to move. Lowering and raising, choreographed to the point they almost look like they\u2019re dancing, these video cubes are a spectacle to be seen, for sure.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Hetfield had promised, the show covered every era of their career. Great songs like \u201cConfusion\u201d and \u201cMoth into Flame\u201d off of <\/span>Hardwired\u2026 to Self Destruct<\/span><\/i>, old school classics like \u201cHit the Lights\u201d and \u201cWelcome Home (Sanitarium)\u201d, flames engulfed the stage during \u201cFuel,\u201d and of course there plenty of material off their 16x platinum (and counting) self titled album, like \u201cSad But True\u201d and \u201cWherever I May Roam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A little over half way through the show, Hetfield introduces bassist Robert Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett. Each night, they pay tribute to a musician who came from the local area, and jam on some of their music. Tonight they chose Upstate New York native, Ronnie James Dio, and they played a fun cover of \u201cStand Up and Shout.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band left the stage and the lights went down after \u201cMaster of Puppets.\u201d As the crowd clamored for more, the intro to \u201cFight Fire with Fire\u201d comes over the PA. The band rips through that classic, before laying back a little for \u201cNothing Else Matters.\u201d They saved their biggest song for last, of course, and finished off the night with \u201cEnter Sandman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Metallica Frontman James Hetfield<\/p><\/div>\n

Setlist<\/u>
\nHardwired
\nAtlas, Rise!
\nSeek & Destroy
\nCreeping Death
\nWelcome Home (Sanitarium)
\nNow That We’re Dead
\nConfusion
\nFor Whom the Bell Tolls
\nWherever I May Roam
\nKirk & Rob Doodle
\nHit the Lights
\nFuel
\nMoth Into Flame
\nSad but True
\nOne
\nMaster of Puppets
\n—
\nFight Fire With Fire
\nNothing Else Matters
\nEnter Sandman<\/i><\/p>\n

Somehow, Metallica seems to be full of more energy each time they come to town. They have a more relaxed touring schedule than most bands, touring for about two weeks at a time before taking a few weeks off, but it seems to be working well for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The WorldWired tour continues through North America, two weeks at a time, until March 2019. After that, they\u2019ll be hitting European stadiums throughout Summer of 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t