Sunday night I went to see Metallica play the Prudential Center in Newark. I'd never been to this venue before so I was looking forward to seeing what it was like. My experience was pretty pleasant. The website made it very clear where parking was allowed, how much it was going to cost you, gave directions right to your lot from the highway, and had the convenient option of paying ahead so you didn't have to carry the cash on you. It was all accurate info, so getting there and dealing with that part of the evening was a breeze. That was a pretty good start to the night.
I intended to get there in time to see at least a little bit of Machine Head, but failed due to the fact I decided to purchase my t-shirt before showtime. The shirt is exclusive to my show, mentioning the city and date, so I was afraid it would sell out post-show. So, no Machine Head review for you.
My seat was 20th row on the first level mid-arena. This worked out perfectly since the show was, as it was last tour, in the round.
Setlist:
That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
Harvester Of Sorrow
One
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Die Die My Darling
Breadfan
Seek And Destroy
For once I knew all the songs! Usually there are one or two old numbers where I sit there like "What?" but enjoy them nonetheless. You'll also notice that nothing from St. Anger was played. I guess they, like many fans, want to pretend that CD never happened. By the way, I have an accurate setlist not because I remembered it perfectly, but because with the purchase of your ticket also came Death Magnetic and the ability to download your entire show in mp3 form from their official site. Pretty cool.
Anyways, Metallica is just as great as I expected them to be. This was the 7th time I've seen them. James asked the crowd if it was anyone's first time and quite a few responded much to my surprise. Also present were lots of children with their parents, which always freaks me out.
The stage set was all black, with Death Magnetic coffins that would rise and fall throughout the show. I was particularly impressed with the use of multi-colored pyro. I had no idea fire could come in such intense blues, greens, and reds. But apparently they did and figured out a way to bring it to their show which was quite awesome, especially during the climax of "One." At the end, for the house-lit "Seek and Destroy", they unleashed giant black beach balls emblazened with the Metallica logo onto the crowd, which people promptly scrambled for as the band kicked them out into the crowd.
The highlights for me were "Harvester of Sorrow" and "Die Die My Darling" because I haven't seen them play those for years. They constantly change their setlist to keep their fans on their toes, which is something I wish all bands would do. Especially for those of us that go multiple times on one tour.
There weren't really any lowlights for me. Except the couple next to me seemed to be more interested in texting the whole time which was distracting. Their loss! One thing I missed is not hearing AC/DC as the entrance song. I believe I read that the song they now play before running out onstage is by Saxon (?)
After the show, they hung out on the stage forever, throwing out tons of guitar picks and drumsticks to the hardcore fans who stuck around to watch their every move until they left the stage. Lars also grabbed the mic to mention they'd be back in the fall to rock Madison Square Garden, which is sure to be a great show again I'm sure.
As for any post-show meetings, none occurred. I attempted to meet them outside but due to the fact this was their last show, cars had picked them up at the gated exit and had whisked them off already. Shame, because James Hetfield is at the top of my "Must Meet" list!
Anyhow, enjoy video other people took from my show:
"One" (here you can see the pyro pretty good) and again (whole song)
Seek n' Destroy (bouncing beach balls!)
