Metallica Play Intimate Los Angeles Benefit Show, Plus James Hetfield Reveals Latest Album News
Metallica got extra loud in its first live set in a year on Wednesday, headlining a benefit concert in Los Angeles for Flea’s music school for kids, the Silverlake Conservatory. That meant no ballads and no new songs from the band’s upcoming Rick Rubin-produced album. Instead, for nearly two hours at the Wiltern Theater, Metallica erupted with big sludgy riffs and epic speed metal going all the way back to the early ’80s.
“Now that’s a beautiful sound right there,” singer James Hetfield told the crowd, responding to the cheers from 2,000 fans who had paid $300 (or $500 for VIP seats) for a rare chance to see the band in a smaller venue. “It’s great to be playing live again.”
New songs from the upcoming album would just have to wait until the fall. Meanwhile, there were no special effects, but just four guys rocking out onstage, from the intense riffs and beats of “Fuel” to the heavy gloom of “Sad But True.” Lars Ulrich stood while pounding the drums during “Ecstasy of Gold” and some fans dared to crowd-surf in the old art deco theater during “Master of Puppets,” despite warnings at the door. They couldn’t help themselves.
Near the end of the night, Flea joined Metallica on bass for the insanely fast “Fight Fire With Fire,” a speed metal classic from 1984. It was enough to inspire Hetfield to step back and flash the devil’s horns with both hands at Flea and his band, just like any other fan.
Hours before Metallica’s set, Flea was downstairs warming up on bass and watching a silent TV screen showing the NBA playoff game between Boston and Cleveland. Ulrich was talking to TV reporters nearby and Hetfield was in a great mood and ready to reveal just a few things to Rolling Stone about […]
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