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Concert Review: Metallica – ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ Tour At MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
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Dr. Zaius   |  @   |  

Metallica Hardwired...To Self Destruct Album Art

17 years ago, in the summer of 2000, I arrived at a melting hot Giants Stadium parking lot at noon for a day-long festival to metal, Tattoo the Earth. The concert would culminate with me seeing my all-time favorite band for the very first time, Metallica. My friends and I never sat down, sang every lyric, and I even teared up during the firework show that opened “One.” Now 35 years old, I arrived with my wife to the new Giants stadium, MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey to see Metallica for the 8th time. And as they’ve done every time, Metallica, the greatest metal band of all time, did not disappoint.

More below.

Despite ominous dark clouds and a pre-concert monsoon, the parking lot of MetLife Stadium was filled with loud and crazy metalheads ready to rock. Walking around the lot, you could see the impact the music of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Rob Trujillo have had. You had every age group covered, from married couples in their 50s and 60s, down to parents with young kids decked out in metal shirts. Tailgaters blasted every album from their debut, Kill Em All, up through their latest record Hardwired… to Self Destruct. The new album is one of their best, returning to their thrash metal roots back in the Cliff Burton days. Whereas whenever you go see a classic band play a new album tour, you want only the favorites, I was actually looking forward to hearing them belt out the new stuff.

Opening with the titular song off the album and going right into track 2, “Atlas Rise,” everything sounded phenomenal. Few bands on earth can command a stadium the way Metallica can, and they had the crowd in the palms of their hands. James Hetfield always has this sick smile on his face on stage, and you can tell that even in their 50s (!!!), these guys still love being rockstars.

The fans were treated to an array of the classics from the first five albums including “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Whiplash,” “Fade to Black,” “One,” and “Sad But True.” They also played the new single “Moth into Flame”” and I was ecstatic to hear my two favorite songs off the new album, “Now That We’re Dead” and “Halo on Fire.” When they played fan favorite “Master of Puppets,” James stepped away to let the crowd sing whole verses as usual. They closed out their set with one of my wife’s favorites, “Seek and Destroy,” before returning for a three-song encore that began with “Fight Fire With Fire” and concluding with one of their most famous songs, “Enter Sandman,” with a fireworks display capping the night in the open-air venue.

Bassit Trujillo gave a beautiful tribute of “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth” while a video of the late, great Cliff Burton played to a worshipping crowd. The band also acknowledged their Old Bridge Metal Militia roots to this New Jersey crowd by recreating their “garage band” right before going into “Seek and Destroy.”

The band was so tight, sounding better than they ever have. It’s amazing how good they were and how good they are.

Eighth time was a charm for me, I am writing this a day after, my neck and back sore and achy from headbanging. Everyone needs to see Metallica at least once in their lives, my only hope is they come back for another round in a few years when my daughter can go with us. Metallica is playing one more local show in their Hardwired Tour, Wednesday night, May 17th at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. The Hardwired… To Self Destruct Tour continues through May, 2018 throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

Set list for May 14th:

Hardwired… To Self Destruct
Atlas Rise
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Fuel
Unforgiven
Now That We’re Dead
Moth Into The Flames
Wherever I May Roam
Halo On Fire
(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth
Whiplash
Sad But True
One
Master Of Puppets
Fade To Black
Seek And Destroy
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

Tour Dates (per the official Metallica site.)

MAY 17, 2017: UNIONDALE, NY, UNITED STATES – THE NEW COLISEUM PRESENTED BY NYCB

MAY 19, 2017: FOXBOROUGH, MA, UNITED STATES – GILLETTE STADIUM

MAY 21, 2017: COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES – ROCK ON THE RANGE @ MAPFRE STADIUM

JUN 4, 2017: ST. LOUIS, MO, UNITED STATES – BUSCH STADIUM

JUN 7, 2017: DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES – SPORTS AUTHORITY FIELD AT MILE HIGH

JUN 9, 2017: NEWTON, IA, UNITED STATES – IOWA SPEEDWAY

JUN 11, 2017: HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES – NRG STADIUM

JUN 14, 2017: SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES – ALAMODOME

JUN 16, 2017: DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES – AT&T STADIUM

JUN 18, 2017: CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES – SOLDIER FIELD

JUL 5, 2017: ORLANDO, FL, UNITED STATES – CAMPING WORLD STADIUM

JUL 7, 2017: MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES – HARD ROCK STADIUM

JUL 9, 2017: ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES – SUNTRUST PARK

JUL 12, 2017: DETROIT, MI, UNITED STATES – COMERICA PARK

JUL 1, 2017: QUEBEC CITY, QC, CANADA – FESTIVAL D’ÉTÉ DE QUÉBEC

JUL 16, 2017: TORONTO, ON, CANADA – ROGERS CENTRE

JUL 19, 2017: MONTREAL, QC, CANADA – PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU

JUL 29, 2017: LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES – ROSE BOWL

AUG 4, 2017: PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES – UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM

AUG 6, 2017: SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES – PETCO PARK

AUG 7, 2017: SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES – METALLICA NIGHT WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS AT AT&T PARK

AUG 9, 2017: SEATTLE, WA, UNITED STATES – CENTURYLINK FIELD

AUG 11, 12, 13, 2017: SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES – OUTSIDE LANDS AT GOLDEN GATE PARK

AUG 14, 2017: VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA – BC PLACE

AUG 16, 2017: EDMONTON, AB, CANADA – COMMONWEALTH STADIUM

SEP 2, 2017: COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – ROYAL ARENA

SEP 4 & 6, 2017: AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – ZIGGO DOME

SEP 8 & 10, 2017: PARIS, FRANCE – ACCORHOTELS ARENA

SEP 12, 2017: LYON, FRANCE – HALLE TONY GARNIER

SEP 14 & 16, 2017: COLOGNE, GERMANY – LANXESS ARENA

OCT 22 & 24, 2017: LONDON, ENGLAND – THE O2 ARENA

OCT 26, 2017: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – THE SSE HYDRO

OCT 28, 2017: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MANCHESTER ARENA

OCT 30, 2017: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – GENTING ARENA

NOV 01, 2017: ANTWERP, BELGIUM – SPORTPALEIS

NOV 3 2017: ANTWERP, BELGIUM – SPORTPALEIS

FEB 1, 2018: LISBON, PORTUGAL – MEO ARENA

FEB 3 & 5, 2018: MADRID, SPAIN – WIZINK CENTER

FEB 07, 2018: BARCELONA, SPAIN – PALAU SANT JORDI

FEB 10, 2018: TURIN, ITALY – PALA ALPITOUR

FEB 12 & 14, 2018: BOLOGNA, ITALY – UNIPOL ARENA

FEB 16, 2018: MANNHEIM, GERMANY – SAP ARENA

MAR 27, 2018: HERNING, DENMARK – JYSKE BANK BOXEN

MAR 29, 2018: HAMBURG, GERMANY – BARCLAYCARD ARENA

MAR 31, 2018: VIENNA, AUSTRIAWIENER -STADTHALLE

APR 2, 2018: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – O2 ARENA

APR 5, 2018: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – SPORTS ARENA

APR 7 & 9, 2018: STUTTGART, GERMANY – SCHLEYERHALLE

APR 11, 2018: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – PALEXPO

APR 26, 2018: MUNICH, GERMANY – OLYMPIAHALLE

APR 28, 2018: KRAKÓW, POLAND – TAURON ARENA

APR 30, 2018: LEIPZIG, GERMANY – LEIPZIG ARENA

MAY 2, 2018: OSLO, NORWAY – TELENOR ARENA

MAY 5 & 7, 2018: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – ERICSSON GLOBE

MAY 9 & 11, 2018: HELSINKI, FINLAND – HARTWALL ARENA

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2 Comments »

  1. Going to see Metallica tonight at the Coliseum and looking forward to it! Glad to hear that they’re as good as they ever were. I was fortunate enough to experience one of the S&M shows at Berkley as my first live Metallica concert. They have never disappointed!

    Comment by PAUL — May 17, 2017 @ 8:54 am

  2. I work at the stadium, great show, they played for over 2 hours. The opening acts were great too. I have seen a lot of acts at the stadium, and this one was first rate.

    Comment by David Salt — May 17, 2017 @ 6:31 pm

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