Celebrating 38 years as a band, Metallica had a show in Raleigh for their WorldWired Tour. The night of January 28th, Metallica held a family affair for 20,000 fans, filling the PNC arena to capacity (A record-breaking night). Prior to the show, Metallica presented a check for $10,000 to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. This is part of their #MetallicaGivesBack initiative and every ticket bought for #MetInRaleigh supported this.
There were people of all ages and creeds there to listen to great music. James Hetfield welcomed everyone into the “Metallica Family” and humbly thanked all the fans for their support, not just of Metallica, but of live music in general. He also connected with the audience saying they don’t care about “the color of your skin, what god you believe in, what’s between your legs, or your differences. All we care about is our similarities.”
This show was very fan-centric with the 360 stage setup in the middle of the arena, there was not one bad seat in the arena. The x-shaped stage had 8 mics and the members took advantage of the entire stage, ensuring every corner of the arena had a good Metallica experience, for almost 3 hours.
The stage was very plain, and the lights were nice and clean,ensuring the band was well-lit all night. As a photographer, “Thank you, Metallica, for the great lighting!” I really enjoyed the simple and empty white stage. Metallica isn’t a band who needs a crazy stage setup to perform well. That being said, they took full advantage of the vertical space with “floating” LCD cubes that aided in the visual storytelling their music lends. It was just enough that it didn’t overshadow the music, but it gave certain songs deeper impact, and a few gave me chills!
Obviously, every single song was amazing–it IS Metallica, after all, but there were some songs that just stood out more. “Now That We’re Dead” had a great performance where 4 LCD cubes were on stage and each member put down their instrument for a 4-person drum beat on the cubes. It was incredible to see the colors and choreography, but also the melody they were able to maintain just with rhythm. The following song, “Dream No More” was dedicated to all who serve or have served in the military. The floating cubes were paired with accompanying military-centric images.
Rob and Kirk then did a mashup of DAG’s “Lovely Jane” and Corrosion of Conformity’s “Albatross” to pay tribute to emerging North Carolina musicians. “4 Horsemen was after, and the band’s love for their fans was really felt as the screens had fan art of the members flashing across all screens.
When they played “Fuel,” 8 pyres of flames came out of the stage floor, warming the entire audience. “Moth Into Flame” was next on the setlist, and their stage setup was so amazing! After introducing the song “about addiction, you get to choose which one,” the screens had neon billboard imagery depicting food, sex, alcohol, drugs and gambling addictions. Then several small drones with lights flew around stage, looking like fireflies. In between their choreographed flight pattern, Kirk kept swatting at them with the neck of his guitar. This is one song that gave me chills with that added visual element, and it gave a feeling of victory as the “moths” descended under stage.
“One” has always been a favorite Metallica song. As a military family member, their paired images of WWII era soldiers from different countries accompanying the song was powerful. When the song picks up with the lyrics “Darkness imprisoning me, all that I see, absolute horror,” footage of carnage from WWII flashed on the screens and the song hit me in the gut with a perspective from that war.
Metallica then encored with “Nothing Else Matters.” Paired with the floating screens and pyro, it was an incredible experience to see them pull out all the stops. Even more incredible, is hearing 20,000 people singing along to it. Metallica closed the set with “Enter Sandman” sending the audience “to bed” after 2.5 hours of the best rock show on earth.
The show didn’t stop with “Enter Sandman.” After tossing picks into the audience, they covered a crew member in silly string and joked with lingering audience members as most of the crowd piled out.
Metallica has been a foundation of the rock scene for nearly 4 decades. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone not affected by their music. Their performance made a memorable night for 20,000 people in Raleigh. What goes deeper than their amazing music and incredible stage presence was the way the entire show was designed for the fan, with every detail carefully formulated so everyone could see the band, and have an experience. The way they addressed the crowd and tossed picks and cups into the crowd, and then ending the night with their #MetallicaGivesBack check spoke volumes of their humility and compassion. If you needed any other reason than “It’s Metallica” to see them, that’s definitely reason enough! Check out their Facebook page for the nearest show to your location. www.facebook.com/Metallica
Setlist:
Hardwired
Altas, Rise
Seek & Destroy
Creeping Death
The Unforgiven
Now That We’re Dead
Confusion
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Whiplash
Fuel
Moth Into A Flame
Sad But True
One
Master Of Puppets
Encore
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
