In many ways, the band is superior to the one that busted its way out of Los Angeles nearly three decades ago. There's maturity and experience under their belts after years of touring and band turmoil, so it should come as no surprise the band is wholly more cohesive.
Ravenous fans gathered hours before doors and anxiously waited -- young metalheads and families alike. It's a testament to the band's musical prowess that they still have a grip on the faithful and yet can continue to draw anew.
Volbeat were the first to take the stage at 7 p.m., and had a hard time making a connection. The only time they drew serious attention was during a cover of Slayer's "Raining Blood," Volbeat's highlight of the night.
It became apparent pretty fast that the younger fans came to knock heads with Lamb of God. The Old Dominion State-based quintet unleashed a 45-minute fury of aggression that had bodies flying.
"Michigan loves heavy metal," growled frontman Randy Blythe, "This I know."
The band then proceeded to belt out bone-crushing tune after tune, including the frenetic "Laid To Rest." Blythe moved about the stage like a wounded animal, shrieking along with every rhythmic one-two punch provided by the band.
And then there was Metallica. With the lights dimmed and "The Ecstasy of Gold" playing overhead, the band was ready to commence total sensory war.
Playing under an extravagant laser light display, the band opened with "That Was Just Your Life." Crooning at the very end, frontman and guitarist James Hetfield said, "Michigan, this is your life."
The band was on fire when storming through tracks like "Broken, Beat & Scarred," "The Four Horsemen" and "Master of Puppets." With every track the audience grew even more energized. Metallica is a live machine.
Bassist Robert Trujillo's performance on the bass-heavy "For Whom The Bell Tolls" sent fans into a frenzy. Hetfield was especially strong on the heavier material, but also impressed on softer tracks like "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters."
Guitarist Kirk Hammet had his fair share of missed notes and drummer Lars Ulrich grabbed his head in frustration for missing a beat in "Sad But True," but judging by fan reaction, this had virtually no effect on the show's momentum.
After playing nearly two hours, Hetfield quipped: "You have some energy left. We must do something about that."
And in closing, Hetfield proposed a deal to the packed arena: Give us every inch of energy you can muster, and we'll plow through one more song.
Let's just say "Seek and Destroy" brought the house down.
Well done, Metallica. Everyone may have left the arena more than a little spent and deaf than when they entered, but fans certainly got their money's worth.
The ABC12 Listening Room staff: James Chesna, editor-in-chief; Josh Daunt, managing editor; Beth McEnroe, staff writer; Eric Fletcher, chief photographer; Randy Cox, photographer; Josh Daunt, photographer; Chris Carr, photographer; Jessica Reid, contributing photographer; LeeAlan Weddel, contributing editor, writer; Shawn Light, contributing writer; Robin Chan, contributing writer.
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