Metallica‘s massive M72 World Tour is finally coming to a close. Three years and 99 shows (100, if we count last year’s Back To The Beginning appearance) since they first set out, metal’s biggest band are retiring the two-night, no repeat format. For now, at least. It’s not the last Metallica gig of the year – they’ve got a residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas starting in October – but there’s a sense of accomplishment as they gear up for one last triumphant blowout at London Stadium.
If the venue will play ball, anyway. Built for the 2012 Olympics, London Stadium has hosted more than a few massive gigs, including the first UK appearance from the reunited core Guns N’ Roses in 2017 and Iron Maiden’s biggest UK gig to date last summer. It also has some of the most reliably awful acoustics in the UK.
Acting like a massive echo chamber, you’ll probably hear as much of AVATAR walking around the outside of the stadium as actually sitting in it. The theatrical Swedes aren’t daunted in the least, however and even if some of the melodic nuances of songs like The Dirt I’m Buried In are lost to the PA, the tunes are so massive and infectiously fun that they triumph nonetheless. For all his usual swagger, vocalist Johannes Eckerström seems genuinely emotional about being on the road with Metallica, adding a “d’aw shucks” warmth to their set.
PANTERA struggle most with sound issues. A little under four years since Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown tagged in Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante to resurrect the brand, the ‘reunion’ is still a big draw and London Stadium starts really filling up for their set. But Anselmo admits he’s having in-ear issues, and his vocals are desperately low in the mix at times, the likes of Fucking Hostile lost in a cacophony that would be unrecognisable if not for just how iconic the tunes are. An added Fairies Wear Boots tribute to Ozzy is a nice touch, but it’s an uphill battle.
Even the UK’s worst venue can’t derail metal’s biggest band. METALLICA already had a triumphant first outing on Friday, but it was obvious they were holding back some of their biggest hits for the closing night. But this isn’t just some perfunctory greatest hits set, either. Thundering out to Whiplash, there’s a moment where it looks like Metallica might be doing a chronological run of their songs as they did at their 40th anniversary celebration with For Whom The Bell Tolls and Ride The Lightning following in quick succession.
They break the run with ReLoad-era tune The Memory Remains, and affirm just how different they are to other stadium-straddling behemoths. The thing is, any band with a suitably big enough hit can make a stadium sing-along feel epic – it’s inherent to the sheer scale of the show. But even with something like Memory, the crowd respond with almighty “whoah-ohs”, cementing a sense of momentousness that is basically Metallica’s bread and butter.
Playing on a stage right in the centre of the stadium, Metallica are the be-all, end-all when it comes to biblical metal gigs. Who else on this planet could get away with a 10-minute instrumental like The Call of Ktulu and not prompt a mass exodus to the bars? From the thundering riffs of 72 Seasons to a pyro-enhanced Moth Into Flame, ballads The Unforgiven and The Day That Never Comes to choice covers of Sabbath’s Electric Funeral (cut with Sex Pistols’ Holidays In The Sun, and dedicated to Ozzy after last year’s BTTB celebration) and Thin Lizzy’s Whiskey In The Jar, there isn’t a song in this set that doesn’t feel absolutely colossal.
Closing on Enter Sandman – a song that could take up at least three entries on the ballot for a metal national anthem – Metallica reaffirm just how they became metal’s biggest band in the first place.
(LouderSound)
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