Metallica free streaming concert from night before Superbowl.

[jasc15]

https://webcast.livemetallica.com/metmobileplayer.html

Didn't see this posted anywhere.  I'm not much in the loop with regard to Metallica's activity over the last several years, but to me this seems a rare sighting.

I watched the first song and it looks pretty good so far.  I might watch the rest after the Superbowl.

[425]

Just from the first song, seems like a pretty solid latter-day Metallica performance, completely with the usual caveat that Kirk doesn't seem like he really knows his solos that much and that Lars seems like he's barely keeping up.

[Zook]

That Creeping Death solo sounded like an amateur trying to play it for the first time.

[425]

It really did. He doesn't get better throughout the show. I'm about halfway in and Kirk is still kind of fumbling around. His playing on For Whom the Bell Tolls and King Nothing is pretty bad. But Hetfield and Trujillo are playing well (can the new Metallica album just be those two and a session drummer?), and it's a slightly interesting setlist—lots of RTL and 90s material.

Het told the audience that they're working on the new album, but he doesn't want to get anyone's hopes too far up. He also joked "Nice singing! You've been practicing. I haven't... Well, I've been practicing a little."

[Adami]

I saw parts of it. Lars seemed good enough, which is saying something, Rob and James seemed pretty good too. Kirk though.....man, I've never heard him sound worse. I caught his solo near the middle/end of the show and man is it rough. I kept wanting to turn it off, but for some reason didn't.

[425]

Lars is competent, that is true. I don't think he's capable of more than competent anymore, so I'll take that.

[TioJorge]

Fucking christ almighty, were Kirk's fingers frozen? That was horrid. Yeah, saying that it sounded like a really bad cover is not an exaggeration at all. That was really, really bad.

...and I just listened to Creeping Death.

But dog bless those rawking old men. *Sigh* Aging sucks no matter who you are, but if you're old metal heads it's bittersweet and kind of cute, honestly. I can only hope that one day I can watch James with his cane of fire and oxygen tank, Kirk with his metal arm, Lars in a wheelchair drum kit...and then there's Rob in the corner, wondering what the fuck he's doing, being all crabby.

[Kotowboy]

Lars has definitely improved . Back in 2006 or so - you used to watch a show on edge waiting for Lars to trainwreck something.

Now that almost never happens but he still pushes the tempo .

Kirk ? Oh Dear.

I'm hoping the 20 years they've spent in the studio for this new album has improved Lars playing. When they came out of the studio in 2003 - they were tight as shit.

At least they're all good in the studio.

[jasc15]

Kirk is really disappointing.  It was most noticeable to me during that long triplet lead part during For Whom The Bell Tolls.  That's how I sound when I try to play it.

I know it's common for live performances to be faster than studio, but it seemed like Lars had no intention of keeping a reasonable tempo, and just went as fast as he could.  Metallica has always been that way, though.

[kaos2900]

There was a time in my life when I Metallica was my life. I watched all of their DVDs and listened to them constantly. It still amazes me how much I simply don't care about them anymore.

[425]

Kirk is really disappointing.  It was most noticeable to me during that long triplet lead part during For Whom The Bell Tolls.  That's how I sound when I try to play it.

Yep. On Creeping Death I figured, maybe it's just that it's his first solo of the night and he'll warm up. But when I heard that part, I said out loud, "Oh, so Kirk is just going to completely phone it in."


At this point, to me, James Hetfield is Metallica. He and Rob Trujillo always put on at least a pretty good show.

[jasc15]

There was a time in my life when I Metallica was my life. I watched all of their DVDs and listened to them constantly. It still amazes me how much I simply don't care about them anymore.

Same here.  Throughout the 90's they were basically my entire world of music.  I had no basis of comparison, so they were gods to me.  Even now, watching the live shit videos they were still quite sloppy.  And that was after a long period of studio and touring work.  Dream theater was the first band that I "allowed" myself to like after holding Metallica in such high regard (I had always dismissed anything that wasn't Metallica.  Hey, I was a teenager.)   It was such an awakening to see a band with such chops and able to perform it so precisely.  I still love Metallica, but I don't think I could come to like them as an adult.

[Train of Naught]

I do want to give them props for, after doing this for so long, they still have tons of energy on stage, and each one of them is having a lot of fun it seems. I got a huge smile on my face when watching Kirk and Rob goof around during the For Whom the Bell Tolls intro. For this reason I probably won't regret going to see them whenever they tour Europe again, I have yet to see them live and I'm still a huge fan of their live videos even though they don't sound as good as they used to.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Man, playing the same songs for 30-40 years must get boring after a while.

Everything I thought of this show was already stated in this thread, so I won't indulge too much with that.

[Dellers]

Metallica must have the worst drummer of any well known band. It's embarrassing to listen to, honestly.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

In my perspective, the thing is: Lars helped build a metal drumming school. Lots of modern metal has its foundations in what Metallica did back in the 80s, so that's a pretty big call. If you listen to his insane drumming in AJFA, a record made before the times of studio cosmetics, triggering, quantization, etc. you'll realize that he was indeed great back in the day. Sadly, he just didn't care that much about practicing and technique and became sloppy as hell and basically a joke of what he used to be. One would think that playing the same damn songs every night for 30 years might help you nail them perfectly, but that's obviously not the case.

The same goes for Kirk. What the hell happened to him?

[pogoowner]

I'm watching now, and Kirk just butchered the beginning of For Whom the Bell Tolls so badly.

Edit: The Fade to Black solo really went off the rails, too. I don't want to pick on him too much, though.

[ozzy554]

I do want to give them props for, after doing this for so long, they still have tons of energy on stage, and each one of them is having a lot of fun it seems. I got a huge smile on my face when watching Kirk and Rob goof around during the For Whom the Bell Tolls intro. For this reason I probably won't regret going to see them whenever they tour Europe again, I have yet to see them live and I'm still a huge fan of their live videos even though they don't sound as good as they used to.

THIS ^^^

I can forgive sloppiness as long as they put on a good show. Also I'm not one to normally pick up on these things unless their pointed out to me so that helps (although kirk on FWTBT was pretty bad.)

[Progmetty]

Looks like Mr. Hammet skipped rehearsals, I mean he does have slip ups but not for every song for the entire show, this was pretty bad
Hetfield voice is not great either.

[425]

I think I must be the only person who prefers Hetfield's contemporary vocal performances to the ones from when he was at the top of his game. Though his rough voice worked well for the kind of music they played, his current vocal style is more human and emotionally deep, which I prefer.

[Fluffy Lothario]

If you listen to his insane drumming in AJFA, a record made before the times of studio cosmetics, triggering, quantization, etc. you'll realize that he was indeed great back in the day.

I’ve never heard a live version, even an old one, where he actually did the cool rolling double bass thing at the start of Harvester of Sorrow. It’s like he busted his ass to pull that off in the studio, and doesn’t attempt it live - because it’s too difficult or something? I’m no drummer, but I think by the standards of your average metal drummer, that’s really quite playable.