Metallica rocks the shark tank

December 19, 2009 • written by Lawson Navarro

A shark tank holds back beasts of the sea with the capability to tear one to shreds.  On Saturday, December 12, however a different kind of shark tank held back hordes of metal fans hungry for nothing but a dose of Metallica.

The HP Pavilion (referred to as the “shark tank” because it houses San Jose Sharks games) hosted a night of hardcore sounds courtesy of Denmark band—Volbeat; Oakland locals—Machinehead; and gods of rock—Metallica.

Surrounded by a sold out crowd, the center stage was the center of attention for foreign band, Volbeat.  The singer noted the year marked their first time performing in the USA.  While an established band in their neck of the woods, Volbeat worked to set the tone for the night.  With Elvis-like vocals backed by a sound mixture of metal and country, the performance was just right for the arriving of fans who only came to see Metallica.  Midway through their set, they performed their single “Sad Man’s Tongue” dedicated to Johnny Cash; oddly enough the song carries undertones of the country legend as well.

Once off the stage, the setup for Oakland’s very own Machinehead began.  From touring with Slayer to even playing at Ozzfest, their performance was another walk in the park for the band.  Knowing just how to pump up the crowd and keep things loud, the band performed hits from their 2007 album, The Blackening.  It was at this point when moshing began and headbanging commenced for the concert.  The drummer even had his own little show going on.  He played a game of catch with his drumstick with a roadie out in the crowd.  Towards the end of their set, frontman Robb Flynn, spoke to the crowd saying that Metallica was the band inspiring them when they were young and formed in the early 90s.  At this point, it was appropriate for them to play their last song and leave the stage for Metallica to take on the rest of the night.

With practically a 30 minute setup and wait time for the culmination of everyone’s excitement.  Seats and entire rows that were once empty, were filled before the lights faded to black.  “Ecstasy of Gold” cued and fans whined to the opera singer’s tunes.  Immediately after their age-old introduction ended, heartbeats pulsated…literally.  The audio of “That Was Just Your Life” opened, then the band themselves took over the rest and played the multitude of heavy chords that launch the song from Death Magnetic, the band’s latest album.

“We are here to make you feel better, and you are here, whether you know it or not, to make us feel better”, frontman James Hetfield said.  And he did complete his mission.  The first older song that was played was “Ride The Lightning,” which churned massive crowd approval and piercing notes.  While at times the flow of the show was disrupted by songs from Death Magnetic (your typical Metallica fan wants to hear the classic stuff), the band was able to make the most of it by providing better quality than the recordings themselves.  Sometimes the sound quality was less than desirable, such as “Master of Puppets” and “Fight Fire With Fire” which sounded more like an incoherent collection of heavy chords than the synchronized progression of the recordings.

Even through the pure chaos and of the music and pyrotechnics on stage, however, the band slowed it down for “Nothing Else Matters” and picked it right back up to “Master of Puppets.”

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and Metallica decided to bring the night to an end with the hit from Kill ‘Em All, “Seek and Destroy.”  James and the rest of the band accomplished their mission and brought justice for all metalheads who attended.

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Tagged: concert, Metallica, review  

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