For nearly forty years the San Francisco based thrash metal band Metallica has reigned supreme as modern day legends. Throughout their career, the band has generated a massive following of hardcore and loyal fans.

The fans’ love for the group proved strong as many stood out in the rain to pre-game at the Metallica Block Party, an event put on by 93X which featured a Metallica themed beer entitled Enter Night (it tasted just like Metallica and that’s a good thing).

Attending this concert with me was my brother Tyler who proclaims that Metallica is “his religion.” Religious is one way to describe the Metallica fan base. The band welcomed new fans to the “Metallica family” in church like fashion.

Growing up with a Metallica super fan for a brother, I was exposed to their discography at a young age. Of all the times I’ve seen them this was the group’s most diverse set list to date. The thrash metal legends hit the stage with the title track off their 2016 release, Hardwired and followed with “Atlas Rise.” The band offered some deep cuts as well with songs such as “No Leaf Clover.” The set highlights were classics “Master of Puppets,” and “Enter Sandman.”

My personal favorite moment of the night is when they played “The Memory Remains” off their album Reload. Load and Reload are among my favorite Metallica albums, so hearing this cut got me out of my seat and screaming just as loud as my super fan brother.

The overall production was impressive. The band played in the round with dozens of floating screens ascending up and down throughout their performances, which made for epic photo opportunities.

Well into their 50’s, the guys performed for over two hours with non-stop energy. However, they were not without missteps. The track “Spit Out the Bone” proved to be a weak point for the band as all members were out of sync, leaving my brother shouting insults to the drummer, Lars.

Additionally, a divisive cover of Prince classic “When Doves Cry” left the audience (and currently the internet as a whole) wondering if it was, “epic or an epic fail”.

The show did not have a proper opening band. Instead, comedian Jim Breuer acted as the host of the pre-show. He did an excellent stand up set for about twenty minutes before becoming an annoyance that made the long wait for the show even longer.

Despite his difficult job of holding down the fort before the concert, Breuer raised some excellent points about the band as he recapped their history, did spot-on impressions of the group, and joked that in the future we will all be moshing in nursing homes when Metallica is considered classical music.

Despite any missteps, one can hardly complain. For nearly 40 years Metallica has been packing rooms, producing albums that have stood the tests of time, and putting on shows that few artists can beat. This show is proof that Metallica is the best there ever will be.

The greatest part of this concert was being there with my brother. Even though we were in the nosebleeds, he was up- screaming, jumping, throwing his fists in the air, and basically giving himself a black eye. His enthusiasm was met with high fives and praise from the older fans surrounding us. With fans ranging from ages 6-60, this sold-out show at Target Center proves that Metallica is more than a band- Metallica is a revolution.

Setlist:

Hardwired Atlas, Rise! Seek & Destroy Harvester of Sorrow No Leaf Clover Now That We’re Dead Creeping Death For Whom the Bell Tolls Halo on Fire Breadfan by Budgie The Memory Remains Moth Into Flame Sad but True One Master of Puppets Spit Out the Bone Nothing Else Matters Enter Sandman