Metallica live in India – an epic thrashfest

Today, when I think back a few years and recall the first time I played Metallica‘s 1983 classic Kill ‘Em All there was this force besides me that said “You’re never alone, metal is always with you“. It was at that moment when I learnt one of life’s biggest lessons that I should not give a fvck about any kind of trash in life. This album made me feel that powerful. And the rest, as every tom, dick and harry says, is history. I did not choose metal, metal chose me and that is how it works.

Back then I did not have the slightest of idea that playing Metallica was going to be a turning point in my life, a moment that I would be remembering years later. At that time thinking about watching Metallica live was only a thought in some corner of our minds. With very believable stuff happening in our country off-late with respect to metal, right now the Metallica event might not make you go nuts.  I suggest you hold on till that very moment when the lights on stage would come on and the four legendary figures would be staring down at you!

For me the party begins from tomorrow as I leave for the capital of Karnataka tonight. Agenda includes meeting friends and loads of pub-hopping complete with visiting Styx (I make sure I visit this place every time I’m in Bangalore).

Somehow whenever I try and picturize myself going to Palace Grounds, Bangalore on Sunday the 30th of October in an auto-rickshaw, I see myself telling the rickshaw-wala “bhaiyya, palace grounds chaloge?“. And he’d be like “haan, main bhi wahin ja raha hoon“. Everybody has heard Metallica at least once and this concert is going to be enormous. And we all will be a part of it.

The first time Iron Maiden played in Bangalore I almost got crushed. For Metallica we’ll be seeing multiple generations of fans coming together. You might want to carry an oxygen mask. The wait is finally over. As we are very close to witnessing Metallica – one of the grandest band that metal has ever seen – on our own soil. Can you feel the goosebumps already?

See you all in Bengaluru!

Also read - Karnivool line in India – a sweet overdose of music | Lamb of God live in India – Requiem for a Dream

gig review : Rock ‘N India 2011 featuring Metallica

This piece of article is not a review, but an experience. It’s the description of a dream I lived. All throughout the concert I was standing with folded hands, and was amazed at the way things were unfolding.

Along with that single visible star in the sky, there were (or seemed to be) more than fifty thousand beings who had gathered to watch thrash veterans Metallica headline this year’s Rock ‘N India at Palace Grounds, Bangalore on 30th of October, 2011. The event was brought to you by DNA Networks.

Metallica came, they saw, they erupted. By the time a few songs got over I was busy trying to get a clear glimpse of the legends. Trying to describe how tight Metallica played would amount to a criminal offence. Those of you who missed the concert just missed it. There is no other way it can be put. James Hetfield is still so freaking handsome that he can give all the current Hollywood actors a run for their money. Lars Ulrich cannot sit still on his throne, he just cannot, he is the most athletic in the band. Kirk Hammett with his goon-like appearance takes the cake, while Robert Trujillo is spot-on and dynamic.

Glitches that could be rectified -

1. The E-ticket redeeming counter wasn’t opened till it was dark. Does that mean all those people who booked tickets online (including the international fans) are jobless wanks? Online booking is done because it is easier sitting at home no matter which part of the globe you are from, and here we had fans standing in a static line for hours on end just to exchange a dumb piece of paper for a ticket. This window should have been open the entire day.

2. Security guards responsible for letting people into the concert need to keep their cool while doing their job. Agreed it is frustrating and you have to come across morons while you are working but then so are fans who paid a few thousand rupees and have been standing in the line for hours. Imagine the plight of those who booked their tickets online. They had to redeem their tickets and then behave themselves in the second line, so they had to fight the battle twice.

3. It is not only necessary but important to have a good band open for Metallica. Come on, it’s METALLICA. Only satan knows how Guillotine made it till here but the crowd told me this band from Delhi sucked so bad that it was more like an insult to watch them live. On a brighter note we had Inner Sanctum who got to play lesser songs but owned the crowd with their energy.

4. After the event got over instead of just removing the layer of black cloth that surrounded the entire venue, people were made to come out through small gaps in between which could have caused a potential stampede had this not been the Bangalore gig. Yea, you understood my point.

5. This was no ordinary event. It could have been made more spectacular by increasing the use of fireworks.

Those of you who weren’t present lost one chance to watch a lot of Metallica’s older classics. It makes no sense for me to explain how many people cried during Nothing Else Matters, how many were running around during Master of Puppets and how many pulled out their hair when they heard the first note on Seek & Destroy. It was just magical and the feeling hasn’t sunk in yet.

Here’s the setlist :

Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fuel
Ride the Lightning
Fade to Black
Cyanide
The Memory Remains
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Sad But True
All Nightmare Long
One
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

Encore :

Am I Evil?
Battery
Seek & Destroy

But sweet news for each and everyone is that Metallica sent out positive vibes to the crowd and promised they would be back soon. Die-hard fans who missed the ill-fated Gurgaon concert should open their windows and breathe in fresh air now, after having inhaled some undying fart that killed it all. You are smart enough to get the pun there, aren’t you?

Always remember that there isn’t a bigger metal gig happening in India anytime soon because at the moment there isn’t a band bigger than Metallica on this planet. Achieving the level of fame a metal band named Metallica has, is impossible and it can never be duplicated.

All the dicks and cunts present at Palace Grounds left the venue satisfied. Or should I say the Metallica family felt the concert was totally worth the wait. Oh yeah!

[ Pictures - courtesy of metallica.com ]

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Metallica live in India – an epic thrashfest