METAL MARK'S LIVE REVIEW OF METALLICA IN ATLANTA!

If you don't know me, then you don't know the extent of love I have for Metallica. They are my favorite band of all time and have been changing my life daily since I was 11 years old. So you can imagine the excitement I had on Sunday when Metallica rolled through Atlanta after they haven't been here since 2004. The opening acts were two of my personal favorite metal acts to come out around the past 10 years- Lamb Of God and Gojira.

The sound for Gojira was not good at all, but they still played a killer quick set and got the crowd banging their heads. Then Lamb Of God hit the stage with a ton of energy and the pits starting circling around the main stage. I was in the front row for their whole set and right behind me was a brutal pit that lasted from their first song to the last. Randy from Lamb Of God was a great front man and he kept the crowd amped their whole set. I personally would have liked to hear a few more older tracks by Lamb of God, but it was still a killer show and great to see them on a huge stage. Then the wait for Metallica began.

We knew they were hitting the stage around 9:00pm but we all couldn't wait. Then all the sudden the lights finally went out and I knew exactly what was about to come on the speakers. I don't care how many times you've seen Metallica live, if you don't get chills when you hear 'The Ecstacy of Gold', something is wrong with you. Then the boys hit the stage with two new songs right from the start.

"That Was Just Your Life" and "The End Of The Line" were the two tracks that they opened with, and the crowd was louder than the band, screaming every word at the top of their lungs. After that James asked the crowd, "Do you like the old shit?" Of course everyone screams and they surprise everyone by busting into the classic "Ride The Lightning" and then "No Remorse." I was in heaven at this point, screaming every word until I couldn't take it. Luckily there was a break after "No Remorse" until I heard gunshots in the background of the speaker and knew "One" was about to destroy Philips Arena. Fire exploded on stage at random moments for the intro as James calmly walked onto the stage to play the classic intro. The crowd was definitely alive after this song and it is still my favorite song to hear live by any band in history. After "One" they played two new tracks off Death Magnetic, "Broken, Beat, And Scarred" and "Cyanide." The crowd really enjoyed the new tracks and you could tell the band enjoyed playing them. After those tracks James asked "Do you like it heavy?" Once again the crowd screams and James replied "Metallica Gives You Heavy Music!" The classic "Sad But True" riffs blew up the speakers and everyone's head was banging right along for the whole song. I was surprised at the next song as James played the intro to one of my favorite Metallica tracks "Sanitarium." I thought he was just jamming on the guitar and then they all came out and they played the whole song. It's such a powerful song and to see it live is something else. Definitely my highlight of the evening. Two more new songs "All Nightmare Long" and "The Day That Never Comes" were next and then the quick riff of "Master Of Puppets" broke through the air. The crowd erupted and the floor became a danger zone. People were flying everywhere and screaming every lyric at the same time. This songs still slays people after over 20 years, it's incredible. They played the full version, which made me happy, and then it was time for the duo of "Nothing Else Matters" and "Enter Sandman." The lights go off and we all know they aren't done. They can't be- it's Metallica. Then the lights came back and we knew we had 3 songs left. The encore included "Last Caress", "Hit The Lights", and "Seek And Destroy." It's always great to see the band play these songs to perfection after all the years, and they have more fun than ever!

It was a killer show, and I was once again a happy Metallica kid. They play loud and heavy, soft and powerful, and leave you breathless every time you see them. I'm happy I got to see them for my sixth time and I can't wait until I get to see my icons again. If they come through your city, you must go, it's life-changing."

Metal Mark