Having tried desperately to get a ticket at the exact time tickets went on sale, and failing miserably, and waiting patiently for months, and then hastily getting a ticket VERY last minute on eBay (it didn't arrive until the morning, and there is always a risk of fakes), the extra money spent proved to be MORE than worth it, for it unexpectedly turned out to be the best night of this "blogger's" life so far. 12 days on, and I'm still in shock from it.
Was I wrong. I walked in, quite casually, to find the stage in the centre of a TINY ROOM. Well, tiny by Arena standards. Wembley Arena has lower capacity, I believe and that seemed much larger that this. What other junk have they filled the Dome, sorry - BUBBLE with, because the Arena itself does not count for much of it. (This is a good thing!)
My first event at the venue of the moment, O2 Arena, I wasn't impressed with the interior. WAY too big, I can't imagine what it was life before the conversion. Waiting in the queue, for not very long, I was expecting a ridiculous sized arena and a less than poor view, I mean, after all, 20,000 people were here for this sell out show.
Was I wrong. I walked in, quite casually, to find the stage in the centre of a TINY ROOM. Well, tiny by Arena standards. Wembley Arena has lower capacity, I believe and that seemed much larger that this. What other junk have they filled the Dome, sorry - BUBBLE with, because the Arena itself does not count for much of it. (This is a good thing!)So I casually walk to the stage, with a single ring of people at the barrier, and where did I comfortably end up? Right behind the one (short) person in front of me, clinging to the barrier. Hmm. I had only got a standing ticket as a last resort. I'm not a mosher, a dancer, not even a MOVER, but I was that close to the stage, I figured I would try my luck. After all, this IS Metallica.
The first support act, Sword, come on while crew still tinker with the amps and such. Seemed to amateur for an Arena, but this band were a DELIGHT. Not very interactive, they, in the words of review I read, put their heads down and rocked. Haha. Supports so often.. well, SUCK. However, the very few good support acts I have seen have been followed up by a disappointment, and this proved to be the case once more. Machine Head never managed to hold my attention, but to see them live... tedious would be the word. Eventually the crowd livened up, but I didn't feel it. Whereas I actually enjoyed Sword, the whole of Machine Head's set I was waiting for them to introduce their final song.
Metallica, as I probably should have anticipated, came on LATE, but WHO CARES, RIGHT?!
Bursting into new material from the mighty Death Magnetic, I was surprised how close they were. The centre-stage gave me a great view of Lars, while the other members interchanged positions to cover the stage. At one point, James Hetfield came right up to my corner and he was so close, I could nearly touch him! If only he had reached out his arm, I would have reached! I remember him reaching out further up the stage, but that wasn't a corner, and he couldn't quite reach the audience.
New song after new song was warmly greeted by what we all know goes well with new stuff: "Yeah, Old stuff!" Though, oddly, "One" was the only one that seemed to fade away from the night, because I couldn't recall them playing it until I came across a set list.
Getting crushed at the front for 15 to 20 minutes at my first standing arena gig, and one of the biggest metal acts in the world, was a bit overwhelming for this feeble 18-year-old introverted girl, so I wormed my way half-way back, near the exit (I had to leave early for the train anyway..) but was surprised to have STILL a good view. This supposed "arena" had won a place in my heart. Having an excellent full-view of the magnificent set, four Death Magnetic Coffins being maneouvered above the set, I was glad of my decision, because they had VERY HOT AND VERY COLOURFUL FIRE.
Having previously heard that their sets "go on a bit," I knew I would have to leave before the encore, so I made my way out as Nothing Else Matters faded out. Shame, because their next song was Enter Sandman, but after that gig, I don't really give a damn.
This was intended as a formal blog for formal reviews, but I can't be arsed. This one in particular was far too awesome to express formally. It feels like one of those weird, possibly life-changing moments, and I was incredibly lucky to be there.
Hetfield's response to the crowd seeming to like their new stuff was that they may have to come back for the next twenty years.
They'd better.
No comments:
Post a Comment