Metallica's theatre of metal unleashed

Metallica

LG Arena, Birmingham NEC

By Ian Harvey

Speed metal legends Metallica stormed the LG Arena in Birmingham, taking no prisoners and fired up like a band reborn.

As if out to prove a point after their disastrous St Anger album, Metallica confidently opened the show last night with the first two tracks off its brutal successor, Death Magnetic.

See our Metallica NEC photo gallery below

The rock veterans showcased almost all the new album in a two-hour-plus set that showcased the old and the new and showed that, nearly 30 years into their career, Metallica are virtually untouchable.

With the band playing 'in the round' on a central stage, Lars Ulrich took a central position on his revolving drum set while guitarist singer James Hetfield bellowed and growled, whipping up the crowd as lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo provided further sonic fireworks.

It was a set designed to please most sectors of the Metallica fanbase, with the big numbers including One, Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters supplemented by old favourites like Master Of Puppets and Sad But True, as well as the introduction for the first time ever at a Metallica concert of My Apocalypse.

With a 'floating coffins' light rig, lasers, pyrotechnics and even giant black Metallica beach balls, this was a concert big on theatre and production values.

There is always an air of gleeful violence at a Metallica show, both onstage and in the audience, and that was the case last night as the fans in what was effectively an extended moshpit around the stage hurled themselves around.

The last song of the night was Seek and Destroy.

The LG Arena is still standing . . . just.