Metallica<\/strong><\/p>\n Eden Park, Auckland<\/strong><\/p>\n Wednesday, November 19th<\/strong><\/p>\n Metallica hadn\u2019t set foot in New Zealand in 15 years \u2014 until last night. <\/span><\/p>\n Given this fact, their tour stop at Auckland\u2019s Eden Park felt less like a promo for their 2023 release 72 Seasons<\/em> and more like a greatest hits set that whispered (or perhaps screamed), \u201cThank you for your patience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Before the heavy metal juggernauts took to the impressively large and technically complex stage, two generations of rock royalty set an adrenaline-fuelled tone for the evening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First up was Suicidal Tendencies, vocalist and sole original member Mike Muir barking thrash classics such as \u201cSend Me Your Money\u201d and \u201cPledge Your Allegiance\u201d, the latter featuring Metallica bassist and ex-band member Robert Trujillo\u2019s crunchy riffs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian\/New Zealand music and globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Next was Evanescence, Amy Lee\u2019s live vocals immense as the band blasted through anthems like \u201cMy Immortal\u201d and, of course, \u201cBring Me to Life\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As the openers exited, a Metallica-esque taniwha bathing in red lightning graced the screens, an homage to the remarkable patience of Aotearoa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Just after 8pm, a montage of past crowds and behind-the-scenes tour shots filled the screens, supported by AC\/DC\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll)\u201d, before Ennio Morricone\u2019s \u201cThe Ecstasy of Gold\u201d and a scene from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly<\/em> \u2014 a 42-year Metallica staple \u2014 welcomed the fab four of metal back in front of a roaring sea of black band tees and dark denim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Credit: Tom Grut<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Without pause, the band broke into \u201cCreeping Death\u201d as lasers and towering screens bathed the stadium in red, an early sign the show wouldn\u2019t closely align with 72 Seasons <\/em>and\u00a0its distinctive yellow palette.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Drummer Lars Ulrich brandished a cacophony of carefree licks as lead guitarist Kirk Hammett sent riffs reverberating across the stadium, the band exploding through ageless classics like <\/span>\u201cFor Whom the Bell Tolls\u201d, \u201cThe Unforgiven\u201d, as well as the rarely-performed \u201cHarvester of Sorrow\u201d from 1988\u2019s \u2026And Justice for All<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For lead vocalist James Hetfield, this return offered redemption: his decision to enter an addiction treatment programme six years prior sidelined the band\u2019s previous world tour in support of their 2016 album Hardwired\u2026 to Self-Destruct<\/em>, leading to the cancellation of all shows across Oceania and extending New Zealand\u2019s wait to over a decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now in his 60s, Hetfield looked healthy, confident, and ready to be belting out Metallica hits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll speak for myself, I have the best job in the whole fucking world,\u201d he gleefully told the Eden Park crowd, who bellowed back in turn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n introducing Hammett and Trujillo, the leading men on strings honouring their host country with covers of two Kiwi classics: \u201cI Got You\u201d by Split Enz<\/a> and Six60\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Forget Your Roots\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The full band returned for headbangers such as \u201cThe Day That Never Comes\u201d and \u201cMoth Into Flame\u201d, as well as more Black Album<\/em> classics like \u201cNothing Else Matters\u201d and the reflective \u201cSad But True\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then came the biggest throwback: \u201cSeek & Destroy\u201d, taken from the band\u2019s debut Kill \u2018Em All<\/em>. The performance was paired with sky-scraping graphics of tickets from Metallica\u2019s New Zealand shows from decades past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Credit: Tom Grut<\/p>\n<\/div>\n After \u201cLux \u00c6terna\u201d, the only song of the night from their tour\u2019s namesake album, the the four-piece did what all bands of such cachet and legacy do: save their arguably big three songs for the very end, which by chance was timed alongside downpours that only fuelled the melodrama.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First came \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d, one of their earliest displays of heavy metal excellency, followed by <\/span>\u201cOne\u201d, a powerful anti-war anthem made more poignant by haunting visuals of undead soldiers, and finally \u201cEnter Sandman\u201d, perhaps the definitive Metallica song and certainly the one the Eden Park crowd knew better than the rest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After the crew and his bandmates doused Hammett in silly string \u2014 a celebratory prank for his 63rd birthday the day before \u2014 and a fireworks show, the masters of metal said their goodbyes and slipped away into backstage darkness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even past their supposed prime, Metallica not only sound tighter than ever but as passionate about their craft as when they were just starting out. <\/span>So even if Kiwi fans have to wait another 15 years to see them again, it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see them return in fine form, even in their 70s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Find Metallica\u2019s upcoming tour dates here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nLove Music?<\/h2>\n
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