Tonight I walked into a movie theater and watched heavy metal history … being made. The “Big 4” thrash metal bands were playing in one concert in Bulgaria. In case you didn’t know already, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica are revered as innovators and giants of the thrash/speed metal genre. Some would argue that maybe Exodus belongs in that group as well, but the popular vote is these four bands. Well, they all played a show in a giant soccer stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria and the show was broadcast live on television throughout that country and (somehow) simulcast via satellite to movie theaters all across the USA (and the rest of the world, I presume).
It was already making history to put these four bands on the same bill, but to broadcast it this way was exceptional and completely historic. Someday people will look back on this event and point to it as precedent-setting.
I was curious to see what the atmosphere would be like at a big movie theater. Would the parking lot be filled with marijuana smoke, blaring car stereos, and the sound of beer bottles being knocked over and smashed? Would it be a rowdy, midnight-movie type crowd? I didn’t experience any of this, but the place was pretty full when I strolled in … just a few minutes after Anthrax had started its set. Midway through their heavy and romping groove-heavy show (and after the song “Indians”), they jumped into a cover of “Heaven and Hell.” Joey Belladonna yelled, “We love you, Ronnie!” paying tribute to the former Elf/Rainbow/Black Sabbath singer that died just a month or so ago. It was a good rendition of the heavy, plodding song. The crowd in the stadium went nuts, bobbing up and down to the groove.
Interesting side note: I noticed each member of Anthrax wearing a black t-shirt that had a Darth Vader looking emblem on the front, with double-A’s fit into the design on the back as well, but the left sleeve of each shirt looked like it had the Demon Hunter logo on it. Hmmm.
After the quickest set change ever…
I wondered how they were going to handle this with four bands sharing an outdoor stadium show … but it was a delayed simulcast, so it was edited to fit a 3.5 to 4-hour show in theaters. Anthrax was playing at daytime, so the camera footage had adequate light, but the clarity and visual quality would improve as the sky got darker at the end of the show. Anyway, after Anthrax bowed to the crowd and said goodbye a giant logo for Megadeth came on the screen with a big swooshing sound that was as loud as a jet airplane landing and easily a few db’s louder than the concert volume level. It went by in a flash and then Megadeth was on stage.
“Here we go,” said Dave Mustaine as the band started jamming. Unfortunately for them, it started raining. I didn’t envy the crowd, but I was worried for the musicians on stage. I didn’t relish the thought of seeing one of these musical heroes electrocuted on the big screen. Fortunately, it did not last their whole set.
No one can deny these guys their chops. Lead guitarist Chris Broderick especially shreds like a madman. Overall, Megadeth is kind of a vibe band. Many of their tunes can sound like a whiplash collage of sound flying by, but the playing skills and talent are indeed on full display.
Concert films are usually pretty nice, but this one was superb. These players all looked larger than life on these big screens. It felt like you were on the front row, seeing these guys tower on the 25-to-30-foot theater screens. I have to say the audio was pristine, too.
Slayer came on pretty casually, but quickly showed why they are one of the world’s best speed metal bands of all time, as they ripped through the title track of their new album, World Painted In Blood. A couple of the guys were practically in costume, with guitarist Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King sporting garish gear (like shin and knee pads and a Heineken-looking logo that sported his last name on 3 different guitars Hanneman used; and giant spiked wrist guards and large chains hanging from King).
Dave Lombardo and band stop on a dime when the song is over. It’s almost breathtaking how quickly the aural onslaught becomes silence with no sustain or reverb echoing on. Tom Araya said something in Bulgarian, to which the crowd loved.
It was cool to see the monstrosity of a stage, but how simple and intimidating it was. Slayer played with six triple-stacks of Marshall cabinets on either side of the drumset. The band pretty much just stands there and wails away at high speed. But it’s not dull. Araya towers over the microphone, looking like a giant teddy bear. Seeing Lombardo so close-up gives the viewer a huge appreciation for the guy’s skills and feel. This is thrash metal.
Man! They can stop on a dime!
The panoramic shots from the back of the stage, over the shoulder of the players and looking into the vast crowd are just awesome.
Between Slayer and Metallica, instead of a swooshing no-time set-change, the guys in the “big 4” shared thoughts on the late Ronnie James Dio. Most of the guys had funny anecdotes about the legendary metal singer.
When Metallica came on it was pretty much finally nightfall, and the stage lighting was most brilliant and made for better visuals. “For Whom The Bell Tolls” sounded great. There was lots of fun onstage interplay – especially from Robert Trujillo. And James Hetfield? Dude looks just like Bruce Fitzhugh – black shirt and pants and all.
Kirk Hammett played fluid and with lots of feeling throughout the night. I couldn’t help but recall his moments with producer Bob Rock on those old video tapes about the making of the Black album, where he was instructed to show restraint with his leads. Anyway, at one point he did a little solo and he breaks into the Michael Schenker licks of the UFO song, “Rock Bottom.” Very nice tip of the hat there. Dude played with a strip of tape over his right hand. Wonder what that’s about…
Metallica especially had lots of great composite shots of players. You’d see a giant screen above the riser behind the drumset, which might flow from Trujillo and Hammett to Ulrich while Hetfield was singing. It was a superb job.
The song “One” started off with a long intro of gun fire and pyro. It came off well. The crowd sang along to “Master of Puppets.”
Back to the great audio quality: Unlike some live albums, the sonics were amazing and clear. Like, before “Nothing Else Matters,” where Hammett and Hetfield pick the soft intro, it was still and quiet. Yet during the slow chorus, you could hear the crowd sing along en-masse. Hetfield sang the song half-resting on a barstool. How metal is that?!
“Enter Sandman” came off great. The performance certainly wasn’t perfect and sounded like it was not at exactly the right pace all the time, but overall it was a majestic moment.
For an encore they brought all four bands on stage. They played a Diamondhead song called “Am I Evil.” It was a good choice, because it utilized the multiple players effectively and didn’t sound or look cheesy. It was a historic moment for a historic show. I mean, just seeing Dave Mustaine jamming along next to Hetfield was like a miracle of grace. Very cool. The crowd in the theater, pretty much for the first time of the night, roared with approval when this collaboration was announced. After the song ended, Metallica kept on playing encores. They did a song from Kill ‘Em All … and then another. Hetfield announced the last song as, “Our new favorite ending song … where you sing out loud and you end up losing your voice, and you lose your mind and maybe lose your car keys.” It was “Seek and Destroy” and the crowd did good.
What a great night for metal. The first tweet I posted after this show was: “Dear Heavy Metal, I love you!” That about sums it up. I mean, seeing these guys jam made me relish another shot on stage with my old band, maybe running through the Mustaine-ish vocal attack in our tune “Temptation.” A good show will often do that. I’ll wander in my imagination and think about performing myself. I don’t know what it is about that fantasy, but it’s almost how I judge a good show. If I go to “that place” in my head at some point, it was good.
Look for this concert to show up on DVD at some point in the future.
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