Finishing an epic run of gigs that I have been to in the last couple of weeks, I got the pleasure of seeing METALLICA; the Metal masters themselves not only headlined in one of Europe's largest indoor arenas but had some brilliant support with them (MACHINE HEAD and THE SWORD ). With the first UK tour they have done in ages and the first O2 date on the world Magnetic tour, to say I was excited was an understatement.

THE SWORD opened up the night to a half empty stadium but did their best to keep the crowd's attention. I wasn't overly sure on THE SWORD; I had heard a few tracks before hand and couldn't form and impression and that night the live performance only left me wanting more. The sound engineers had done an awful job on the mix; it was impossible to hear the vocals and the solos were difficult to hear as they slipped underneath everything else that was happening. The band also looked very uncomfortable on the stage (a rectangle stage in the middle of the arena...). They tried their best but expecting them to handle four front rows is a little unfair from METALLICA; they did move around quite a bit but looked very uncomfortable and nervous, I would like to see them when they come back to the UK as they had some nice riffs and looked like it could come together on a normal stage where a proper sound check is available.

MACHINE HEAD then followed up and sadly suffered from mainly the same problems. The guitars were barely audible and it was impossible to hear the vocals. Again like THE SWORD I would wonder whether either band was allowed to sound check. MACHINE HEAD were mostly a disappointment on the night and this wasn't just due to the sound mix. Phil Demmel tried his hardest to keep the crowd going, making his way around the four sides of the stage, doing dances and generally looked like he was enjoying himself. Rob Flynn on the other hand looked like he wanted to be somewhere else, he didn't even bother to go all the way around the stage to see the fans on the other side...which is a shame because the whole night was filled with chants of Machine-fucking-Head and I feel we were let down by the band.

The setlist was rather poor, for a support set they made some odd choice, leaving out songs like Aesthetics of hate and putting in the 8-minute Descend The Shades Of Night is just not a good idea when you only have a short amount of time to make an impression. Overall, very disappointing, I was looking as forward to seeing MACHINE HEAD as I was METALLICA; but I guess MACHINE HEAD need to be headlining to feel the full force.

Waiting for METALLICA was a nerve-racking. With the awful sound quality from the first two bands all fans were praying that it would get sorted before they took to the stage...and when METALLICA did eventually decide to hit the stage, it was nothing short of brilliant. The sound mix was perfect, could have been a bit louder, but everything was clear and audible. METALLICA came on, destroyed every single person in the arena with an impressive light show (I am talking laser lights, spotlights and giant revolving coffins that dropped from the ceiling and circled the stage) and plenty of pyros that showed why METALLICA is a band every Metal fan should see live. Fans were treated to a setlist that included just under half of Death Magnetic and plenty of surprises.

Damage Inc and Holier then Thou got put in the setlist (songs that hardly ever get played live) and hearing some of these rare classics was more then I (and the crowd) could ever want from a METALLICA set. Plenty of crowd interaction from James meant he kept all four front rows entertained for the mammoth 2-hour set which the band effortlessly played through. They then finished the night off with a cover of MOTORHEAD's Too Late Too Late (only the second time it has ever been played live) and then finally the biggest surprise of them all: Did I hear someone say Kill Em' All? James shouted out to the crowd before METALLICA blazed into Phantom Lord (!) and finally to Seek And Destroy. I don't think I need to even type the happiness I felt hearing Phantom Lord live.

Overall, METALLICA proved that they are still the kings live and if anyone is going to control a rectangular stage in the middle of the O2 arena, well it can only be them. If you have not seen METALLICA yet make sure you do, I am personally not a huge fan of the stage in the middle of the room as it means you don't have the big screen behind the band and you of course can miss your favorite solo or have to be staring at nothing while the rest of the band is over the other side of the stage, so try catch 'em on the extensive festival tour they are doing this summer!

(photos by Adam)

METALLICA