Sadly....my favorite band has jumped the shark.
I knew I should have stopped after they opened US Bank Stadium last year....60k plus people losing their ever loving mind....previews of new songs, crazy energy, and the only US Show for 2017. That would have put me at a clean dozen shows I've seen them.
I should have stopped at a dozen.
This time around no opening bands; instead comedian Jim Brewer did a couple hours of Metallica impressions ... ugh. I'm sure Brewer came cheaper than carrying two or three extra bands on the tour.
They played the new stuff, which is cool. That's why I went....they played the obligatory old stuff (Master, One, For whom the Bell tolls) and they even played No Leaf Clover....which was cool since they have not played that live since 2011, but they also did this very awkward Prince bit where Kirk and Robert did a metal version of When Doves Fly....it was terrible.
This is the new James, the rehabbed James. He does not swear, he talks to the audience in this soothing voice about the Metallica family, he turned the lights on so he could see the youngest fans. This is Grandpa James, I'm sure Robert will get a talking to for dropping the F-Bomb once.
We've come a long way from the days of Alcoholica, that's for damn sure; and that's fine. They guys are in their 50's, but throughout the whole show I kept thinking about Rocky III. When he was in corporate mode, and Clubber Lang came and cleaned his clock. For the future of metal, I guess we could be so lucky, LOL.