METALLICA rocks!!!

For those who think i am wholesome and sweet and mellow and mild, think again. I have a dark side...and i let it all come out last night during the METALLICA concert at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. It was a blast...the ultimate gathering of headbangers! I watched it with Fil who was also celebrating his birthday and three of our die-hard-Metallica-veterans friends. I was literally gritting my teeth, clasping my hands together, on the edge of my seat peering down waiting for James, Kirk, Lars and hmmm Robert (the bass guitarist whose name i found out later...he's the newest member by the way) to come out of the opening below me. Everyone who has been sitting there and patiently waiting for an hour or so was enveloped with renewed enthusiasm. For a moment it felt surreal...like it wasn't really happening, that i wasn't really there. Then the crowd went wild, James and company ran to the stage and started the party. It was a really loud party, similar to being in a cockpit. The crowd sang to every song, threw a fist to every beat and yeah, banged their heads endlessly. I wasn't familiar with their latest album Death Magnetic but the feverish sensation enveloping the pavilion was too contagious for me and Fil to fight...and so we found ourselves also throwing fists in the air and banging our heads...so liberating! yeahhh...! It was the first time for me and Fil to see Metallica - we missed their concert last year 'coz we spent the holidays in the Philippines - so we proudly raised our hands when James scanned the crowd for Metallica virgins!

My love affair with Metallica started in the early 90s, at the height of the success of their Black Album. A college friend introduced me to their songs and i instantly fell in love with them. My favorites are The Unforgiven, Unforgiven II, Low Man's Lyric, Enter Sandman. Back then, we would be jamming to the songs at the rooftop of their house in Caloocan City, Metro Manila. Believe it or not, i can even play the guitar intro of Nothing Else Matters that i wouldn't hesitate to fill in for Kirk in case he succumbs to mental block while performing onstage. hihihi...obviously one of my fantasies...just the thought of it excites me. LOL... nah, i'm not that good hahaha!!! Still, i'm proud of it. One may not notice me at all when i'm playing the guitar but it always surprises everyone when they hear me play Metallica.

Sadly, the concert last night was more about their new album so i was a little disappointed (though i expected it) that they sang more of their new songs rather than be nostalgic about their past hits. I couldn't forgive them for not singing any of the Unforgiven songs but i was thrilled beyond words when they sang Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman. Overall the band performance was wild but not as 'wild' as one who has never been to a heavy metal concert before would imagine in a heavy-metal concert e.g. guitar smashing, lots of swearing, burning the stage...stuff like that. I guess age, experience, family life and the variety of their fan base have tamed the band down a bit. After all, they have nothing more to prove: they are already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! No more need for drama. The guys on the floor pushing each other and attempting to climb the stage were fun to watch, no marijuana smoker within my 5-feet radius and the lighting effects and laser show were blindingly dazzling. It was a natural high! So happy i was part of the party... It felt for me like a graduation of some sort, the culmination of a life-long dream. Now i can go on with the rest of my life :)

Here's my favorite Metallica song, definitely in my top 5 favorite love songs. Heavy metal band singing a love song with full orchestra, only Metallica can pull of something like that.

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