As far as the Metallica concert itself goes, it was magnificent.  That too even though it was a live broadcast to cinemas all across the world. Thankfully PVR INOX picked up the tab and decided to let fans in India experience the thrill of watching the Metallica – M72 World Tour from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

The global theatrical event saw the band play two nights on Friday 18th and Sunday 20th in the US, with two completely different set lists, songs from their 40 plus year career, covering around 30 songs, with each show having around 16 songs each.

Metallica performed two nights in Arlington, TX, after which the same was live broadcast on the big screen in PVR INOX cinemas in India and worldwide on 19th and 21st August.

Watching the concert at the PVR INOX theatre in Lower Parel, Mumbai, the sound was completely mind blowing as were the special effects, with lights and fire that really flared up the emotions of members of the audience who had to sit to watch the two hour spectacle on both days.

Metallica promised their fans "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. And they kept their promise. Though we did not get to watch the support acts, watching Metallica live was incredible and more than enough.

The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to center stage, with fans so close to their idols that you really can’t get close enough more than that. With this round stage, you had fans with a 360 degree view of the show, with state of the art multi camera set up getting every angle for you sharp and crisp. So even though we were sitting in the theatre, you still felt you were in the middle of the action.

Every member of Metallica, namely guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, rocked their hearts and lungs out for a solid 2 hours. Not many hard rock bands can pull off a stadium show these days, but the group formed in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich showed that they still have that boundless energy. Their fans matched it by either sitting in the stands of the packed 1,000,000 capacity arena or standing for the entire concert.

I attended both concert broadcasts and one thing I noticed was how the concert brought both older fans, some wearing Metallica T-shirts, some sleeveless tees, parents together with their younger kids and also a few lil babies with headphones strapped to their heads.

The shows of Metallica, their music and appeal is timeless. On Friday night they played a tight, engaging 16 set songs that included songs like the opening Creeping Death, Leper Messiah, Welcome Home, Orion among others. They did play a few songs from their new album, which was released in April.

How many people are here seeing Metallica for the very first time?” Hetfield screamed into the mic, which responded with an unexpectedly large cheer.

“Welcome to the Metallica family. This is the family that doesn’t fit in. You fit in perfectly.” screamed  Hetfield, while at another moment he asked a young fans age, resulting in Hetfield saying he was much younger than him.

As for the other songs, the band played all my favorite songs, Nothing Else Matters from all their albums released earlier in their career, and of course the hard hitting Hardwired and a wonderful rendition of Seek & Destroy and Master Of Puppets with which they ended night one.  It was just perfect from start to finish.

Fans of the band who love those long, driving, pulsating guitar solos were not disappointed, you had a few head bangers leave their seats and rock the night in front of the screen, grooving to the “metal” in every song. A few also ran into the aisles while singing the legendary band’s songs that were playing, from air guitars of Trujillo’s bass parts, to Ulrich’s furious pounding on the drums or even Hammet’s guitar solos, it was all there to see, rock was in the house. Hetfield’s vocals were top notch with his ‘Yeaaah’ making the crowd scream in unison.

In his imitable style and grinning widely, he remarked to the crowd, “What else should we play?” “Have we played your favorite song yet?”

Night Two had another wonderful set of songs, which if compared proved to be the better of the lot. While the setlist didn’t overlap, what we liked was the show erupting with songs like Whiplash, One, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Enter Sandman. Some of the loudest roars from the crowd during the night came for the band’s classic Whiskey in the Jar was another hot piece with an eclectic catchy guitar solo.

The concerts were rip-roaring evenings filled with old friends, time-tested tunes, a horde of black-and-yellow beach balls getting tossed all over and into Ulrich’s drum set too. The tongue wagging drummer showed his prowess in the songs and towards the end of the show, throwing drumsticks into the crowd. Hammet, Trujillo and Hetfield followed suit and were also seen throwing plectrums into the crowd, while also greeting their fans.

The Concert tour comes in support of the American band's eleventh studio album '72 Seasons' released on 14th April, 2023. Metallica’s M72 World Tour, is scheduled to end in September of 2024 in Mexico City.

The arena had eight high towers that pictured what happened on the stage, to the audience who were seated on the stands. Metallica did not save on the stage decorum, with Ulrich’s drum set appearing and disappearing on stage electronically. The pyrotechnics and the projections on the screen were amazing.

The band was playing tight, the show was great and the energy and the sheer joy were definitely there. I feel good that bands like Metallica who play really non – complex music, can still bring so much intensity and quality to their shows.

As I left the theatre, my ears were still ringing, but it was completely worth it. Two nights of madness, I attended my first Metallica concert and it was everything I expected it to be and more. This is a great portrayal of what a good rock concert should be like. Hetfield plays the true axe man and you can see his seemingly endless energy and power in each song he sings.

The American band who are based out of San Francisco and have 9 Grammy awards, are loved by heavy metal - hard rock fans all over the world and India being a big market for the rockers. These concerts just prove they are not getting older and are still rocking and indestructible forever.

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira