Review: Metallica Cinema Experience

By SAMANTHA GRAY

METALLICA drew 100,000 fans – from the very young at their first concert to the more mature punter most following the band for 40 years – to this show in Texas.

And they used every inch of the 360 degree stage at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington really well so there were no bad seats in the packed house.

The Bay Area titans connected and engaged with the audience more than I remember them do before.

‘Tallica had a real air of gratitude. Bassist Robert Trujillo was continually going into the crowd playing and vocalist James Hetfield even lent down to let some lucky fans touch a holy grail of metal history, his prized ‘Carl’ guitar.

For those not in the know, ‘Carl’ was constructed from wood used from the bands old garage when they lived at 3132 Carlson. This is where albums such as Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning were conceived.

I hope if they come to Melbourne with this tour they bring this show to the MCG, a perfect venue for this set-up.

I didn’t enjoy the 45 minutes of cameras in the crowd watching the fans whilst musicians played Metallica songs in the background prior to the real thing coming on.  I get that it’s for hype and to make you feel part of the crowd but 15 to 20 minutes would have been ample.

As for the cinema experience I really enjoyed it! I was in a Vmax Village Cinema, to which I had not been before. The seats were large , comfy and plush with lots of leg room and the cinema and screen were HUGE! Perfect for this type of viewing.

The way the camera work was done really drew the viewer in and made him or her feel they were part of the crowd – but with the best seats in the house!

I was so engrossed in the experience at one point I actually said to my friend ‘I’m going to the bar to get a JD, want anything?’ Then I realised: nope I’m actually at the cinema!

It was great to see Metallica still have it. They radiated amazing energy and and sounded fantastic as well. As we know, a few touring and ageing bands don’t always sound so great these days.

Definitely a great experience to immerse yourself in for some Saturday night escapism, so I definitely recommend checking it out tomorrow night for night two, which has a completely different set list.