A look inside Metallica’s ‘WorldWired’ show
Fear the ellipses.
That’s one of the takeaways from Metallica’s latest record, “Hardwired … To Self-Destruct.”
It’s a mouthful, an earful, a bank account-ful: The band has grossed more than $200 million on its “WorldWired Tour” since early 2017.
With heavy metal’s biggest band hitting town in support of “Hardwired,” let’s take a look inside one of the most anticipated shows of the year:
Growing old without getting old
The song is about machines wiping humanity from the Earth like bugs from a windshield after a long drive through the countryside.
It’s an end for mankind that doubles as a new beginning for the 50-somethings banging it out like teenagers in their parents’ garage, putting both their adrenal glands and Mom and Dad’s patience to the test.
The tune in question, “Spit Out the Bone,” supplies the fierce finale to the rejuvenated-sounding “Hardwired,” concluding the album with clenched-teeth, clear-the-kids-from-the-room fury the way that “Damage Inc.” did on 1986’s “Master of Puppets” or “Dyers Eve” finished off 1988’s “… And Justice for All.”
Now, “Hardwired” isn’t quite on par with those two records, which isn’t a knock: Both are high on the list of best thrash releases of all time, back-to-back classics that define a genre in sweat, ambition and anger.
But, coming 33 years after Metallica’s 1983 debut, “Kill ’Em All,” “Hardwired” testifies to how well these dudes have aged — less like dairy products and Val Kilmer, more like wine and Liam Neeson.
The album’s doomsday title cut serves as a blast cap detonating some of the band’s most explosive material in years, from the exclamatory twists and turns of “Atlas, Rise!” to the lumbering, concrete-cratering swing of “Now That We’re Dead” to climactic epic “Halo on Fire.”
There’s a distinct difference between the passing of time and being passed by the times.
“Hardwired” embraces the former and avoids the latter.
Flying robots, dude, flying robots
Metallica is a band known for some remarkable live feats: blowing Ozzy Osbourne off the stage as an opening act in ’86; faking an equipment malfunction nightly on the “Load” tour and literally setting a crew member on fire each show; bringing Candlebox out on the road with them in the early ’90s and somehow emerging with reputation intact.
So, of course the “world’s first autonomous indoor drone swarm for a major touring act” would take place at a Metallica gig, with more than 100 of the things going airborne during “Moth Into Flame.”
The band’s current outing is their most elaborate yet.
When Metallica toured stadiums last summer, it took 48 semitrailers to transport the production from one city to the next and three days to set up the stage.
Though the venues are smaller this go-round, Metallica hasn’t scaled things back.
The stage, which occupies the center of the arena, boasts 83 laser fixtures and nearly 40,000 speakers, with 52 LED video cubes that ascend and descend during the show.
Drummer Lars Ulrich, who picks the songs the band plays every night, even has that down to a science: Not only does he consult Spotify data to see which tunes are the most popular in a given market, he reviews what the band has played in each city for the past decade or more to ensure that things stay fresh.
And they have: Metallica has not performed the same set list for the past 15 years.
Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme the punch lines that I desire
Hey, before we get to the song about being a limbless prisoner of your own flesh unable to convey your pleas for death to anyone who might be able to end your tortured existence — if you can even call it that — how about a few gut laughs?
Eschewing the traditional opening band, Metallica has recruited goat-mimicking “Saturday Night Live” veteran Jim Breuer to host their “Light It Up” preshow.
Metallica did something similar when touring behind “The Black Album” back in the day, screening a short documentary on themselves before hitting the stage in lieu of a warm-up act.
This time, though, Metallica is getting a bit more festive with a house DJ, fan giveaways and Breuer aping various livestock in the name of yuks.
Prepare for the Budweiser spit takes now.
Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @JasonBracelin on Twitter.
Preview
Who: Metallica
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: T-Mobile Arena, 3780 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Tickets: $75-$145 (702-692-1600)
