On their M72 tour, Metallica decided to stop by Copenhagen for a weekend, playing in the Parken stadium both Friday and Sunday. We were there both days, Friday for fun and Sunday for work, so this is the show we’ll focus on here. so sit back, and (hopefully) enjoy the ride!

“Thanks for coming out on a Sunday for the M72 tour. It’s great to see you here!”
- James Hetfield (vocals/guitar)

What was even more special than the fact that Metallica was playing twice here, was that this was a tour where they literally changed the setlist up for each and every night, so no two gigs were exactly the same - and if that wasn’t enough, Rob Trujillo and Kirk Hammett got a little jamming session in every night, where they often played something of local flavour, but more on that later.
They also changed their support bands up, not everywhere, but they had four bands with them, and had two of them play per night. On Friday, these were Mammoth WVH and Architects, and on the Sunday we got Ice Nine Kills and Five Finger Death Punch.
So, as you can see, there was a lot to look forward to, and it was impossible to be sure of what we’d get, which was exciting and a fresh, bold move to take.

I had been extremely impressed with the way the show opened Friday, and didn’t exactly know which classics they would pull out of their hats to kick things off with this day, but after James had done a quick four count in Danish no less!, the band launched directly into Whiplash, and I knew we were in good hands. It was fast, it was furious (not even sorry), and it was a statement that even though the members of the band had grown older, they still had the bite necessary to put everyone in their place if need be.

The only major drawback here was the stadium itself. Parken doesn’t necessarily have the best audio qualities at the best of times, and with the removable roof covering the stadium, possibly because of the threat of heavy raining, things were muddy to say the least - luckily, Sunday didn’t see some of the technical issues Friday had, with some instruments dropping out once in a while. I guess there’s something to be said for playing the same venue several times in a row, so you get to finesse the technique that much more.

Another highly special thing about this tour was the new, specially designed stage. Just like D-A-D, Metallica keeps reinventing their show, and that is just one of the things that makes it fun to return year after year. This time around, they had made a completely circular stage which stood right smack down in the middle of the room, with VIP places inside the O and the regular Joe’s filling up the ranks outside. To their credit, all in the band did a great job of dividing their attention on both in- and outside, and also walking around the stage so that all sides got a bit of action. Heck, even Lars Ulrich’s drumkit was moved around the stage three or four times during the gig! Very cool, although also quite the time consumer, and it would have been better for the flow of the show, if they’d kept the songs coming. Yeah, they had musical interludes pre recorded for this event, but still, would have been nicer to see them actually perform.

Still, the number one reason to be here was the music, so how was that?
I mentioned the spectacular start already, and this was followed up by the double punch of For Whom The Bell Tolls and Ride The Lightning, before the band moved into more modern material (well, you know) with King Nothing bridging over to Lux Æterna and Too Far Gone?, later joined by Inamorata, which for me was the weakest link in the chain tonight, as it lacked the same oomph as the rest of the set did. Not a terrible nose-dive by a long shot, but that’s what it was.
Highlights are too many to count, but Fade To Black with Hetfield on acoustic guitar was way up there, and toCall Of Ktulu with Hetfield on a Cthulhu adorned Explorer was another favourite, even though that specific song will always be best in its S&M guise - fight me if you want, I know I’m right!
Anyway, this is as good a time as any to get back to the Trujillo/Hammett noodle I mentioned above. Now, on Friday that had been a little instrumental diddy they called All Nighter On The Hong Kong Bar, something I didn’t know before and it never really hooked, but this night they really appealed to the local audience by playing the Gasolin’ classic Rabalderstræde, with Trujillo on vocals, doing a pretty good Danish sounding delivery - bear in mind, we were still in Parken with the shitty sound, so a lot can be forgiven!

“How many here have a Metallica tattoo? How many here would like to have a Metallica tattoo? How many here want a Metallica tattoo but your mom said no?”
- Hetfield (vocals/guitar)

Metallica truly came, saw, and conquered. While there had been some issues on the Friday, both technically and with the show, the Sunday was a cemented experience pretty much from start to finish, with only truly minor issues that need not be mentioned or repeated here.
I highly enjoyed myself, and the band proved that they still got it and in spades, when they really want to!
And how wild was it that Ulrich didn’t get to speak until after the show was over and done with, and the rest of the members sent bucketloads of plecters flying!

Setlist (Sunday):

It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) (AC/DC song)
The Ecstasy Of Gold (Ennio Morricone song)
Whiplash
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Ride The Lightning
King Nothing
Lux Æterna
Too Far Gone?
Rabalderstræde (Gasolin’ cover)
Fade To Black
Wherever I May Roam
The Call Of Cthulhu
The Unforgiven
Inamorata
Battery
Moth Into Flame
One
Enter Sandman



Setlist (Friday):

It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) (AC/DC song)
The Ecstasy Of Gold (Ennio Morricone song)
Creeping Death
Harvester Of Sorrow
Hit The Lights
Leper Messiah
72 Seasons
If Darkness Had A Son
All Nighter At The Hong Kong Bar
The Day That Never Comes
Shadows Follow
Orion
Nothing Else Matters
Sad But True
Blackened
Fuel
Seek & Destroy
Master Of Puppets