Metallica tears down the State with intense assault

Lars!!

As a thank you to their many fans, the local Detroit rock station 101 WRIF threw a little appreciation party at the quaint, darkened venue of the State Theater, bringing none other than drummer Lars Ulrich and the Metallica troupe to a die hard fan crowd of about 3,000. Since the only way to obtain tickets was to win them from the radio station, this big band/small club show was purely one for the memories.

Stepping into the State, the swirling, whirling neon lights accompanied the intense excitement with several hotty brunettes prancing in cages. The fans, ranging from teen "Load" rockers to late thirties "Kill 'Em All" supporters, swarmed into the little theater around 7 p.m. after many had waited outside in the wind-swept chill since 1 p.m. to get first dibs at the mosh pit.

To engage the slamming early on, the Toronto-based metal band Battery excitedly ran out on stage, their long tendrils flailing. Hand-picked by Metallica, Battery specializes in playing Metallica cover songs. Thus, it exploded into wonderful renditions of Metallica classics such as "Master of Puppets," "One," and a near perfect version of "Sad But True."

The smashing wave of the thoroughly riled crowd crashed back and forth as Battery's acid of sound triumphed in a definitive "Fade to Black." After watching the band play like Metallica, one sorry fan was a little too jostled as he lost his chance to see the real deal when the hyped-up security quickly escorted him out.

The seemingly endless 40-minute wait of drum checks following Battery's exit finally ended when Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett casually walked onto the stage. Quick to follow were fellow bassist Jason Newsted, lead singer James Hetfield and, in a black tank top and Marilyn Monroe running shorts, drummer Ulrich. And with that, they erupted into an all-out, non-stop, lightning-fast hour and 45 minute assault on the ears with ripping guitar riffs, intense drums and Hetfield's taunt, ferocious vocals.

In promotion of a new double disc album, "Garage Inc.," Friday's show was one stop on a very small four city tour also including Chicago, Toronto and New York. "Garage Inc." includes cover songs from the band's out-of-print selections, "Garage Days Revisited" and "Garage Re-revisited," as well as 11 new covers by bands such as Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate and Bob Seger.

Fans heard new and old songs alike as one of the opening songs was the razor fast, loud "Blitzkrieg." Carousing around the entire stage, Hetfield smiled as he wailed away on his guitar. Newsted stepped over the speakers to get as close as possible to the worshipping audience while Ulrich looked like the Muppet Animal-on-speed as his drumsticks flew into the cymbals.

The captivated audience cheered as Hetfield screamed, "Are you ready Detroit? You're in the fucking garage!" From this moment on the concert never took a moment to breathe as the foursome played like loud boys who were just having fun. After a phat bass solo in "The Prince," Hammett took over with super snazzy guitar licks in a monster version of Black Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra."

Metallica's dive into '70s influence didn't end with Ozzy Osbourne as they ripped into Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy." A song later, the band left the stage to a lone Hammett playing a solo in the spotlight. As his bandmates crept back, they fused a dark, airy, explosive performance of Seger's "Turn the Page," drawing much screams from the swaying crowd.

The less-abrasiveness lasted momentarily until fans chanted along with Hetfield yelling, "Am I evil? Yes I am." Fast riffs and loud drums were the showcase of the latter part of the show with the songs "Killing Time," "So What" and fan favorite, "Last Caress." The very short lapse for the encore break was quickly dismissed with the rousing rendition of the die-hard classic, "Breadfan."

Pushing each other into the front of the stage, the crowd strained to slap Hetfield's hand as he and his bandmates tossed guitar picks to the aggressive audience. Through the show's non-stop loudness and tons of stalwart grins, Metallica showcased themselves as boys with toys, ripping guitars and drum smacks as they reminisced their days playing in the garage.

Leaving, Hetfield exclaimed, "Hey Detroit, you made Metallica feel fucking good." If he only knew how good he made the many fans feel.

11-24-98