"Angry music for happy people"It is often said that the era of Hair Metal was ended by the emergence of grunge emanating out of Seattle. I put the time of death much earlier, years before Nirvana unleashed "Smells like Teen Spirit." I was a witness to Hair Metal's demise on July 26, 1988, when Metallica took the stage for an epic performance at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
- Shirt seen at the Metallica concert
Today Metallica is the biggest metal band in the world and one of the most successful in any genre, but in 1988 they were the second of five bands on the Monsters of Rock concert bill. Still, the stadium was packed as they took the stage at about 3:00 in the afternoon, indicating the reputation they had earned through performances on earlier stops on the tour.
The band was not too far into its first song, Creeping Death, when chaos ensued. As the crowd chanted along to the chorus of "die" during the song's break, the security line separating the seating area in the bowl from the field was breached and thousands of rowdy fans flooded the field.
As Metallica plowed through their set, the energy level in the crowd continued to crescendo. Then as the band launched into "Whiplash" from their first album, Kill 'Em All, the power was cut to the sound system resulting in chaos. Minutes before the energy had been dissipated by the music. With the performance interrupted it turned negative. Luckily a DJ from the old metal station, KNAC, was able to take control before the situation devolved into a full-scale riot.
With precision, the band counted back into the song at the exact point where they had been cut off. The energy level of the band or the audience had not been diminished by the unplanned interruption and as the band played the first cords of "Seek and Destroy" the mosh pit began to form. A look of panic swept the faces of the police and security guards as the masses crowding the field began to rotate. A space was cleared and the fans began to crash into each other with wild abandon.
The next band on the bill that day was Dokken. In the shadow of Metallica's triumphant performance, they might as well have been Barry Manilow. Dokken's brand of polished, commercial metal was dead, replaced by four guys who had substituted makeup and hairspray with raw power.
For a lesser band, the Monsters of Rock performance would have been career-defining. For Metallica, it was just another day at the office. For 41 years they have toured constantly, building their fan base on all seven continents, including Antarctica. Prior to last weekend's shows at SoFi Stadium, I had seen them eight times. With the exception of Woodstock '99, every performance has been amazing.
In my memory, 2003's Summer Sanitarium 2 tour stands out. The energy of the crowd at the Coliseum that night transformed the night into an almost religious experience. It is always amazing when a crowd of tens of thousands of people sing along to a pop song. There is something awe-inspiring when there is no hook, just raw power, and the lyrics are zooming by at a NASCAR-level clip and the crowd is still in perfect unison. There is a reason why singer James Hetfield has changed the lyrics of "Whiplash" from "We're Metallica" to "You're Metallica!"
Having not seen Metallica live since the 2011 Big 4 show in Indio, I was eager to see how the band has held up and bought my tickets to the two shows at SoFi Stadium. During this "no repeat weekend", each night would include different opening acts and two unique sets.
As with the two previous shows that I have attended at Sofi, the experience of getting to the stadium was horrifying. Too far removed from the freeway system, the surface streets were clogged almost to the point of gridlock. To make matters worse, streets were randomly closed rendering the directions from my phone useless. After being sent in the wrong direction, we had to backtrack repeatedly. When we finally found our assigned lot we were forced to drive in circles waiting for someone to let us into one lot that was not already full.
Despite leaving my house in the Valley at 2:30 for a 6:00 show, I missed the first opening act, Wolfgang Van Halen's Mammoth. He sounded good from the parking lot's walkway.
We settled into our seats in time to see the band calling itself "Pantera" take the stage with the two surviving members joined by Zakk Wylde on guitar and Anthrax's Charlie Benante on drums, the band expertly riled up the crowd. Singer Phil Anselmo's appreciation for the opportunity was evident throughout the performance.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
