Metallica, Pantera, Five Finger Death Punch, Mammoth WVH, Ice Nine Kills - 72 Seasons Tour
2 Nights of “No Repeats” at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
Night 1
Van Halen. Pantera. Metallica.
It’s a lineup that sounds like an early 90s fever dream, or at least a flashback to the legendary Monsters of Rock festival where these titans in their prime bulldozed a Moscow airfield with an ocean of Russians catching the first American bands to set foot on Soviet soil. Of course 30 years later (and with a few of the major players no longer with us) it’s not able to be replicated - but the 80,000 who descended upon East Rutherford witnessed some of the most massive merchants of metal manhandle MetLife.
Mammoth WVH kicks off the weekend on the massive circular stage situated on the stadium’s 50 yard line. Even with people still pouring into the venue, the crowd has to be one of the larger ones Wolfgang and the boys have seen lately -before today they’d been in the midst of a tour with Alter Bridge and Sevendust performing at venues a fraction the size of an NFL stadium. Wolf is not his father - and anyone who is disappointed by that should kindly fuck off - WVH is a phenomenal guitarist with his own style and sensibility. While Mammoth’s songs are built around his let’s say aptly mammoth riffs and flair (after all, every instrument and vocal produced was written & recorded entirely by Wolf alone!), the accompanying touring band includes a gauntlet of talented young guns including guitarist Frank Sidoris of Slash’s solo project with Myles Kennedy, guitarist Jon Jourdon of Clint Loury’s solo project, bassist Ronnie Ficaro of Falling in Reverse, and drummer Garrett Whitlock formerly of Tremonti. To attempt to casually describe their sound, I’m reminded of the powerful riffage of TOOL, but Mammoth feels more anthemic and radio friendly. They play several songs from the brand new album Mammoth II (released the day of this show!) which are as fun as the first album’s tracks - “Another Celebration at the End of the World” complete with an exceptional finger tapping guitar solo is a standout moment. Wolfgang is no stranger to being surrounded by talent - after all he was performing with his father in the legendary Van Halen when he was a teenager - but it’s an absolute joy to see him now as the centerpiece.
Up next - Pantera - or at very least the best tribute to Pantera imaginable without founding brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. While some of the metal community absolutely bristled at the idea of singer Phil Anselmo touring under the name due to animosity between him and the brothers that had prevented them from reuniting while they’d still been alive, Phil along with beloved bassist Rex Brown certainly didn’t skimp on seeking out superstar talent to do their former bandmates justice. The immortal Zakk Wylde, one of Dimebag’s closest friends, has long been touted as perhaps the only guitarist who could or should ever take on the legendary songs - even for a man who first made a name for himself stepping into the shoes of another legend in Randy Rhoads for Ozzy Osbourne, these songs performed with the requisite precision and power that Dime was known for is a HUGE undertaking. Similarly, Vinnie Paul’s relentlessly thundering drums that sound akin to shotgun blasts couldn’t simply be handed off to anyone - Anthrax’s Charlie Benante served as a stellar stand in. Zakk and Charlie both have distinguished careers built on recognizable quirks and tremendously unique talent, which made it all the more impressive to watch them both lock in and do their best to emulate and honor Dime and Vinnie. The result? There may have been moments where one of Zakk’s iconic pinch harmonics snuck through, but by and large they fit in well with Phil and Rex and sounded like what Pantera sounds like.
As for the set, Pantera delivered an hour of the hits, giving fans everything from Vulgar Display of Power’s “A New Level” and “Mouth of War” to kick off the show to ending with “Walk”, the iconic breakdown of “Domination”, and “Cowboys from Hell”. Barefoot and in a t-shirt reading “Classic not classy”, Phil’s voice has aged exceptionally well over the years - it’s slightly deeper and has a grittier edge than it did years ago, but he’s kept it in great shape whether it was with the Illegals (with whom he performed many of these same songs opening for Slayer’s final tour in 2019) or with NOLA’s sludgiest supergroup Down over the years. Rex (who also performed with Down from 1999 - 2011 and most recently released his first solo album in 2017) plays as cool as ever, flexing around the stage and leading Charlie and Zakk through the songs with ease. However one might feel about Phil or the group touring under the name, it was easy to imagine that Dime and Vinnie would’ve loved seeing so many fans enjoying hearing the songs - many of them likely for the first time ever live.
Metallica at MetLife Stadium, August 4th 2023
If you forgot why Metallica holds the torch as the world’s greatest metal band (at least one thing we might have agreed with Rolling Stone about), tonight was a set designed to remind you why. After the customary intro to Ennio Morricone’s “Ecstasy of Gold” played on tape along with the climactic showdown at the end of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly on the 8 massive screens towering over the circular stage (during which James Hetfield visibly took a few puffs of a cigar), the band exploded out of the gate with “Creeping Death” and “Harvester of Sorrow”. After continuing with Load’s “King Nothing” and the Black Album’s “Holier than You”, it was apparent the band fully intended to take advantage of the “no repeats” opportunity to play some of their deeper cuts. After 72 Seasons’ title track and “If Darkness Had a Son”, Rob and Kirk jammed through a guitar / bass doodle they called “Rose Avenue”. The impromptu Kirk & Rob mini jam likely isn’t the most memorable part of most fans’ nights, but it’s fun and genuinely touching to see two iconic talents clearly enjoying each other’s company creatively. It’s also an opportunity for one of Lars’ four sets to reappear on a different side of the stage (as the only member who can’t freely wander around the donut, Lars travels between four identical kits).
During Ride the Lightning’s epic “Fade to Black”, real life actual lightning begins crackling in the distance, visible over the north end of the stadium. The surreal experience continues throughout the band’s live debut of “Shadows Follow” and for a moment the intro to “Orion” starts to fade as if someone has flipped a switch to pull the plug on the show… but the band blasts into the song and the lightning stays far enough in the distance that the show isn’t compromised. After Kirk restarts “Nothing Else Matters” for making a minor mistake (and exclaiming that if it wasn’t good enough for him that it wasn’t good enough for us), the band slams through an absolute gauntlet of hits from the thundering “Sad But True”, to Death Magnetic’s epic “The Day That Never Comes”, to the rarely performed but deeply beloved “Battery”, to the iconic “Fuel”. During “Seek and Destroy” at least 50 massive beach balls come falling from the rafters - many of which quickly end up on the stage or seemingly aimed in the direction of Lars (as the only one who can’t move he’s seemingly hit the most despite the crew’s efforts to keep his kit intact). The band wraps the first night with the mighty “Master of Puppets” before thanking fans - the band seems exceptionally happy, they wish James a happy birthday, and Lars exclaims that the 80,000+ crowd is their largest tri-state area show ever. Even as we began our long trip to catch the bus back to Port Authority, hearing Lars reminisce about Metallica’s first ever East Coast show in New Jersey over 42 years ago was a heartwarming reminder that the sometimes maligned drummer truly loves Metallica more than perhaps anyone.
43 hours later...Night 2
If you like the movie American Psycho and the idea of a band that leans into the white collar serial killer aesthetic, accept no substitute for Ice Nine Kills. Dressed in sharp suits that feel like a nod to the Peaky Blinders (an inspiration seemingly further implied by them also using Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” as their intro music), they sound like My Chemical Romance fronted by Panic! At the Disco’s Brendan Urie but more metalcore. Having risen to prominence in the last few years, Ice Nine Kills has actually been soldiering through the industry since 2000 - though their initial iterations were more pop-punk / ska. Vocalist Spencer Charnas is especially entertaining, wearing a clear poncho over his suit (not unlike Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman) and wielding an ax to slice up dummies throughout the set - on the performance of “Hip to Be Scared” which includes a fun homage to the iconic Bateman scene of showing off Huey Lewis to an unsuspecting victim, Charnas is perfectly in character. The horror metalcore aesthetic feels like something my teenaged self would’ve especially enjoyed - and it was fun to see a contingent of mostly younger fans in INK shirts singing along.
Five Finger Death Punch make almost too much sense as an opener for a massive stadium show. Even if one isn’t a fan of the “camo shorts + monster energy drink = metal band” style, it’s hard not to appreciate the in-your-face gusto they throw into every note. Vocalist Ivan Moody captivates the crowd’s attention early wearing a bright red hoodie on the warm evening (though it only lasts a single song) and frequently borrows phones from fans in the pit to take selfies. Before performing their staple cover of “Bad Company”, Moody encourages everyone to shake hands with their neighbor - before reminding us that next year is an election year and imploring us to remember each other as friends when the world inevitably feels divided. A fan we meet next to us who clearly can’t wait for Metallica to arrive hilariously bemoans who he figured Moody is probably voting for. Whatever political animosities may have been briefly surfaced don’t last for long, a few songs later Ivan is sharing a hug with his young son on stage before “Wrong Side of Heaven” and those in attendance seem touched by the tender moment.
55DP at MetLife Stadium - August 6th, 2023
We were most impressed by guitarist Andy James, a British shredder who joined 55DP in 2020- his blistering solos are an exceptional complement and frequently the highlight of the band’s performances. 55DP might not be everyone’s can of energy drink so to speak, but it’s hard to not appreciate the exceptional energy and enthusiasm they bring to the building.
As the stadium fills in and the capacity crowd awaits the return of Metallica, an impressive wave begins circling the stadium - it continues for several minutes and dozens of laps, only fizzling after the smaller circumference of the lower bowl causes fans to eventually outpace the upper bowl. North American crowds may be famously less zealous than their European or South American counterparts - but hey, it’s fun here too!
Metallica ends the lengthy intermission with an almost identical entrance as Friday night (AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” followed by “Ecstacy of Gold” and the same The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly clip), though the crowd hardly seems to mind especially as they kick off the show ripping through Kill Em’ All’s “Whiplash” and Ride the Lightning’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and title track. Like Friday, the band continues to enjoy the opportunity to play some deeper cuts - with no repeats as promised. After “Lux Æterna” and live debuting “Too Far Gone?” from 72 Seasons, they play an epic “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” followed by another Kirk and Rob doodle they call “Murf Da Surf” - Kirk notes it was inspired by surfing the two have done on the Jersey shore. Other unexpected stand outs for the night include the instrumental “Call of Ktulu”, “Blackened”, and “Moth Into Flame” from Hardwired. After again dropping the giant beach balls during a cover of “Whiskey in the Jar”, Metallica ended the weekend with a powerful one-two punch of “One” and “Enter Sandman”.
Metallica’s unique stage makes them feel close no matter where you’re sitting.
When it was all said and done? Metallica might feature members in their sixties, but they clearly still have the chops to perform the heaviest and fastest material of their careers filling one of the largest stadiums on the continent. It’s fair to wonder how much longer they’ll be able to sustain - many rock bands have endured into their later years, though few who’ve done so approach the scale or ferocity that Metallica brings to the stage. We’re happy to see it - and we hope you catch them while they’re still holding court on the peak.
Phil Anselmo - Vocals
Rex Brown - Bass
Zakk Wylde - Guitar
Charlie Benante - Drums
Full setlist available here.
Zoltan Bathory - Guitar
Ivan Moody - Vocals
Andy James - Guitar
Chris Kael - Bass
Charlie Engen - Drums
Full setlist available here.
Wolfgang Van Halen - Guitar & Vocals
Frank Sidoris - Guitar & Vocals
Jon Jourdon - Guitar & Vocals
Ronnie Ficarro - Bass & Vocals
Garrett Whitlock - Drums
Full setlist available here.
Spencer Charnas - Vocals, Keyboards, & Guitar
Dan Sugarman - Guitar & Vocals
Ricky Armellino - Guitar, Keyboards, & Vocals
Joe Occhiuti - Bass & Vocals
Patrick Galante - Drums
Full setlist available here.
