Why Metallica chooses to play in Philadelphia in extreme weather I do not know. I have only seen Metallica once and it was a Summer Sanitarium tour at the old Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia. It was almost 95 degrees and the sun was beating down on us all day. By the time Metallica came on I wanted to go home. I was tired of standing in the heat all day listening to Limp Bizkit and The Deftones. While the band was good, they didn't rank up there in the top performers list for me.

Tonight, it was another extreme, extreme cold. Near freezing temperatures made my nipples so hard they could scratch glass as soon as I stepped out of warm confines of my vehicle. I was able to smuggle a camera into the show using my ass. (See my previous ass smuggling here) Pictures will be up later this week.

The Sword opened the show promptly at 7:00 pm. Make sure you arrive early to see what Metallica meets Black Sabbath sounds like. I had seen this band the night before in a much smaller place (review here). They were loud, rocking, and kick ass the night before. With Metallica, they were subdued, turned down, and nearly emotionless. You are not really getting the full experience of The Sword at the Metallica show. Try and see these guys on their own. They are worth it. Anyway, they did their job which was getting the crowd warmed up for Machine Head.

I was disappointed Philly drew Machine Head, not because I didn't like Machine Head, but because Down and Lamb of God are two of my favorite bands. To see one of those bands open for Metallica would be so kick ass. But I don't pick the Philly openers so Machine Head is who we got and they brought the typical Machine Head brutality I have come to love on their record. 2007's The Blackening is one of Machine Head's finest works. If you don't have it and you are a fan of hardcore groove metal, you NEED The Blackening.

From note one of Clenching The Fists of Dissent, Machine Head was louder than The Sword and they appeared willing to feed the ravenous Philadelphia crowd with sheer metal. And Philly was waiting to unleash torrents of mosh pits and countless fists in the air. The crowd ate every word lead vocalist, Robb Flynn spewed into the microphone.

While The Sword seemed shy and reserved on the massive, three-section spanning stage, Machine Head mounted it like a bitch in heat and ruled it like a pride of lions. They stalked the stage from side to side and front to back ripping through brutal and crushing riffs in songs like Imperium and Halo. The band even covered Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden. Machine Head closed their set with Davidian and took a much deserved extended curtain call. The Philadelphia crowd was frothing at the mouth for Metallica so Machine Head did their job.

After about a half hour wait and James Hetfield's brood running on the stage, The Ecstasy of Gold was played announcing the arrival of Metallica. The arena darkened and all that could be seen was the familiar glow of cell phones and cameras eagerly awaiting the Four Horsemen to take the stage. From the side of the arena, men with flashlights lit up the way to the side of the stage for the guys as Ecstasy of Gold finished.

Roberto Trujillo pounded out the heartbeat of That Was Just Your Life on his bass. Kirk and James started into the guitar parts that open the song as Lars calmly walked to his kit. The stage was bathed in a royal blue being sure to shroud the band from view...only their shadows were visible. Big colorful lasers danced and jumped around the arena walls and on the stage, creating various shapes like circles, squares, and The Microsoft Zune logo. The entire first song, all seven minutes of it, are played in the very dark blue. You only see James' face when he sings from a light that shines from the floor.

The first time the lights on the stage blaze is after That Was Just Your Life. James welcomes 22,000 screaming Metallica fans to the Wachovia Center and they rip into the second song off Death Magnetic End of the Line. Lars is positioned perfectly — directly in the middle of the stage where he can manage the band, the crowd, and his ego. His circular drum riser rotates every fifth song in the four directions (North, South, East, West). All joking aside, Lars hits the hell out of the drums and drives the rest of the band through speed metal riff after speed metal riff.

I am shocked at how well the songs went over live. They sound amazing. The guys also appear to enjoy playing them as evidenced by the fact that six songs off Death Magnetic sneak into the over two hour, 18 song setlist. Metallica is smart about the addition of songs too. They bookend the new songs with old classics like Creeping Death and Ride the Lightening.

Kirk blisters through the solos during One and Ride the Lightening, proving thus again that Metallica doesn't need Dave Mustaine. Kirk is very capable of pulling off the same guitar licks sans the attitude. Robert Trujillo monkey walked back and forth on the stage finger plucking his bass with such speed, they are like the wings of a hummingbird....a speed metal loving hummingbird.

James is a man possessed. His voice sounds amazing and his playing and energy were through the roof. It was almost as if the old James Hetfield was back and that pre and slightly post St. Anger James is dead. This new James is ready to conquer the world again and prove that Metallica isn't dead. Mission Accomplished James.

The sound is loud and impeccable. There were only minor hisses and pops thanks to feedback, but the sound is balanced effectively. I wasn't getting any rebound effect, where I hear the music twice, like I do at large stadium shows. Metallica has opted to forgo the use of video screens on this tour and instead run humongous coffin lighting rigs that tilt and twist depending on the song. They sometimes obstruct the view of the band if you are sitting up top, but they weren't used that often.

This is the tour of the winter. Go and see it because Metallica is awesome indoors. They are a band that can entertain a stadium of 75k, but you are seeing that stadium show in a smaller venue seating only 22k. The live version of the songs off Death Magnetic has made me appreciate them more now, which is the goal of this tour. Mission accomplished Metallica.

Metallica Setlist for Philadelphia:

That Was Just Your Life
End of the Line
Creeping Death
Ride the Lightening
One
Broken, Beat, & Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
The Unforgiven
All Nightmare Long
Kirk Solo 1
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Kirk Solo 2
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

Encore
Last Caress
Whiplash
Happy Birthday was sung to James' seven year old daughter as it was her birthday
Seek and Destroy

We streamed the setlist live to our Twitter account tonight. As we go to more shows, we are going to try and update our Twitter with setlists as they happen. It is an easy way to follow the bands you love and what they are playing in real time. It will be our attempt at bringing you all the action so you can feel like you are there. Check it out http://twitter.com/blogsnroses

Click the any picture below for the enlarged version. Enjoy mother truckers!