The Four Horsemen: Metallica at Rogers Centre

Metallica

The world’s inarguably most successful heavy metal band, Metallica, is a pop culture institution. Heavy metal has a stigma as music for angry outsiders, but Metallica plays at Raptors games and appears on talk shows. Having been a fan since middle school, and despite their uninspired newest album, 72 Seasons, I was quaking in my boots to see them at Rogers Centre on April 24th. Like most legacy bands, it was mainly middle-aged people with their families there. Not at all surprising considering the sky-high Rogers Centre ticket prices. I asked a couple of concertgoers to articulate why their music draws them in. One guy said that was like asking him why he likes pizza or the sun. “It’s just Metallica, man—enough said.” A lady said she grew up with them, and their music speaks deeply to people. I play guitar; Metallica is essential reading. You cannot be a guitarist without knowing how to play the Enter Sandman riff. This was my defence when friends accused me of only listening to white dad music when I asked them if they wanted to see Judas Priest and Alice Cooper with me in September.

Suicidal Tendencies

The opening acts were crossover thrash metal OGs Suicidal Tendencies, featuring former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg, and groove metal progenitors Pantera, with Zak Wylde and Charlie Benante filling in for the late brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, respectively. I have no idea why the tech people showed the live camera footage of opening acts horizontally on the vertical screens atop a dehydrated urine-yellow silhouette of Toronto’s skyline. Perhaps it was an easy way to help Metallica shine over them. The worst part was when Pantera showed a montage of the band’s golden age with Dimebag and Vinnie. Opening acts usually struggle with sound balancing, likely because they do not have enough time to do soundcheck. Suicidal Tendencies’ guitars were almost inaudible underneath the drums, although they looked like they were having the time of their lives. Vocalist Mike Muir is 62 years old and screaming about not caring about what anyone thinks. Good for him. Special mention goes to bassist Tye Trujillo, son of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, because that kid practically made love to his bass on stage.

Pantera

Pantera is another heavy metal icon I was born too late to experience live properly. When they announced they were touring again with original vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, I questioned why they called it Pantera. Dimebag Darrell was Pantera. He was so good that he was banned from guitar competitions as a teenager to give others a shot at winning. Zak Wylde—one of the greatest guitarists ever—played his heart out in his place. Phil sounded just like he did on the 30-year-old records. Standout songs were Five Minutes Alone and I’m Broken. I appreciated how Dimebag Darrell were on the bass drums, and the archival footage was a welcome addition. May Dimebag and Vinnie rest in peace.

Metallica

Metallica sounded as sharp as a viper’s fangs sinking deep into your flesh. James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo embodied the Four Horsemen, thrashing through the Old West. James Hetfield's vocals are one aspect of their music that I feel has always gone under-appreciated. Sure, he is one of music's most surgically precise rhythm guitarists, but his powerful yet soulful voice elevates him into a masterful storyteller. He connects deeply with people in ways other metal frontmen often cannot. From the Creeping Death opener to the closer Master of Puppets, the band demonstrated their technical mastery, even Lars Ulrich, infamous for rhythmic mistakes. Power ballad Nothing Else Matters was a standout. I remember the first time I heard it on a summer road trip when I was 12. Hearing it played in front of me brought me right back to that moment—sun on my face, optimism, and the open highway. I cried a little; so did the guy beside me. Harvester of Sorrow and Sad But True were my favourite songs. The three tracks from 72 Seasons, I could take or leave. They are not bad songs by any means, but they are bloated and cannot compare with their earlier work. They try to appeal to metal purists by playing each riff eight times instead of four. I hope they play One, The Four Horsemen, and Fade to Black at their April 26th Rogers Centre show, which I cannot wait to attend.