Concert Review: Metallica – Landover, MD – 28 May, 2025
Tonight’s Metallica concert is impossible to review without context. For brevity’s sake, it goes as follows: I got into rock music around 10: Judas Priest, Ozzy, In A Gadda Da Vida, but Metallica was my real introduction. I started at the pinnacle: Justice and Puppets and my adventure with metal went on from there. I saw them twice in 1991, already disappointed by their latest offering and the next time was in 1997. They were terrible.
We all lived through the next decade before Robert Trujillo and Death Magnetic reinvigorated the band. They’ve been excellent ever since. 2025 would be the first time I’d seen them in 28 years and I was excited. Erin got skybox seats. It was going to be great.
I left school early, drove to Erin and we muscled through rain and traffic and hit the pop-up store first. Since I lost my Justice poster years ago, I grabbed a flag of the album and we went to a restaurant. There was no rush because we got there early and hit the venue with plenty of time to spare. Despite pre-paid parking, our spot was pretty far away. We walked in and met some of Erin’s coworkers, impressed by our vantage point of the upcoming trio of bands.
Drinks were good and flowed continually throughout the night. Suicidal Tendencies opened and the rain continued on. They were one of the first bands I got into in the late ‘80s, but I only truly love a few releases. I recognized most and they closed with Pledge Your Allegiance, one of my favorites. That Trujillo’s son played with them, much as his father did decades ago, was not lost on me. It was the beginning of a long night of looking back while enjoying the day.
Setlist:
- You Can’t Bring Me Down
- Institutionalized
- Subliminal
- Send Me Your Money
- Adrenaline Addict
- Pledge Your Allegiance
Pantera followed – whom I hadn’t seen in 20 years. Having witnessed them twice (once in 1997 and again in 2001), I know full well the power these guys can produce. Despite replacing the brothers – a dismissive perspective of the situation – they sounded fantastic. Charlie may be the best drummer out there and Zakk was phenomenal. This was my first time seeing him. The setlist didn’t surprise but certainly pleased. I should have more to say about them, but it was just all an appetizer for the headliner.
Setlist
- A New Level
- Mouth for War
- Strength Beyond Strength
- Becoming
- I’m Broken
- Cemetery Gates
- 5 Minutes Alone
- This Love
- Fucking Hostile
- Walk
- Domination / Hollow
- Cowboys From Hell
The rain stopped, the skies darkened and it was time to see how well 28 years have aged my first favorite band. As Ecstacy Of Gold began, Erin asked me what song it was, while handing me another drink. It was going to be a good night.
Creeping Death and Bells began and the familiar songs sounded remarkable. One of the biggest selling points of this tour setup is how good things sound from any perspective. What are they gonna play next? I’m a fan of almost their entire catalogue and their setlists are always filled with one or two surprises. Dun dun dun…Dun dun dun DUN! My eyes widen. In the weeks leading up, I had my wishlist of songs – nothing impossibly exotic – but ever since my band covered Leper Messiah in the summer of 1992, it’s been one of my favorites. And they were playing it! “Time for lust, time for lie, time to kiss your ass goodbye!” The harmony part in the middle. This song is pure metal and I gobbled it up. And I was sold. Tonight was gonna be a great night!
On paper, these setlists just read as a lineup of words, without conveying the potency, anticipation and excitement revealed by each new line. And while only one other song shocked me, I was fully satisfied and pleased by it all. Memory Remains followed with an extended outro and impressive crowd participation. Transitional pieces help build the suspense and the first single from the new album followed – and was just wonderful. While the second song from 72 Seasons was next, it was also probably the weakest portion of the evening.
Kirk and Rob did their usual doodle, with some unfamiliar bits and a throwback to a song they only played at the 30th anniversary show. Then, the sole, lengthy track from Death Magnetic, this track has it all: clean and heavy. Melodic and upbeat. And the band killed it before another interlude led into Fuel. I don’t love this song or the album, but again, the song was better than the setlist entry. However, what followed was my second OMFG moment and one that will stick with me forever. As the synth introduced Orion, I held my hands to my head. This song, way back in 1989, defined what music could be to me. Moody harmonies. Methodical rhythmic chugging. That entire middle section. I couldn’t believe my ears.
And at that moment, the night transformed from a rock concert, a familiar revisit, to an emotional journey. I was brought back to the 80s as a teen. My mind strayed to the 90s when I was in my 20s. Throughout my marriage and parenting in my 30s and 40s. The song that changed my life was echoing throughout the stadium and the decades of my life. The band was enjoying themselves and sounded as good as ever. And tonight was one of the greatest shows of my life.
The next six songs are standard setlist fare, but James’ words plucked at my heart strings. About being family. Sticking together. One was just about as good as it could be and while I prepared to leave at this point, skipping out on Sandman, we were treated to Seek and Puppets in full. Our exit took too long, as did the drive, and the next day was a rough one. But in the end, it was a fucking spectacular concert. Memories of the drive, the bands, the people I met, the experience of a sky box – all in all, simply unforgettable.
Setlist
- Creeping Death
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Leper Messiah
- The Memory Remains
- Lux Æterna
- If Darkness Had a Son
- Kirk and Rob Doodle
- The Day That Never Comes
- Fuel
- Orion
- Nothing Else Matters
- Sad but True
- One
- Seek & Destroy
- Master of Puppets
- Enter Sandman