The mere news that Metallica would return to our country for a concert after so many years had already sent the anticipation of both the band’s fans and non-fans soaring to unimaginable heights. It was the talk of the moment throughout the entire week leading up to the magical night, confirming the obvious: that the band is a phenomenon that transcends many boundaries, whether people like it or not.
The truth is that those of us who had arrived early — some as early as 8 in the morning — to grab a good spot near the front of the arena were eagerly waiting for Knocked Loose to get on stage, just so we’d finally have something to listen to and watch and make the long wait more enjoyable.
The Americans appeared with the confidence of a seasoned band, as if the crowd already belonged to them. Their music was heavy, packed with breakdowns and strong metalcore and hardcore punk elements, and it definitely surprised many people who were expecting something softer as support for Metallica. They flooded the stage and moved all around it several times, letting us enjoy them from every possible angle. Among the songs, “Suffocate” stood out, with the vocalist viciously spitting the lyrics into the microphone. They even managed to convince the tougher members of the arena crowd to open up a proper pit for them and throw themselves into the chaos of the band’s furious riffs. It felt like the future belongs to them, even if their genre is still difficult to push into the mainstream — at least based on what we know today — though I hope to be proven wrong in the future.
For many fans, myself included, Gojira’s appearance before Metallica was not simply that of a support act warming up the audience for the headliners. On the contrary, we expected them to surprise everyone and perhaps even steal the show from their own mentors. The first reason this didn’t happen was that a large part of the audience was unfamiliar with the French band’s much heavier sound. The band certainly tried to help bridge that gap with selections from their more recent albums, where the choruses and rhythms are clearer and groovier. So during “Stranded” and “Silvera,” I noticed more heads around me nodding along compared to “Flying Whales” and “Backbone,” which usually resonate more with their hardcore and devoted fanbase.
The second — and main — reason was that it felt like they were “playing an away game.” It was unacceptable that the video walls only used half their surface to display the live camera feed, as if nobody had thought to film in the correct aspect ratio so the people seated in the stands could see properly as well. On the other hand, while it was interesting to watch the two brothers — Mario on drums and Joe on guitar and vocals — performing from opposite sides of the stage and looking toward each other, it somehow diminished the feeling of a tightly unified band that we’re used to seeing from them.
The choice to play “Love” from their debut album — a song they rarely perform live anymore — was a pleasant surprise for longtime fans, but I think it felt somewhat misplaced, since most people seeing them for the first time would probably have preferred to hear one of their greatest songs, such as “Vacuity.” Aside from that masterpiece, it was also very strange that we didn’t hear a single song from The Way of All Flesh, the album that essentially elevated the band to another level back in 2008 when it was released.
The roughly hour-long set closed with “L’enfant Sauvage,” during which we could hear a large part of the audience singing along with Gojira, followed by “Amazonia,” which transported us all the way to Latin America. Joe shared a few beautiful words that I think were the highlight of the entire evening, speaking about how we should look after one another and connecting that idea to the French Revolution, which brought enormous changes worldwide. Having already seen Gojira six times before, I think this was their most average performance so far, even though musically they were flawless as always.
Nick Drakopoulos
What a shame that the organizers didn’t book the full M72 “no repeat weekend” package, with the two concerts. That way, instead of writing this, I’d be mentally preparing for the fifteen different songs of the second show. Given how quickly the OAKA sold out, I think it was feasible.
Alas, we had to settle for one, greatest hits night, on May 9th: a night that I would assume became instantly unforgettable for any newcomers to the ever-growing Metallica family, and proved to be cathartic and emotional for their veteran fans. Because, even though I knew beforehand what and how it would happen, having seen this play out more than a few times, I couldn’t help but find it extremely satisfying to watch Metallica win over every person in attendance, one by one, regardless of their race, gender, age and knowledge of their catalogue, thanks to their presence on stage and their immortal songs, forcing the crowd to leave happy and full, admitting that they just witnessed the greatest of the all-time greats. Or forcing Gojira’s amazing drummer, Mario Duplantier, after his band’s fiery performance, come down in the snakepit to get his dose, even though he’s seen Metallica countless times before. You see, Metallica, above all else, provide inspiration. Ideally, inspiration to start each day the way James Hetfield places his stylish boots on the stage. With such dominance, such aura and leadership, that negativity and any and all competition don’t even stand a chance.
Romanos Terzis
photos: Yiannis Dolas
Creeping Death, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Moth Into Flame, King Nothing, Lux Aeterna, The Unforgiven
Fuel, Kirk and Rob Jam to Zobra’s Dance and De Horas Pouthena (Tripes), Fade To Black, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, Sad But True, One, Seek & Destroy, Master Of Puppets, Enter Sandman
