This recording is from the 6PM show, the second of the three performances. The setlist leans heavily on the first four records, with only the then-new “Frantic” coming from their post-Justice catalog. The “St-Anger” tour saw the band reconnect with their older material, and this one-hour show shows the band embracing their roots with heaps of enthusiasm.
The recording does a great job of capturing the energy and power of a Metallica show, but they’ve never been terribly tight live, and it’s still the case here. James fumbles the “Four Horsemen” riff right out of the gate, and you’re often left wondering how they managed to avoid a train wreck. Lars is playing better than on many shows from that tour, but he’s still very sloppy especially on the faster, thrasher material. Then newcomer Robert Trujillo holds down the fort on bass with precision, and Kirk Hammett on lead guitar is also pretty solid.
If it weren’t for the fact that it is a limited release, this CD would not hold much interest, considering the vast amount of live Metallica material available through livemetallica.com. “The Four Horsemen”, “Leper Messiah”, “Ride the Lightning” and “Damage Inc.” were already released on the “Some Kind Of Monster’ EP, but the setlist remains the highlight of this show. And despite its flaws, it sounds good, and when cranked loud it conveys the power of a Metallica performance.
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He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
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