Metallica at Gillette Stadium
photo by Ben Stas

Metallica played Gillette Stadium before Rock on the Range (pics, setlist, video)

With nightfall came the evening’s main event – a spectacle that spared no expense from its opening moments on. Towering LED screens broadcast the cinematic accompaniment to the band’s traditional “Ecstasy of Gold” intro before the monstrously glitched-out visages of Metallica that grace the artwork of last year’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct loomed over the crowd, and the sensory overload commenced. They emerged with Hardwired’s barn-burning lead single and title track, an effectively vicious tune despite its bone-headed chorus, before powering through “Atlas, Rise!”, the classic “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and a dramatically pyrotechnics-assisted “Fuel.” That hard-charging opening volley set the tone for the remainder of the night, a balanced sampling of new material, the band’s more commercially-leaning hits and their earlier thrash gems.

A division that handed a solid third of the set over to new songs would’ve been cause for greater concern were Hardwired a weaker record, but the material held up well, and the band seemed invigorated to dig into it. Frontman James Hetfield did all the talking, peppering his stage banter with references to the “family” of Metallica fandom and questions to the audience with easily-shoutable answers – but lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich were most certainly enjoying themselves too. Perhaps it’s the advantage of the sporadic touring schedule of their fourth decade, but there was nary a moment when anyone looked bored on that stage.

Metallica are on tour now, having already hit the NYC-area for shows at MetLife Stadium and Nassau Coliseum. On Friday (5/19), they played the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. Pictures of that show are in the gallery above and an excerpt of Invisible Oranges’ review is quoted above. Read the rest HERE. Setlist and a pro-shot video of “Fuel” from the Gillette Stadium show, below.

To pay tribute to Chris Cornell at the Gillette Stadium, Robert Trujillo worked part of “Black Hole Sun” into his bass solo, and James Hetfield dedicated songs to Chris. They did the same thing when Metallica headlined the Rock on the Range festival on Sunday (5/21), which Soundgarden were supposed to play (and the fest included several other Chris Cornell tributes). You can see their Rock on the Range setlist below too.

Metallica at Gillette Stadium Setlist (via)
Hardwired
Atlas, Rise!
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fuel
The Unforgiven (followed by James’ dedication to the late Chris Cornell)
Now That We’re Dead
Moth Into Flame
Wherever I May Roam
Halo on Fire (followed by Kirk and Rob’s solos incl. I Disappear, Black Hole Sun, and Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth))
Motorbreath
Sad but True
One
Master of Puppets
Fade to Black (dedicated to Chris Cornell)
Seek & Destroy

Encore:
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

Metallica at Rock on the Range Setlist (via)
Hardwired
Atlas, Rise!
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fuel
The Unforgiven (followed by James’ dedication to Chris Cornell)
Now That We’re Dead
Moth Into Flame
Wherever I May Roam
Halo on Fire (followed by Kirk and Rob’s solos incl. I Disappear, Black Hole Sun, and Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth))
Motorbreath
Sad but True
One
Master of Puppets
Fade to Black (dedicated to Chris Cornell)

Seek & Destroy
Encore:
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

photos by Ben Stas