On June 9th, the Metallica Hardwired tour hit the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. I have really gotten into smaller local shows, but at the same time, could not miss the opportunity to see Volbeat, Avenged Sevenfold, and of course, the legendary Metallica on what is the premiere tour of the summer!
Volbeat set the tone with a blistering performance of “Devil’s Bleeding Crown” and “Seal the Deal” amongst other hits of their recent album Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie. They even provided a brief rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” leading into their own hit “Sad Man’s Tongue.” The song that still gets the best reaction is their hit “A Warrior’s Call.” Volbeat proved to be the perfect compliment setting up the other two bands of the night.
The energy for Avenged Sevenfold was high before the band even took the stage…and then Synyster Gates dropped the guitar solo that’s the intro for the title track of their latest album The Stage! This led straight into renditions of “Afterlife” and “Hail to the King”, dedicated to a member of the A7X stage crew who tragically died during their current tour. To my surprise, given the variety of hits Avenged Sevenfold has produced, “Nightmare” BY FAR drew the biggest crowd response and provided the most energy, and a brief mosh pit even broke out in the upper deck when this song was played! The band ended their set with “Unholy Confessions”, which is still my personal favorite and drew a great reaction.
Be on the lookout for new music from Avenged Sevenfold as, in their quest to be trendsetters in the industry, they are planning on releasing seven songs through streaming services only over the course of the next seven months. Their rendition of “Maleguena Salarosa” in Spanish (YES, SPANISH!!!!!!) can be viewed below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJBY7iHgXtk
Finally, Metallica took to the stage! One of the big takeaways from their performance is how accepting long-time fans are of the new Hardwired…to Self-Destruct album. A fan told me before the show started he felt it was their best album in 25 years, an obvious reference to the Black album. Agree or disagree with that assertion, it is undeniable that this work from Metallica is the unifying force between different generations of fans. This was evident through the reaction to “Hardwired” and “Atlas, Rise” to start their set. I was absolutely blown away by the fan reaction to “Fuel” as that song comes from an era where, to listen to criticism, Metallica wasn’t producing their best work…apparently, the fans in Newton, Iowa feel very differently! Also, the live rendition of “One” (as seen below in a previous performance) is worth the price of admission alone. As expected, Metallica ended their set with “Enter Sandman”, a perfect ending to a perfect night!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2SAmUQUpJM
Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention the night included a brief presentation from actor Ashton Kutcher and former Iowa Hawkeye football star and NFL tight end Dallas Clark, co-founders of the Native Fund which proceeds from this concert benefited. In Kutcher’s own words, the Native Fund “is all about how Iowans can help Iowans.” Please check out http://www.thenativefund.org/ to learn more about this great organization and learn how you can help! I firmly believe the world is a much better than place than the national media would like you to believe right now and this organization is just one of many avenues that demonstrate that!
Don’t worry fans, there are still plenty of dates to check out the “WorldWired” tour featuring headliners Metallica with special guests Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat. Check out the tour dates below!
Sunday, June 11th at NRG Park in Houston, Texas
Wednesday, June 14th at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Friday, June 16th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Sunday, June 18th at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois
Wednesday, July 5th at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
Friday, July 7th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
Sunday, July 9th at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, Georgia
Wednesday, July 12th at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan
Sunday, July 16th at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wednesday, July 19th at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Saturday, July 29th at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California
Friday, August 4th at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
Sunday, August 6th at Hodad’s PetCo Park in San Diego, California
Monday, August 7th at Metallica Night with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California
Wednesday, August 9th at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington
Friday, August 11th at Outside Lands 2017 Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California
Monday, August 14th at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Wednesday, August 16th at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Saturday, September 2nd at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark
Check out Metallica on Facebook at www.facebook.com/metallica for tickets and further information regarding the “WorldWired Tour”!
