Fire, moshpit, frenetic, violent. That’s how Metallica fans became at their concert at the GNP Stadium. “Nothing else matters” was the last “calm” song of the group, before Hetfield warned that the heaviest part of the night was coming.
“Great,” said the guitarist and main member of the metal band in Spanish, “you look beautiful, look at yourselves, how incredible to be here with your family today, we’re going to be here for four nights, different songs, and it’s all thanks to you family, the Metallica family is here today, and the Metallica family loves Heavy music, right?” shouted the vocalist, and the audience responded by shouting, so intensely that several attendees left their voices there.
“Sad but True” was the song that started the hostilities, with the entire band focused, enjoying every moment, every tapping of Kirk on the guitar and every aggressive and wrinkled melody of the voice of a redeemed Hetfield, who returns to this tour after rehabilitating himself in 2019 for his alcoholism.
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James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet in front of the public. Photo: Carlos Mejía / EL UNIVERSAL
But the least important thing tonight was the somewhat dark past of the main face of Metallica, the only important darkness was every time a song ended and everything went out announcing the next one.
“Hardwired” and “Fuel” continued the American band’s repertoire, and the beers were already flying in the audience as the circles and pushes in the mosh pit continued. Inside one of them, a group of long-haired metalheads hugged each other and jumped together, happy to hear the classics from the group’s first of four dates in Mexico City.
But not even the roughest and most purist metal fans could resist when Trujillo (bassist) and Kirk (guitarist) got together on the circular stage to perform “La Chona,” in imperfect Spanish, even though Trujillo is of Mexican descent.
🔥 Epic moment! Metallica’s Roberto Trujillo performs “La Chona” at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City. A unique crossover between rock and Mexican tradition 🎸🤘 Video: Jorge Emilio Sánchez/ EL UNIVERSAL. #Metallica #CDMX” pic.twitter.com/yhcN9VHxrC
— Univ_Espectaculos (@Univ_espect) September 21, 2024
The metalheads showed their tastes, perhaps guilty, perhaps not, others in the audience limited themselves to watching the moment, which lasted several minutes with Trujillo singing the Mexican song, others disapproved that the members of the band decided to include that song in their concert.
The truth is that everyone responded with the same euphoria when metal returned to the scene with Lars on the drums shaking the cymbals without stopping smiling, and the lights illuminated Hetfield while he played “Seek & destroy”.
At that moment, balls with a radioactive warning came out of the six towers that held the cylindrical screens and began to float throughout the venue, pushed by the hands of the 65,000 attendees.
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Metallica’s light show. Photo: Carlos Mejía / EL UNIVERSAL
Meanwhile, Hetfield approached the shore and allowed the luckiest ones up front to play his guitar for a moment, making a strange noise that never went wrong with the metal of the entire band in the background.
“Master of Puppets” closed the event with fire coming out of the stage and also from the different towers that also supported the sound. At the end, the vocalist only thanked with the Mexican flag on his back with a “Thank you Mexico.”
The show will continue on Saturday and the band will close its tour, which lasted more than a year and a half in different cities around the world, on September 27 in the Mexican capital.
