CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device.
James Hetfield is accustomed to performing in large stadiums filled with tens of thousands of fans.
And he usually has his electric guitar in his hands in those situations.
This time around, however, the venue was much more intimate and Hetfield didn’t have his trusty electric with him. And the Metallica front man didn’t seem exactly sure what the outcome of all this might be.
“Here we are,” Hetfield said as the biggest Bay Area band of all time took the stage Saturday, Nov. 3 at The Masonic in San Francisco, adding with a sarcastic laugh: “I’m not nervous at all.”
Yet, whatever jitters there may have been initially seemed to quickly dissipate as the vocalist-guitarist and his mighty men of metal — lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo — launched into a very rare acoustic Metallica show for fans.
. @Metallica opens acoustic show pic.twitter.com/6NeyJVd7Bw
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) November 4, 2018
It wasn’t Metallica in the fashion that we are use to hearing. It was softer, less in your face, and shared more in common with Jackson Browne than Black Sabbath.
“That sounds a little different,” Hetfield remarked at the close of the opener, “Disposable Heroes” from 1986’s “Master of Puppets.”
Different, yes. But still a fascinating and riveting experience for those fans lucky enough to score access to this one-off, special fundraiser show, which casme in the midst of the band’s North America arena trek in support of its excellent 10th studio album, 2016’s “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.”
The show was to raise funds for Metallica’s nonprofit All Within My Hands Foundation, founded in 2017 and “focused on creating sustainable communities by tackling the issues of hunger and workforce education and encouraging volunteerism,” according to a news release.
. @Metallica covers Nazareth pic.twitter.com/Z50xSY1BiS
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) November 4, 2018
Ulrich told me prior to the show that he hopes to makes this an annual fundraiser.
Of course, the Metallica guys aren’t complete strangers to the unplugged realm. They performed three years — 1997, 2007 and 2016 — at Neil Young’s legendary acoustic Bridge School Benefit concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View. And they have done it on other occasions as well.
But it’s still ranks as a rare treat to get to see these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers in such a musical setting.
. @Metallica covers Deep Purple pic.twitter.com/3r7ywpk4Pg
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) November 4, 2018
The Metallica songs ended up sounding great in this less-amplified setting. Early on in the show, however, it didn’t look the band planned to play many originals on this night.
After the “Disposable Heroes” opener, four out of the next six numbers were covers.
With the assistance of four side musicians, Metallica rolled right down classic rock highway and performed intriguing renditions of “When a Blind Man Cries” by Deep Purple, “Please Don’t Judas Me” by Nazareth, “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” by Blue Oyster Cult and, best of the bunch, Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page.”
. @Metallica covers the 4th best @BobSeger song pic.twitter.com/TsZIJ4a5BG
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) November 4, 2018
Yet, the strongest songs of the night were the band’s own offerings, most notably the haunting pair of “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters.” And, yes, they did do an unplugged “Enter Sandman,” which started off slow and steadily escalated to a satisfying conclusion.
The group closed its 70-minute, 12-song main set with the sole representative — “Hardwired” — from the most recent album. People were absolutely buzzing about the show as they walked out of the venue and into the night.
Metallica will return to Northern California, in full electric fashion, for a show Dec. 7 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Show time is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $65-$135, www.ticketmaster.com.
"Enter Sandman" acoustic @Metallica pic.twitter.com/0zaC7YY0dV
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) November 4, 2018
Set list:
1, “Disposable Heroes”
2, “When a Blind Man Cries”
3, “The Unforgiven”
4, “Bleeding Me”
5, “Turn the Page”
6, “Bleeding Me:
7, “Veteran of the Psychic Wars”
8, “Nothing Else Matters”
9, “All Within My Heads”
10, “Enter Sandman”
11, “The Four Horsemen”
12, “Hardwired”