by Tim Regan
Back in the early 1980's four dudes got together in L.A. to form Metallica. They decided one dude, Ron McGrovney, sucked. So, they got this other dude from Trauma, Cliff Burton. He kicked @$$. This dude learned about melodies and harmonies in college. But, he wouldn't join Metallica unless they relocated to San Fransisco. So, they did. But, the didn't stay long. They went to New York to record their first album, Kill 'Em All. At the same time, they kicked out this other wuss, Dave Mustaine. He got too drunk all the time, plus he played at a million miles an hour! He sucked then, but now look at him! He stole one of Metallica's songs (The Four Horsemen) and changed the name (The Mecanix) and added it to his own crappy band. They're okay now... Anyway, they got this dude from Exodus, Kirk Hammett, and he kicked more @$$. After the Kill 'Em All for One tour, they wrote some new songs and recorded Ride the Lightning. They went on tour again, wrote new songs, and recorded their third album, Master of Puppets. After Master of Puppets was released, they went on tour, as usual, thinking nothing would go wrong. They were wrong. They were somewhere in northern Europe when their tour bus slid on a patch of ice and overturned. Three of the four members of Metallica came out. The one who didn't, Cliff Burton, was killed. For more info. on the accident, go down my page to "Cliff's Death." The Cliff Burton Epitaph is a memorial on the web. Visit it. Anyway, they auditioned new bassists. The requirement was to know Master of Puppets. This one dude, Jason Newsted, from Flotsam and Jetsam, knew nine of Metallica's songs, plus he kicked almost as much ass as Cliff. So, they chose him. The band was doing great. They released their favorite cover tunes on an album no longer in print, Garage Days Re-Visited. They toured, then released the ...And Justice For All album, and made their first video, "One." As they were becoming more popular, they gained more money. They bought better equipment and could spend more time in studios. They released the self-titled album, Metallica in 1991. Along with it came 5 videos: "Enter Sandman," "Sad But True," "The Unforgiven," "Wherever I May Roam," and "Nothing Else Matters." Then in the early to mid 1990's, another tragedy occurred: during Fade to Black, James was standing in the wrong place when the pyrotechnics went off and suffered serious burns on his arms and legs. But still, they played on. With John Marshall (a roadie) filling in on guitar, they continued on their tour. Once James was able, he played guitar again. They released Load in June of 1996 and went on tour. "Load" was originally going to be a double album, but halfway through, they were offered to play at Lollapalooza. They released what they had finished and toured. They played at USAir Arena in Landcaster, Maryland on April 8th and 9th of 1997. I was there! Read about the concert. It's down the page. Then in November 1997, they released Reload, the rest of the original double album. That's all you need to know.
After Metallica played in Stockholm, they set out back on the road in their
trusty tour bus and
headed for
Copenhagen, Denmark. At 6:30 am, the band members, drum tech Flemming Larsen,
and guitar assistants John Marshall and Adian Mullen, and road manager Bobby
Schneider, were asleep in their bunks. They were awakened by a violent jolt.
The bus was skidding, fishtailing, and sliding off the two-lane road. They
went off to the right, spinning around. Unfortunately, they flew across the
road into the dirt, still sliding. Eventually, the bus's wheels caught, and
the bus flipped on its side. Schneider had two broken ribs. Lars broke a
toe. And Hammett got a black eye, then blacked out (talk about "Blackened").
Cliff Burton was thrown through the window, and when the bus fell to its
side, Cliff was halfway out the window. The bus crushed him. Cliff Burton,
master bass player, composer, and bandmate was killed.
"There ain't no band. The band is not 'the band' right now. It's only three guys!"
-John Marshall
-compiled from Guitar Legends "Magic and Loss" p. 57, 105
At 7:00pm on April 8, 1997, the lights suddenly went down at USAir Arena
in Landover,
Maryland. Then,
Metallica's support act, CoC (it stands for Corrosion of Conformity, they're
from North Carolina) came out. They played for about half an hour. One of
their songs was "Albatross." When they were done, it took another half an
hour to set up for Metallica. Then, at about 8:00, Jason Newsted ran out,
with a security guard, from backstage. He circled the stage, and climbed
on. Then, James Hetfield followed, then Kirk Hammett, then Lars Ulrich, all
with security guards. James got on stage and said, "OH YEAH?" The crowd replied,
"YEAH!" James said "OHHH YEEEEAAAAHHH?!?!!" Again, the crowd, "YYEEAAHH!!"
James, "So !$#*ing WHAT?" and they began the night. Metallica played, not
in order, Motorbreath, No Remorse, Seek and Destroy, For Whom the Bell Tolls,
Fade To Black, Creeping Death, Master of Puppets, One, Enter Sandman, Sad
But True, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, Ain't My Bitch, Until
it Sleeps, King Nothing, Hero of the Day, Wasting My Hate, So What?, Last
Caress, and TONS of solos. All throughout the concert, though, the set fell
apart. Cables snapped; sparks; and at one time, they hosed off the light
board with a fire extinguisher. In the middle of one song, there was a loud
explosion, and fire came out from under the stage, a guy fell from the lights
with a ladder, and a man came out from under the stage on fire. The band
and crew quickly got out amps from the stage, so they kept on playing. If
you haven't guessed it by now, it was a staged accident. It was a GREAT concert!