We could go into a long diatribe about the history of this, the thrash metal turned blues alt turned sludge rock turned metal outfit known as Metallica. We could speak at length about their contribution to rock music, the modern guitar solo and the rise of P2P file sharing. We could go on and on about numerous things regarding the one and only Metallica, between the late Cliff Burton and the return to form of Death Magnetic. But in all honesty, why? We all know the score, we have been there, done that, bought St. Anger and burned it.
This pales in comparison to the recent ceremony announcing Metallica’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Jeff Beck and Run DMC on Saturday, April 4th. The ceremony which was for the first time open to the public, felt less like an awards show and more like a concert. Jimmy Page along with several others joined Metallica on stage for one round of sound entitled “Train Kept A Rollin'”.
This glorious finale holds its own indeed, but the highlight of this evening celebrating many acts and headlining with a metal band that has stood the test of time must be “Master of Puppets”. From the album that shares its namesake, Metallica shared the stage with not only their current bassist Robert Trujillo (formerly of Suicidal Tendencies) but former bassist Jason Newsted. Newsted, who left in 2001 to pursue another band known as Echobrain came for a one off with his friends and reconciled for the evening.
With all the performances lined up, focus comes to Metallica’s chilling live rendition of “Master of Puppets”. Albeit James Hetfield’s voice seemed not entirely up to snuff, the metal gods reigned supreme nonetheless. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have officially conquered the world.
