On Sunday metal pioneers Metallica ventured back to Houston where, like in every other city, an enormous crowd welcomed them with open arms. The diversity of the crowd — old white guys mixed with young(er) white guys — was so apparent that vocalist James Hetfield turned the show into a questionnaire and came to the conclusion that approximately half of the crowd were old-school fans, the other half having discovered the band more recently. Unaware that the set was going to exceed two hours prior to arriving at NRG Stadium, I, perhaps one who prided myself on being more of a Megadeth fan, figured I might find myself rather bored about midway through. However, that was not necessarily the case, being that the production of the show was almost as much of a spectacle as the band itself. The two-and-a-half openers — giving more credit to Mix Master Mike, more credit than others might — Volbeat and Avenged Sevenfold were, I hear, alright. Not sure of where to enter to redeem my photo pass, I ended up missing both of these sets. But, luckily, I felt rejoiced to enter the photo pit while Mike spun the deep cuts like Trapt’s “Headstrong” and some track about an army that involves seven nations.

The size of the stage honestly seemed a bit overwhelming at first, but once I realized that VIP ticket holders had certain pit access, I realized that the band could likely sell those costly tickets out, so the size made sense. Also, the stadium is so massive that the stage needed to be larger than what most are used to seeing elsewhere. Not knowing what to expect when the band took stage, a photographer was kind enough to give me the scoop on where they would be swaying to after each track. So I took my place, ready to try to get some shots while fretting about where I would have to put my camera bag before I made my way back to my seat after the nerve wracking first three songs. Regardless, the general consensus as I turned my head back to the wall of cellphone light was that something cool was about to happen. And I must admit, that was pretty accurate.

Opening with “Hardwired,” the title track of the band’s last album, their 10th studio, the quartet looked just like I imagined they would, based off of the videos I used to say I didn’t watch. Hetfield proved he’s just as steady on vox and guitar as he’s been for as long as anyone could remember; guitarist Kirk Hammett shredded on his horror-themed guitars; bassist Robert Trujillo went just as crazy on stage as I thought he would; and drummer Lars Ulrich, well, was Lars Ulrich, which isn’t a bad thing. I’ve always considered him a fine drummer, but the internet decided to alter that story a while back and most just go along with it. The band made way for a number of tracks of their newest work, but being that they are Metallica, they were also expected to play the hits, which they seemed excited to do. Hence the third song, the acclaimed “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” It was at this point I had to leave the pit, missing the next few songs, including another classic, “The Unforgiven.”

Once they made their way into the track “Moth Into Flame,” i.e. the track they performed at the Grammy’s, a line of synchronized flames pranced around the stage. Fortunately, sound wasn’t an issue for this live version. Well, nothing other than the flawed sound that’s guaranteed with playing a venue made for 70-something thousand rowdy football fans. But this was combatted with the speed that the band played, so it was not as apparent. Later on, four large drums came out and the band turned into more of a drum pit with Ulrich also serving as the hype-man in the beanie while directing the crowd when to clap their hands. A few songs later the band took a few minutes to change their shirts while Trujillo took the stage to perform a phased-out solo while a montage of the late Cliff Burton appeared on the screen, with people almost saluting him like they would the flag. It was a thoughtful addition to their set, and I certainly give Trujillo props for being able to keep the playing for the majority of the set while other members took breaks.

After the band landed on “One,” it became clear that there were nearing the end of the show and had to pump out the songs that people spent an enormous fee to see, so the list then included tracks like “Master of Puppets,” “Seek & Destroy,” and “Battery.” The band went on to encore with “Nothing Else Matters” and “Enter Sandman.” Going into this show with expectations of being potentially underwhelmed, I realized that people are going to see this band every time they have the opportunity, and for good reason. For a group that has been around for roughly 36 years, they do not appear to be slowing down, and they seem to have fun playing these songs night after night. Or maybe they’re good actors. They did have that movie, you know. In short, Metallica played the way Metallica has always played. As a band that has played stadiums for longer than I have been alive, they have proven time after time that they are the forerunners of the metal community. I do not see that changing for as long as they are together, and perhaps it shouldn’t.

There are only one or maybe two concerts a year that are so worth making it out for that they bring back old memories or create new ones.  It might be a set at a festival, or a band that’s so mammoth that there’s only one space to house them. When it was announced that U2 was to tour their breakthrough album, The Joshua Tree as a 30th anniversary tour, I remembered thinking of it as a cash grab. However, as the weeks drew closer, I had to ask myself if this was something I’d ever get to witness again.  This wasn’t like the Zoo TV tour, or the PopMart tour that I had already seen. This was to be something that wasn’t likely to occur ever again, so I caved and decided to attend. As a guy who saw the band’s film Rattle And Hum in the theater for one of my birthdays, this would be a chance to hear those tracks that never get played in person. I wish I could tell you that they failed and that the concert was a bore, but I’d be a liar if I were to say anything other than U2 definitely brought their A-Game, and performed admirably in front of what’s billed as the largest high-res video screen ever used for a touring act.  

U2 at NRG Stadium. Photo: Daniel Jackson

Things began with the band finding their way down into the audience to perform on a small round stage. Through the darkness, Larry Mullen Jr. opened with the iconic drums of “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The other members soon met him and performed a tight and cohesive version of the song, only to have lead singer Bono call out for an end to war. This would get followed by “New Year’s Day,” only to be followed by an energy heavy rendition of “Pride (In The Name of Love)” which would have the entire stadium singing the backing vocals of “Oh Oh Oh Oh” in the end. Of course, the band was here for another purpose, and so the large illuminated Joshua Tree was lit, and the band found themselves atop a much larger stage that spanned the width of NRG stadium. There’s always been a chill that the opening of “Where The Streets Have No Name” seems to give me, and this was only heightened by the large tree that was lit up before the film work of famed photographer Anton Corbijn showcased how strong those LEDs really were. The illuminated tree disappeared in favor of a film of a road in the desert that was such high quality, that it felt like we were riding in a car and seeing it in real time. However, the fact that the largest band on the globe was performing in front of it, brought the imagery back to reality real quick.  

The Edge & Bono of U2 at NRG Stadium. Photo: Daniel Jackson

The crowd would go crazy and keep their phones out for the iconic sounds of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” before bringing the beauty of “With Or Without You” to life. There was something magical in how the screen seemed to transpire the music as it was played, while the four piece offered up one of the best renditions of the song I’ve seen from them ever before. Then, the bombastic sounds of “Bullet The Blue Sky” would change all of that. Complete with imagery of various people both young and old placing arm helmets on their head in front of an American flag, while The Edge brought out his black with black pickguard and pickups Stratocaster from the era to really bring those squeals and howls from the guitar to a new life. Bono would grab one of the many cameras and focus it on The Edge as those squeals emanated from the legendary guitar.  

The group would then slow things down and place The Edge on piano and Adam sitting on the drum riser for the quiet notes of “Running To Stand Still.” While Bono would close the song with a rousing harmonica solo, The Edge would stay on piano for “Red Hill Mining Town.” Complete with video of the Salvation Army Brass Band performing horns behind them, the song seemed to take on a new life with the addition of the horns before the band would usher in to one of my all time favorites, “In God’s Country.” While Bono would note, “welcome to side two, this song is about how the landscape of this fine country can change physically and mentally” the rarely performed track sounded as fresh as the first time I heard it. The Joshua Tree would turn purple before Bono addressed the crowd at the track’s end by starting with “we need new dreams tonight. We realize that we’re guests here, so thank you for having us in your country, all of us Irish; for hundreds of years.”

Bono of U2 at NRG Stadium. Photo: Daniel Jackson

Before the opening of “Trip Through Your Wires” would have Bono jokingly state “we’ll be back for the rodeo,” and at the end, Bono again addressed the crowd with words about the recent tragedy in Manchester. “Our hearts are with you, with Manchester. We’re broken hearted for the families, for the parents, there’s no end to grief which is proof that there’s no end to love.” Then the band took the song “One Tree Hill” to a whole new place both sonically and visually. Then, Bono who had left the stage would return donning a hat before beginning “Exit.” The intense and somber tune hit hard, while a comical film would play making fun of President Trump clipped together from the films “Wise Blood,” and “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe,” before the band closed out The Joshua Tree set with “Mothers of The Disappeared” which ended with the audience singing along in unison. “Thank you so much, thank you so much. What a special night you’ve given us,” Bono would state before the outline of The Joshua Tree would turn to blue and the band would exit the stage.

U2 at NRG Stadium. Photo: Daniel Jackson

The audience would almost light the way for the band to return with the flashlight functions of their phones. While that can sometimes be annoying, there’s something mesmerizing about how lit up a place as large as NRG stadium can appear under such circumstances. A film would soon begin, with the face of a young Syrian girl who is asked, “if you could say one thing to an audience of thousands, what would it be?” She would very cheerfully say, “I would very much like to go to America, because is the land of dreams where anything can happen.” As the band played “Miss Sarajevo,” and video of children playing in the war torn ruins of Syria, a flag with the young girl’s image was carried over our heads and made its way all around the entire stadium. The imagery of the gesture alone would hit so hard that it almost made me weep. The band would follow this up with the powerful fan favorite, “Bad.” The song evoked such emotion that the crowd was almost as loud as the band while they sang along.  Then, U2 would leave us again.

The Edge & Bono of U2 at NRG Stadium. Photo: Daniel Jackson

When they returned for the final time, things began with Bono running to the smaller stage before a rainbow imagery covered the band as cameras captured them in real time on the large screen as they erupted the stadium with the opening of “Beautiful Day.” With an ever changing illumination on the band as they played, there was a real positive feeling in the stadium as they performed. The audience would sing along harder when the band began “Elevation.” The audience would happily sing the backing vocal of “wooh ooh, wooh ooh ooh.” While Bono would state, “Houston, we don’t have a problem,”  before shouting out the state of Texas and the Houston Rockets, before dedicating the song “Ultra Violet (Light My Way).” “We’d like to dedicate this song to the very special women in our lives, the wives, the mothers, the women of our crew, and our female fans here tonight who we feel like we know, as well as those we’ll have no way of ever knowing. The women who insisted and the women who persisted.” This brought out images on the large screen of women like Michelle Obama, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Grace Jones, Patti Smith, Hillary Clinton, and Anne Richards to name a few. The band would then turn the stadium into a giant sing-a-long as they performed “One.” After Bono called the rest of the band to come down to the small stage where he was already met by Adam, he said the most poignant thing of the night, after thanking President Obama, President George W. Bush, and former first lady Laura Bush for their support of the (Red) program and helping save lives through AIDS research and care. “A social movement can change the world. Governments should fear their citizens, not the other way around.” After telling a funny story about Miles Davis being pulled over for speeding, the band offered up a new song with “The Little Things That Give You Away,” before closing the evening off with thanks to everyone from their team to the audience in attendance.

All in all, I was happy to attend and that I went. The band sounded better than the previous times I’d seen them, and getting to hear the songs of The Joshua Tree live was truly amazing. However, the screen and films just made the whole experience more memorable, and definitely a memory I won’t soon forget. U2 just proved that sometimes an event can bring up old cherished memories while giving us new ones, while pleasing us all in each and every performance.