Metallica in concert at the Stade de France on May 17: we were there, we tell you

Thrash metal in your ears, euphoric and happy fans, a beautiful scenography to discover in the largest stadium in France and a legendary band that continues to make us jump and to put some joy in our hearts after more than 40 years of career! Let's go back to the first of Metallica's two Parisian concerts, which took place this Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

METALLICA: 9 letters to designate one of the last best Thrash metal bands in the world still active. For more than 40 years now, the Californians have been flooding us with happiness with their sharp riffs and ultra powerful beats. With no less than 11 albums to its credit, including the latest one"72 Seasons", Metallica is one of those rare bands to have produced numerous hits known throughout the world.

Metallica has played in cities all over the world, even going as far as Tuktoyaktuk in Canada's far north in 1995 or Antarctica in 2013. In Paris, there are few stages that the band does not know, except the Olympia. Metallica even had the good idea of squatting three different venues(Bataclan, Boule noire and Trabendo) during a single marathon day; it was on June 11, 2003. Since then, the band is used to the biggest venues, such as theAccor Arena (in 2009 and 2017), the Parc des Princes (in 2004) or the Stade de France, which the band already played in 2012 and 2019. In 2023, the American group is back in the spotlight. For this great return to the capital, Metallica had chosen to bet on a new concept: offer two shows in the same room, but with two completely different setlists. So in the end, what does this new Metallica tour look like?

We had the chance to attend the first of the two Parisian concerts of the Californians, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. A show that was far from being sold out. We have to admit that the price of the tickets slowed down many people. But one thing is sure: the central circular stage imagined for the"M72 World Tour" was worth the detour! Wide enough for the four members of Metallica to move freely throughout the set, the stage is surrounded by eight pylons where three large rounded screens are perched, broadcasting live images of the concert as well as visuals from the band's universe. The outline of the large circular stage is illuminated from time to time in red, green or yellow. Inside the stage, we find the famous snake pit, bigger than during the previous tours. Thus, several hundreds of lucky kids were able to enter and get closer to the show and their idols for a guaranteed immersion!

But before living this exhilarating and thundering musical moment signed by Metallica, the spectators had the right to two opening acts , with on one side the American heavy metal band Ice Nine Kills, which was in concert the day before at L'Elysée Montmartre, and on the other side the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica (replacing Five Finger Death Punch). A rather mixed warm-up before the heavyweights of American thrash metal take the stage!

So, it's around 8:45 pm that the atmosphere really rises a notch at the Stade de France, when resounds (as always) the catchy " It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) " of AC/DC, followed by the traditional " Ecstasy Of Gold " of Ennio Morricone, taken up in chorus by the assembly. Fans have known it for several decades now: it is after this mythical instrumental piece that the long awaited moment arrives, I speak of course about the entrance on stage of the four Californians. And it is with the hit"For Whom the Bell Tolls" that Metallica decides to start its first set in Paris. It will not take more to put the fans in all their states and quickly lead to shouts of joy from the audience.

The hits"Ride the Lightning" and"Holier Than Thou" followed, just to continue with the classics of the band. But Metallica then decides to surprise its fans by interpreting the excellent and too rare"I Disappear", taken from the soundtrack of the blockbuster"Mission: Impossible 2".

Then came the newcomers that the French public was impatient to discover live. And the result is rather successful with a very dynamic"Lux Æterna", a catchy"Screaming Suicide", and a powerful"Sleepwalk My Life Away".

But let's go back to the classics that fans never get tired of hearing from tour to tour. Metallica then continued with the instrumental"Orion", the inevitable"Nothing Else Matters" and the memorable"Sad But True".

On stage, the four Californians show a wide smile and seem happy to find their " Metallica Family " in Paris, a city that is dear to them. All dressed in black and never leaving his guitar, James Hetfield goes from the outside of the stage to the inside, then finds himself singing in front of the audience of the snake pit, with an amazing ease. Always very close to his fans, the singer and guitarist does not hesitate to"check" some of them, causing some euphoric reactions.

On his side, Lars Ulrich is always as impressive, even sitting behind his beautiful yellow drums. We really enjoyed seeing his favorite instrument appear from the bowels of the stage and change position during the set. During the show, Lars - a bit of a prankster - takes great pleasure in throwing his towel in the pit in which he has just wiped himself or in spitting water on the audience, visibly in demand. The guitarist Kirk Hammett and the bassist Rob Trujillo, always more discreet than their companions, do not make any extra. The years pass, but their energy and their complicity remain (almost) intact.

Here is one of the rare groups that manages, after more than 40 years of career, to gather in Paris so many fans coming from all over the world. English, Colombians, Australians, Americans, Swedes, Chileans or Mexicans unite behind Metallica with only one motto: vibrate to the rhythm of Thrash metal and of this band that gives them so much!

A band that has, of course, taken some wrinkles(Kirk blew out his 60 candles last year, while James, Lars and Rob are not far from joining him), but still takes as much pleasure to go on stage and play their songs in front of thousands of fans. It is at least what we felt this Wednesday night at the Stade de France. Despite the youth that seems far behind, the four companions keep the same energy and the same passion. And the fans are asking for more. So Metallica does not sulk its pleasure by ending its set with several of their hits awaited like the Messiah by the spectators, like"Master of Puppets" and "Seek & Destroy", while flames spout around the stage on the track"Fuel", heating up the atmosphere a little more.

After having made us sweat and wriggle during 2 hours of set, and having put us full of eyes and ears, Metallica bends to its traditional throw of picks and sticks, causing some riots in the pit.

If the audience seems to be conquered by this incredible performance, the band is also savoring this moment and is already looking forward to the second Parisian date on Friday, May 19, 2023, which should be as explosive as the first!