Hamptons faced cultural shock on Thursday night when some of MetalThe most faithful fans came down to the exclusive holiday site for an intimate, inviting show to see the hard coats in action.
The event, which was thrown by Siriusxm to celebrate the just launched maximum Metallica channel, turned the garden in the Amagansett-Bar Stephen Talkhouse to one of the smallest show Metallica has played since their rise to fame. Presence was Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and his wife Pam, Howard Stern and his wife Beth, Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy, Andy Cohen, Colin Jost, Michael J. Fox and Sylvester Stallone.
When it comes to Metallica’s set, they were in the largest hits mode, but there were no complaints from the fans that they were stuck to the essentials. The 14-song jaunt through its rear catalog was a smooth division between the anthemic 90s hits (“Enter Sandman”, “Nothing else is important”) and the 80s thrash grounds (“For whom The Bell Tolls”, “Master of Puppets”).
Despite a hit-heavy set, the metal legends did not call in, and seemed to enjoy the intimacy to play a small show to break up the stadium date they are used to. With simple sound and lighting rigs, it felt like the band was walking into a neighborhood block party and decided to shred for fun. Frontman James Hetfield looked particularly happy, healthy and energetic and told the audience early, “It’s warm and sweaty, we come close and personal – this is fun!”
At the same time, Papa Het’s bandmates were also lively, with leaderist Kirk Hammett’s fingers flying over the bands under lightning-fast solo; Drummer Lars Ulrich Hammar it up and hypers the audience behind the kit; And bassist Robert Trujillo pursues around the stage with some of the metal best stank areas.
That said, one of the show’s best moments was an emotional tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, as the group improvised on the riff to his legendary hit “Crazy Train” before calling out his fallen friend. It was an emotional moment in a set filled with hard rock joy, celebrated high guitars and raised hell.
David and Pam Zaslav, ready to rock
Getty Images for Siriusxm
