My weekend with Metallica. Including Pantera, Mammoth WVH, Ice Nine Kills and Five Finger Death Punch @US Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minnesota 2024
I was lucky enough to see the two Metallica shows at U.S. bank stadium in Minneapolis this past month. At this point I believe the tour is over, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be more shows in the future by the band. I still thought it would be worth doing a review about what I encountered over that weekend.
Let’s start with Metallica and there no repeat weekend. I would think for any huge Metallica fan, this would be a dream come true. They performed songs that I believe they had never performed before, including instrumentals. One of the things I see fans arguing about all the time with different bands that they love is how the setlist never changes. All of those bands should take a cue from Metallica and realize that they can switch up the set list and still have people show up in droves to see them perform.
From my perspective it appeared that both nights for the most part were sold out. There were people all the way up to the very top of the stadium and the floor was packed. I was fortunate enough to spend both of the shows in the snake pit, which was truly a unique experience. For any of you that don’t know, they are performing in the round which I was skeptical about before seeing the show. It was a very interesting perspective to see how these bands would be able to interact with the crowd but also each other. All 5 bands that were a part of this tour did a great job of entertaining the crowd and seemed to be able to play and sync without any issues. The first time I saw Metallica was with WASP and Armored Saint Back in the mid-80s. What impressed me about the show in 2024 is how they really hadn’t lost anything. There was just as much aggression and passion in their music.
As bands age, they usually lose a step or two period these guys didn’t seem to at all. From what I could tell the crowd loved the shows and I would think they’d have no problem coming back to Minneapolis again whenever they wanted and sell out another two nights at the football stadium. Looking at the big four, as they like to call themselves a part of, I’ve always felt that they were the best of the four because they were the most palatable with pop influences. They have lots of great melodies in their songs, so I’ve always been a fan. I highly recommend, if you have not seen them, buy a ticket the next time they come to town and go to the show. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much fun they are.
Moving on to the opening acts, the first one I want to talk about is Mammoth WVH. They didn’t necessarily fit on this bill because they’re more straightforward rock’n’roll but yet they worked great. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this band. Their songs have great melody and hooks, wolf is a great singer as well as songwriter. Not to mention being that his father is Edward Van Halen, the kid knows how to play. But what strikes me the most about wolf is that he never bowed to pressure of all of the Van Halen fans that felt he should do something different. He’s forging his own way as his own musical entity and not living off of his father’s legacy. I wouldn’t have it any other way as a music fan. His father’s music has meant so much to me in my life, but I don’t need a tribute. What I need is exactly what wolf Van Halen is giving me, great music on his own terms. This is a band I will always support and always go to see play live.
Ice Nine Kills was the opener for the second night. This is another band I’ve always liked because they have some pop sensibility to them. I’m sure some of you reading these reviews that I do get tired of me saying that, but i can’t help it it’s what i like. I’ve never been a big heavy metal fan of cookie monster vocals. This band has been around for quite some time, and they tend to go through stages with their performance. It’s very similar to the old vaudeville flavor of an Alice Cooper show. The last several times I’ve seen them they’ve been using the persona of the movie American psycho starring Christian Bale. It’s a very interesting concept but I’m hoping that they will be putting that to rest and moving on to a different point of view with their next record. They are a hard-working band that always entertains. Another one I recommend that you look into.
Pantera, who was the middle slot on the first night, was probably the most anticipated act of the weekend. Fans love this band, and I completely understand why. The night before I was at their first Ave. show, and it felt like 1987 all over again. I can’t remember the last time I was at a live show where I felt the energy that was in that room. It transferred very well into US bank stadium for the Metallica show. There are some who have a problem with this because dime bag and Vinny are dead. And that’s fine if you feel that this is somehow a travesty having 2 replacement members play in the band, that’s your right. But vote with your wallet, don’t support it and just move on with your life. I can tell you that you’re definitely in the minority. The fans were all over this and you could tell that they were incredibly popular and well received.
I think Zakk Wilde and Charlie Benante have done an amazing job to recreate the energy and sound of this band. These two gentlemen deserve so much more appreciation than they’ve been getting at times online. I feel that they are the two best choices that could be made as replacements for the brothers. These songs and this band mean too much to people for it to just simply be nothing more than a memory. I for one am very happy to see that they’re back working and putting on shows. Obviously, I’m not the only one when you look at the attendance of the shows that they’re putting on. For any of you that have a problem with this I have one thing to say, go fuck yourself!
Lastly, I’d like to talk about 5 Finger Death Punch. They were the middle slot band on the second show. I’ve seen them many times and I’ve always been impressed with not only their music but how they perform and handle a crowd. There seems to be a lot of love hate with this particular band amongst metal fans. I’m not exactly sure why but it seems like metal fans either love them or they hate them. They fit right into the bill and were a perfect addition to this two-day metal extravaganza. I find the lead singer Ivan to be very charismatic, real and down to earth. Although I do have one complaint. He came into the Vikings house and cut my team down. That does not fly with people, and he got booed as he should. My understanding is he is a Green Bay Packers fan, so then that completely makes sense to me that he is special needs. For that I can forgive him. I will continue to support this band and go and see them live whenever I get a chance.
All five of these bands are great in their own way. All of them deserve your attention and respect. Even if by chance you’re reading this review and you’re not much of a heavy metal fan, but you are a music fan, why don’t you check them out on Spotify and see what you think. I’ll definitely encourage you to go see any one of them perform live because they’re all very entertaining.
METALLICA GALLERY
PANTERA GALLERY
MAMMOTH WVH GALLERY
ICE NINE KILLS GALLERY
5 FINGER DEATH PUNCH GALLERY
