Metallica Shreds Tiny Hamptons Show for David Zaslav, Sylvester Stallone and Dozens of Die-Hard Fans: Concert Review
The Hamptons was faced with culture shock on Thursday night when some of Metallica‘s most faithful fans descended upon the upscale vacation spot for an intimate, invite-only show to see the hard rockers in action.
The event, thrown by SiriusXM to celebrate the just-launched Maximum Metallica channel, turned the backyard of Amagansett bar Stephen Talkhouse into one of the smallest shows Metallica has played since their rise to fame. In attendance were 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.
As for Metallica’s set, they were in greatest hits mode, but there were no complaints from fans that they stuck to the essentials. The 14-song jaunt through their back catalog was an even split between anthemic ’90s hits (“Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters”) and ’80s thrash fundamentals (“For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Master of Puppets”).
Despite a hit-heavy set, the metal legends didn’t phone it in, seeming to revel in the intimacy of playing a small show to break up the stadium dates they’re used to. With simple audio and lighting rigs, it felt like the band wandered into a neighborhood block party and decided to shred for fun. Frontman James Hetfield in particular looked happy, healthy and energized, telling the crowd early on, “It’s hot and sweaty, we’re getting close and personal — this is fun!”
Meanwhile, Papa Het’s bandmates were also lively, with lead guitarist Kirk Hammett’s fingers flying across frets during lightning-fast solos; drummer Lars Ulrich hamming it up and hyping up the crowd behind the kit; and bassist Robert Trujillo stalking around the stage with some of metal’s best stank faces.
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 shouting out their fallen friend. It was an emotional moment in a set filled with hard rock joy, celebrating loud guitars and raising hell.
The event, thrown by SiriusXM to celebrate the just-launched Maximum Metallica channel, turned the backyard of Amagansett bar Stephen Talkhouse into one of the smallest shows Metallica has played since their rise to fame. In attendance were 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.
As for Metallica’s set, they were in greatest hits mode, but there were no complaints from fans that they stuck to the essentials. The 14-song jaunt through their back catalog was an even split between anthemic ’90s hits (“Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters”) and ’80s thrash fundamentals (“For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Master of Puppets”).
Despite a hit-heavy set, the metal legends didn’t phone it in, seeming to revel in the intimacy of playing a small show to break up the stadium dates they’re used to. With simple audio and lighting rigs, it felt like the band wandered into a neighborhood block party and decided to shred for fun. Frontman James Hetfield in particular looked happy, healthy and energized, telling the crowd early on, “It’s hot and sweaty, we’re getting close and personal — this is fun!”
Meanwhile, Papa Het’s bandmates were also lively, with lead guitarist Kirk Hammett’s fingers flying across frets during lightning-fast solos; drummer Lars Ulrich hamming it up and hyping up the crowd behind the kit; and bassist Robert Trujillo stalking around the stage with some of metal’s best stank faces.
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 shouting out their fallen friend. It was an emotional moment in a set filled with hard rock joy, celebrating loud guitars and raising hell.