When Music and Memories Collide
Written by Onyx Bates
EDIT: (29/09/19)
Sadly Metallica have announced they will no longer be performing these concerts in New Zealand at this stage. They are planning to return to New Zealand and Australia at a later date, but nothing has been set as yet. You can read the full statement from them below…
A Note from Lars, Kirk, and Rob
We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.
As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again.
We fully intend to make our way to your part of the world as soon as health and schedule permit. We’ll let you know as soon as we can. Once again, we are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who travel great distances to experience our shows. We appreciate your understanding and support for James and, as always, thank you for being a part of our Metallica family.
All tickets purchased to the shows in Australia and New Zealand, including Enhanced Experiences and Black Tickets, will be fully refunded. More details on how to obtain your refund are below.
AUS: https://www.livenation.com.au/artist/metallica-tickets
NZ: https://www.livenation.co.nz/artist/metallica-tickets
Enhanced Experience & Black Tickets:
https://www.cidentertainment.com/e…/metallica-australia-tour
Whether it be the unfolding of historical events or stories of a great night out, memories are the one thing that binds family, friends and in itself, the human race together. You can accumulate all the photos and trinkets that you like, but the tales that nestle cocooned within your mind are the souvenirs that will remain most precious; easily transportable, they spill from lips during reminiscent moments, igniting conversation like a match.
Concert goers cherish these moments more than most, captured in full technicolour, the year and venue forever etched into their personal timeline of musical endeavours; the tour t-shirt a mere physical representation of the show itself. Whilst such events often include the kickass local band whose short-lived career was still worthy of that epic Saturday night back in 99’, it is the camaraderie that comes with the bond of attending the big name acts, specific tours evoking learned nodding from those who also bore witness, or wails of despair from those who didn’t.
Of course, bands with a few world tours under their belt and several million album sales tucked into their back pocket are more likely to garner such fans; multiple generations often congregating together under stadium lights, many imparting individual accounts of when they saw said act during their incarnation at a small seedy pub with attendees numbering no more than twenty-three, bar staff included; others barely able to contain themselves as the anticipation of seeing such a formative act for the first time bubbles over.
Two such groups will soon be providing fuel for the memory machines of thousands more fans, the New Zealand concert season kicking into third gear as the weeks grow warmer and the evenings decidedly longer. The first that should be marked in red on the calendar to be that of the mighty Metallica.
Formed in 1981, the heavy metal/thrash artists began their humble beginnings in Los Angeles, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich the founding fathers of the troupe. Success came early with Metallica performing their inaugural live show at Radio City, Anaheim, on March the 14th 1982, which was followed up with the recording of their first original song in the form of ‘Hit the Lights’, the band soon going on to pick up a support slot for the popular Saxon.
Some well documented line-up shifts thanks to inner conflicts and the tragic death of Cliff Burton in 1986, saw Metallica’s band members then remain stable for fifteen years, during which time they released one of their most commercially successful records; the eponymous 1991 black album. The shock departure of Jason Newsted in 2001 soon made way for former Suicidal Tendencies/Infectious Grooves bassist Robert Trujillo to join the band in 03, bringing with him both a new-found energy and dynamic.
Ten studio albums, thirty-seven singles, thirty-nine music videos and nine Grammy Awards later, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are one of the undisputed juggernauts of the metal world, and while their shows may not be as raw and off the cuff as they were in their early days, their performances are still more than worthy of seeing on multiple occasions during one’s lifetime.
Touring in support of their latest album Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, Metallica will be bringing their WorldWired Tour to New Zealand for two shows on the 31st of October and the 2nd of November at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium.
The shows which are already visually spectacular also include set lists that shimmy across their massive discography and deliver at least one or two tracks to keep even the most casual of fans satisfied, Trujillo and Hammett (since 2017) often adding in a cover or two by artists of the region they are touring.
With the masked heavy metallers Slipknot in support, these unmissable shows will be the guaranteed topic of conversation for years to come; reviews from around the world already praising the massive stage production which includes an array of pyrotechnics, as well as the sheer tenacity of the band’s performances, Metallica often on stage for well over two hours.
Just a week later, yet another powerful act will roll into Auckland for two shows also to be held at Mt Smart Stadium; the indominable Irish rock band, U2. While not as heavy as Metallica, U2 have definitely been around longer, their forty-three-year long career seeing them release some of the most iconic singles the world has ever known, such as ‘Desire’, ‘All I Want is You’, ‘The Fly’ and ‘Beautiful Day’, their early musical endeavours seeing them challenge many of the wrongs that coloured their lives as young Irishmen; ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ which examined the 1972 Bloody Sunday (aka The Bogside Massacre) incident in Derry where British Troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protestors, an early statement by the band.
Formed in Dublin in 1976, U2 didn’t become U2 until March of 1978, the earlier band names of Feedback and The Hype soon being discarded in favour of the more ambiguous title we see today. Originally a six piece, by the time the band had adopted their permanent name their numbers had been whittled down to the four core members of Bono (Paul Hewson), The Edge (David Evans), Adam Clayton and of course drummer Larry Mullins Jr, the quartet remaining unchanged since their formation, a fact that very few bands still touring today can lay claim to.
Their roots may have been post-punk, but U2 have never been a band to shy away from a metamorphosis or two, often reinventing their style while still retaining their anthemic core led by Bono’s distinctive vocals and The Edge’s unmistakable guitar style. Well known for aligning themselves with humanitarian causes, much of their back catalogue has dealt with personal experiences and ‘sociopolitical’ themes, their appearance on the historical Live Aid bill of 1985 cementing their reputation as a must-see live act.
Ranked 22nd by Rolling Stone of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and can boast an epic twenty-two Grammy awards as well as almost 170 million record sales worldwide. Not bad for a band with fourteen studio albums to their name.
The Joshua Tree Tour will see U2 play their seminal fifth album The Joshua Tree in full and in sequence; the album itself not only one of their greatest thanks to tracks such as ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’, ‘With or Without You’ and ‘I Still Haven’t Found what I’m Looking For’ but one that has a deep and personal connection to New Zealand thanks to the song ‘One Tree Hill’ written in memory of Bono’s personal assistant, kiwi Greg Carroll whose life was sadly cut short by a Dublin motorbike accident in 1986. Of course, U2’s set list also boasts a range of other outstanding tracks including ‘I Will Follow’, ‘Gloria’ and ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ plus many, many more. Ensuring that the show is a once in a lifetime experience, the tour includes a series of specially commissioned films from Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn, who shot the cover art for the original Joshua Tree album sleeve. Highly regarded for their ambitious stage productions, The Joshua Tree Tour will undoubtedly be one that will live on in attendees’ hearts and minds, reminisced over fondly for the unique emotions it will stir in each and every individual, music often linked to key occasions in one’s life.
Ever a band who likes to mix things up when it comes to their support acts, the Auckland November shows will also include a performance from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds; last seen in Auckland in 2012 for the Big Day Out it will be, for many, a welcome return of the English alt-rockers.
So whether you are a card-carrying fan or simply one that sings along to the singles you know all too well on your morning commute, grab a friend or three and make some lifelong memories of your own to two of the world’s biggest acts that forged their own path through the history books of music.
Both Metallica & U2 are performing two shows each this October / November. While both of their first shows are completely sold out there are still great tickets available for each of the second shows – Metallica (with Slipknot) on Saturday 2nd November 2019 (Tickets HERE), and U2 (with Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds) on Saturday 9th November (Tickets HERE). Make sure you get in quick as these shows are selling FAST!
To celebrate the first Stadium shows of the summer we are giving away a double pass to U2’s second show!! To get yourself into the draw, head on over to our Facebook page and answer the skill question. Good luck!
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