…it was a Saturday evening when around 15,000 die-hard fans skipped their usual plans to treat themselves to auditory pleasure the hard way, inside Stuttgart’s Schleyer Hall. The “old” gentlemen of Metallica paid us a visit.

In the past, NOTHING could have dragged me to a concert like this. I would have preferred letting a New Year’s firecracker explode in my ears. Today, I see things a little differently. Naturally, a large part of the audience has now reached an age where their day job forces a tie around their neck during office hours, while tattoos are pushed under shirt sleeves—only to be replaced this evening by leather accessories.

That alone rules out showing up at work on Monday with one eye so bloodshot it outshines the consultant-blue of one’s shirt. For me, an aging, claustrophobic non-concertgoer, this meant the rare opportunity to claim a standing spot on the arena floor. Admittedly, my three friends made this whole thing significantly easier. At least during the adjustment phase 😉

As for the music, there’s really only one thing to say: download the setllist and listen to it LOUD. It clears your head and leaves behind a certain kind of “open” emptiness.

There was plenty of new material, but the classics didn’t come up short either. In my opinion, the band offered the attentive listener a rather well-balanced, aromatic mix. Personally, I found the first three rows a bit too stressful and retreated to the mid-front area. There, the crowd showed slightly less commitment to headbanging, but made up for it by showing greater consideration for various externally attached components of the human body.

I also really liked the stage setup in the center of the hall. It allowed a much broader audience to enjoy the “front-row effect.” Thanks to the band’s agility, the space was used extremely well, and at no point did it feel like Metallica was playing to only one side of the arena.

After 2.5 hours in a Schleyer Hall heated by pyrotechnics and, above all, sweating bodies, the metallic coffins descended toward the crowd one last time. Metallica repeatedly wished their guests a good night and left the stage to thunderous applause.

If, after this auditory experience, you notice a faint but persistent ringing or buzzing, that’s a good sign. Your brain has started working again.

Conclusion: All in all, a very successful concert. Everything was pure: the music, the beer, the sweat—and let’s be honest: Nothing else matters.