Metallica rocks Bangalore

BANGALORE: It was as good as attaining musical nirvana after riding the F1 fervour. When America’s most popular heavy metal band Metallica descended on Sunday , the city hit a different high.
Youngsters from across the country, and some from abroad, many flaunting the iconic band’s T-shirt , flooded the IT capital to witness the gala event. From New Delhi (where the concert was cancelled ), to North-east , Bihar, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai, the 20-somethings flocked to Palace Grounds to listen not just to James Hetfield, but also to experience the sleek riffs of Kirk Hammett and groove to the drumbeats of Lars Ulrich.
The concert area, which was divided into three, saw the first portion packed with fans virtually clinging to each other and head-banging to some of the band’s most famous numbers. Boys let their hair down on a cool and wet evening, singing and dancing to chartbusters like ‘Enter Sandman’ , ‘Nothing Else Matters’ .
While Hetfield captivated the audience with his ‘metallic’ voice, Ulrich was a stunner with the drums, especially with the ‘Enter Sandman’ number . Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett’s extended riffs and sudden shifts to melodic strains left fans asking for more. As always, bassist Robert Trujillo truly complemented Hetfield and Hammett.
The band played other popular numbers like ‘Wherever I May Roam’ , ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ , ‘Seek and Destroy’ , ‘Master of Puppets’ , ‘Of Wolf And Man’ , ‘Creeping Death’ , ‘Cyanide’ and some songs from The Black Album.
Rocking mood
The event began late in the evening but the mood was vivacious through the day. A middle-aged woman in a salwarkameez , wearing a Metallica T-shirt , stood in a long queue to get tickets; young mothers were seen shaking a leg with their tiny tots; black was the colour of the day as a sea of fans proudly donned the T-shirts ; restaurants were packed with fans sipping beer, obviously as a build-up to the head-bang later in the evening.
Right from noon till 5pm, a black human chain was waiting along the boundary wall of Palace Grounds, stretching all the way to Mekhri Circle. Many disheartened fans came from Delhi after the show was cancelled there, determined to chase the band and rock with them.
Packed roads
Traffic crawled on Bellary Road despite heavy police bandobast. Many fans came on autos and cars, while others on their two-wheelers . But for all, parking was a major worry.