O2 Arena: Seek and Destroy

O2 Arena. Greenwich, Greater London, SE10 0, UK

Yes, they did it again. My first concert in the O2 (the best concerts venue I have ever been in my life), and it had to be Metallica. And not the 'St Anger' Metallica, not at all... we are talking about the old Metallica, it is, the new Metallica, or if you prefer it, Death Magnetic Metallica. Whatever you prefer.

The O2 is an amazing place. It is true you feel as in El Corte Ingles as you go by the automatic stairs, and it seems quite as a commercial Mall with so many shops, restaurants and bars. But once you are inside of the venue itself, the sound quality is the best ever. And visibility is incredible, wherever you sit down (or stand up, if it is a Metallica gig what we are talking about!).


Just some ingredients for the best metal recipe on earth:

1. Tickets prized at 5 pounds. Wherever you had your location (because the O2 is just as a cinema, you have your numbered sit), it was just 5 quid. You had to register in Metallica´s website, though, or have a friend as good as Cesar, who got the tickets for me :D

2. Be a cheeky bastard. Leave your sit and, with your three friends, go to the VIP area. Row 3, just 20 meters far from James Hetfield & Co. All the superb chicks around us were famous, I am quite sure about that. In fact, we talked about buying Hello! magazine in order to check who they actually were...


It was a funny thing cheating the VIP area bouncers, too. So Spaniards, we were there...

3. Drink beer. It´s just 3.50 per pint. I remember the last concert I was in Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid (9 euros), or in las Ventas (no booze there)... yes, this is a much more civilized country. Moreover, Becks 4 is damned good!

4. Enjoy the checklist. Just one song from the last 3 albums (apart of the very last one, of course):

- 'That Was Just Your Life'
- 'The End Of The Line'
- 'The Thing That Should Not Be'
- 'Of Wolf And Man'
- 'One'
- 'Broken, Beat And Scarred'
- 'Cyanide'
- 'Frantic'
- 'Until It Sleeps'
- 'Wherever I May Roam'
- 'For Whom The Bell Toll'
- 'The Day That Never Comes'
- 'Master Of Puppets'
- 'Blackened'

- 'Stone Cold Crazy'
- 'Jump In The Fire'
- 'Seek and Destroy'

Yes, no balads. No Nothing Else Matters (I cannot listen that song anymore since Lucie Silvas horrid cover). No unforgiven (neither unf. part II or part III). Just trash metal. Just Metallica. Back to puppets and ride the lightning days.

5. Enjoy the sound quality. The best ever, and we are talking about a 25.000 spectators venue. You could listen every single instrument in every single song. Amaaaaaaaazing.

6. "Put the fucking cameras away, put the fucking phones away. You will not become famous on YouTube with a stupid Metallica low quality video. Just enjoy the experience, enjoy the metal show. You can call you mom later". James Hetfield dixit as "silly 2.0" teenagers where watching the gig by their cameras instead of by their eyes and ears.

I loved that part :D

7. SEEK AND DESTROY!!! (This was the last song, when they launched all the Metallica balloons. Appreciate the quality of the sound of the home made video... imagine it on site, 12 rows closer than this "silly 2.0" guy who was not VIP enough... paradise LOL)



8. Feel you are a good person just for once. All the tickets money went to a charity.

9. Good friends. Cesar, Cesar and Kara: I met you quite recently, but you are legends!! (pictures of the four of us coming soon, I forgot my camera)

and 10. Go back home by boat ;)