TOUR ARCHIVE

Date: 1999-04-21
Location: Berkeley, CA - United States [6 shows here]
Venue: Berkeley Community Theater [2 shows here]
Info: Symphonica
Fan reviews: 5 - Add yours!
Author: Jameson
Setlist: Yes

Landed in San Jose and looked around for my ride. Neither of us knew what the other looked like. We walked past each other several times at the airport. Very funny. I didn't want to stare at Joanna's name badge for fear of being pegged a stalker or pervert.

Got to Berkeley and enjoyed Quiche with Joanna. She's a rad gal. She rides the rails between the San Fran Symphony and Metallica as a fan of one and soon to be a musician in the other (guess which? If you said she will be in Metallica, you lose. But she would add some more depth as Metallica's tympanist.

Schmoozed and met Maddies and other chapters and got and gave kudos for spiffy outfits. Enjoyed watching Mark Devito take to task the Jesus freaks outside the theatre. Look for it on Metallica TV some time in the future...maybe.

The show...fok! Sounded bad ass! Having the orchestra perform Ecstasy Of Gold as a precursor to the show proper is like having the 20th Century Fox Fanfare with the CinemaScope extension before a Star Wars movie!!!

Opening with an instrumental was gutsy but very appropriate. Ktulu never sounded more majestic.

Other kick ass tracks were Wolf (The horns kicked major ass), Bleeding Me (Massive!!!), Thingy (as if it wouldn't!!!), Devil Dance (Michael Kamen was doing the Devil Dance as he conducted this one!!!), Bellz (Full-on Deadly with the orchestra), Roam (yes, I actually like this version better than any previous attempts), Outlaw (emotionally charged performances by both parties), Sad (gets better and better every year, but I don't know how Tallica can top this orchestral arrangement with the point-counterpoint dished up by the band and the SF Symphony).

Honorable mention goes to Hero (recast as a lullaby except the chorus), Fuel (Violins at 100+ through black and white is quite a sight indeed), Puppets, Matters, One (all expected), Battery (for the intro alone!).

I am gonna play critic: Memory and Sleeps don't do diddly for me, but seeing it with a full complement was mildly interesting. PLEASE!!!!! Please drop Sandman!!!!! Tired as shit with it. If they wanted to keep it in the setlist, they should have had the orchestra play it without Metallica; what the SF Symphony played was FAR more interesting than what the band was playing. They were recording last night, so i don't know how the final mix will be, but I wanted to hear more Orchestra and less Metallica in the mix. Maybe it was the acoutics...

Uh, 2 new songs? If they record these tracks for the album with an orchestra, they will kick some major fucking ass!!! No Leaf Clover and Human were in the slinky vein a la Devil Dance, slow in the Sad But True tradition.

No Leaf Clover's quiet passages are very fucking sad sounding...picture a more serious and genuine "Home Sweet Home" in a minor key with the heaviness that only Metallica can deliver. The heavy parts are favourably reminiscent, in this critic's eyes, to parts of Testament's "The Ballad".

Human begins and ends with a strident march theme that takes me back to Celtic Frost's "Innocence and Wrath", except shorter and more radical. The orchestra definitely added something to the power of this song. I'd be disappointed if an orchestra is not involved in the final recording of this song. The balance of the song is very slinky and heavy...when James said he's leaning more toward the Loverman end of the spectrum, I kinda sensed it in this song. Not so much a copy as a tangent.

Lyrics? I was in too much awe to try to remember. Sorry, Maddies.

JB light man, you outdid yourself. Your visual presentation was very appropriate and supersexycool, even the swirled faces and psychedelia...

During the intermission (1/2 way thru the set), I was cuffed by Maddie Liz to go hang out on the balcony. She knocked on the window motioning me to go outside. She then ditched me to use the bathroom. Then she had the nerve to knock on the window and tell me to join her INSIDE...Some people! Oy Vey! Got to talk to the San Joseruim Freeks some more, meet the graphics person behind InterSandman and Byte The Lightning (Elizabeth, you rock), finally got to meet Mad Hassan after numerous shared shows between the two of us and not once hooking up.

Hung with Kat and her pals Drue and Chip--all of whom were dressed for the orchestra, Eric MadHead and Jeff Holland (thanks for the battery jump--Joanna, don't be keeping your lights on again!), Maddies Soichiro, Phil, Chris Barr, Shawn in the house! Gosh, too many people to mention.