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Metallica hard-wires a different set list every night
- js2 3y agoGift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/arts/music/metallica-set-list-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=b6nqg0XDFi2MiuknA0VqR8FfMgVdw0NtT9a-lkscJQZ4TzQfoWC-tZ7a27_d5gQsRa_DiF8m7Nt3BcXmcTexvVK-W7hWG34gkr2qPygkQ22vcTnrMAO45r-EaCRnOiv7H9kUHdHmJymcI96ZOjLN3hm9ixNQyACu1F3W5viZ6WPNkppCV0j8pUyekHvbMZ2S27SHOzWUkr_ygrzO-U3TcM-WaejNIPEe3CUcJdCs3mj4_dSZ8AZAN4OSuFmPIKcVaMWLoFnckiJIhKJHHpg5cpZ9x720ATYrZNEfUg99SC_AMl_5OuxVVQgL3w_dJ1I2hBoZc4t67B9_WOLs9QLEHZxSs-o7lXXa_Q&smid=url-share https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/arts/music/metallica-set-...
- neonate 3y agohttps://archive.md/1HIIT https://archive.md/1HIIT
- ainiriand 3y agoAs much hate as Lars gets he is a big part of Metallica's success.
- Xenoamorphous 3y agoIs it because of the Napster thing? Or there's more to it.
- sornaensis 3y agoIf you have any musician friends who are into metal, ask them what they think of Lars as a drummer. :)
- JTyQZSnP3cQGa8B 3y agoMy friends say that he’s not a good drummer. They don’t play for Metallica though and I wish they were a bit more humble. Also most of them are software engineers and I don’t think they would like to know what I think of their code and documentation.
- midoridensha 3y agoI don't have to be an actor or movie director to tell you confidently that "Battlefield: Earth" is a bad movie.
- Guthur 3y agoI think much of the song arrangement is likely from Lars. There is a video somewhere of Hammett describing how he shared a riff for one of their songs and Lars said "play that but 3 times them end on that" or something to that effect. Live performances may not be super tight but it's OK because Hetfield is a better drummer (at least he keeps the rhythm)
- midoridensha 3y agoMetallica would be a lot better if they hired a new drummer, and Lars just became a manager.
- sornaensis 3y agoFor sure, the band is Lars and James. People like to hate on Lars and Hammett out of jealousy I guess, they’re both really successful in a genre that celebrates technical prowess, while not being technical players.
- rusk 3y agoThat’s why he’s a big part of their success. He understands business. He wasn’t going to stand by and watch his legacy squandered by hippies.
- xinayder 3y agoThis video explains it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjbAKqREg9g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjbAKqREg9g the meme is that he's a bad drummer, but even Hetfield said that he thought of kicking Lars before but realized later that he's an essential part of the band, after all, he's the one that founded the band - if it weren't for him putting out an ad on a newspaper in the US, Metallica might've not existed. he's not a great drummer, but he's an essential part of the band, remove him and the band is no longer the same. I'd say he keeps the band together.
- reidrac 3y agoI don't get the "bad drummer" meme. The drum parts in any Metallica song are perfect for the song and you can tell his style by listening to the drums alone. Even if it was just serviceable, he's Metallica's drummer, so he's going to be criticised anyway.
- sdgdfgsfdfgsdfg 3y agoI'm not even sure that he is a drummer -- that is, someone who has a passion for the instrument and devotes a significant part of his life to improving his technique and skill set. It is not even up for debate that his playing has deteriorated over the decades. His on-stage blunders would be embarrassing even in a high school band. I think he just stopped caring at some point, being satisfied with his success and never practicing.
- saiya-jin 3y agoCouldn't it be some sort of physical or mental degradation, injuries, addictions etc? Some people are more open about these, some are not. I mean he is 60 soon.
- flakeoil 3y agoWell, someone who plays the drums in a band which I and millions of other people enjoy listening to for sure is a drummer. And a good one at that.
- 3y ago
- ChrisMarshallNY 3y agoHeh. A few of us might remember Camp Chaos’ “Metallicops” vids. https://youtube.com/watch?v=LeKX2bNP7QM https://youtube.com/watch?v=LeKX2bNP7QM https://youtube.com/watch?v=mb_jLAisPzk https://youtube.com/watch?v=mb_jLAisPzk
- rob74 3y ago> you play on the doughnut itself and then the fans are in the doughnut hole. And then, well, where do the drums go? Then the concept of the four drum kits — one drum kit in each of the four different directions — came up, and then it sort of went from there. Er, how does this work in a stadium? Some stadium concerts already have premium prices for the area closer to the stage, but the others can at least see the same thing, albeit from further away. If the "donut hole" is the premium area, what do the people outside the donut get to see? Guess I'll have to wait for a video of this. But this whole "360° stage" thing smacks of "using the stadium capacity as efficiently as possible to make moar money"...
- ageitgey 3y agoThere's some videos up: https://youtu.be/yY4w-bIH3X4 https://youtu.be/yY4w-bIH3X4
- planede 3y agoWow, the giant beach balls are just horrible.
- raverbashing 3y agoI agree, what's this, rock concert and American Gladiator mixed up? I mean, it makes sense that the artist wants to circulate, but a T shaped stage makes more sense on a first glance (though of course having the guitar means that you need a pedestal for the mic, so there's that)
- altacc 3y agoI've been to a stadium concert with a similar doughnut layout and the main problem was that at all times at least half the audience is looking at a band member's back, not their face. You get some connection by being close but that doesn't last when they walk over to the other side of the stage. For what connection you can get in a stadium gig I prefer to see people's front, plus a big screen, not the musicians' backs just a bit closer.
- msoad 3y agoThis reminds me of pg’s submarine article[1]. NYT is being paid to promote Metallica’s tour. Possibly because not enough old people want to go to an expensive concert and young people think Metallica is an Instagram filter or something… [1] http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
- jahsome 3y agoHow did you determine nyt is being paid to promote the tour?
- msoad 3y agoBecause that's how it works. Having a different list of songs to play in each show is not newsworthy at all
- prawn 3y agoThat’s not how PR and newspapers tend to work together - it’s rare that it’s a paid arrangement. The PR company pitches a story on behalf of their client (band, stadium, etc) and perhaps offers interviews or quotes or whatever. If it’s paid, there will be a disclosure. Otherwise, it’s just the paper needing content to sit alongside their advertising. (Wife worked in PR for a decade.)
- version_five 3y agoI think this is what the OP meant, based on the essay he linked.
- msoad 3y agoYes exactly. If it was a direct payment they had to announce it. But it's corrupt payment and that's what pg's article is saying.
- 3y ago
- jpnc 3y agoI remember reading Mike Portnoy doing that for Dream Theater while he was in the band (not sure if they still do it). Not just mixing up the set list for the venue repeats but also taking into account that some fans like to go to neighboring venues and wanted to keep it fresh for them too.
- niek_pas 3y agoI was reminded of that too. I’m fairly certain they stopped doing that when Portnoy left.
- bigbacaloa 3y agoWhat all the set lists have in common is that Lars plays them badly.
- toni 3y agoand the bass tracks are too high
- conradfr 3y agoIt's not as elaborate as what Metallica does but the Red Hot Chili Peppers change their setlist every show, Anthony Kiedis handwrites them before the show.
- mike503 3y agoIf only they'd play Higher Ground. I've seen them multiple times now in different locations and had different setlists (mostly; I found that they do resemble each other a lot) but still not that one damn song!
- conradfr 3y agoDoesn't seem to be Frusciante favorite song ;) https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/red-hot-chili-peppers-13d68969.html?songid=63d63ec3 https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/red-hot-chili-peppers-13d...
- bigtex 3y agoTo celebrate this new tour fans should watch their music videos on YouTube with ad block enabled. RIP Napster.
- soupfordummies 3y agoIf you think this kind of thing is cool, Phish just played seven shows in a row at Madison Square Garden without repeating a single song! King Gizzard does this kind of thing of too and it's awesome. It's sometimes kind of a bummer if you go see a large act multiple times and it's pretty much the same set.