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Metallica, Alice in Chains, Airbourne and Kvelertak take Basel
First of all, I would like to thank Good News for the fantastic concert they put together at St. Jakob Stadium last Friday. Metallica put on a performance that was second to none. Before I continue with them, lets check out the opening bands.
The first band to hit the stage was Norwegian band, Kvelertak. They featured high energy with lots of blast beats and melodic tones. It was hard for the fans to get totally into them because of the mix. The vocals were almost completely drowned by the guitars and drums but that didn't stop the vocalist from going out of his mind with excitement on stage. Overall it was a good 30 minute set.
Up next was Australia's finest, Airbourne. The mix was much better as the vocalist was clearly audible throughout the set. Airbourne could be described as a louder and faster version of AC/DC and the fans were definitely receptive to the songs. However, the highlight of their set was thanking Metallica's road crew. Road crews are hardly acknowledged during concerts so this was a tremendous show of respect from Airbourne. Hats off to them!
Alice in Chains took the stage next. This was my first time seeing the band ever since orignal vocalist Layne Staley passed away in 2002 and I was interested in seeing if William Duvall would be able to fill the huge void Staley left behind. Not only did he fill it, he surpassed expectations by making each song his own instead of a tribute to the deceased frontman. The band opened with "Them Bones" and absolutely killed! They followed up with "Rain When I Die", "Man in a Box" and other classics that got the near full stadium rocking until their closing song, "Rooster".
Finally, it was time for the undisputed heavy metal champions of the world to hit the stage. After Ecstacy of Gold from "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" was played, Metallica bombarded the full stadium with the fastest rendition of "Battery". All four band members were on point, hitting every note while whipping the crowd into a frenzy. "Master of Puppets" followed and the frenzy multiplied! Fans were either singing, headbanging, slamdancing or doing all three! James Hetfield gave everyone a chance to catch their breath before the next song by stating that their set list was picked by the fans. Nobody had a complaint when "Ride the Lightning" was played. They slowed things down a bit with "The Unforgiven", a Black Album classic. "Creeping Death" followed and this performance featured fake blood drops covering their jumbo screens. Almost immediately after the song ended the heavens opened and a deluge of water poured onto everyone! That only added to the excitement as Metallica played "Sad But True" and a new song for the crowd. "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Enter Sandman" and "Fade to Black" followed while the sky provided the most spectacular light show I'd ever seen at a concert. "One" along with "...And Justice for All" were next. But the crowd reactions to those songs were nothing compared to "Whiskey in the Jar". Various pits were formed and singalongs were on hand everywhere in the stadium. Metallica slowed things down again with another Black Album classic, "Nothing else Matters". "St. Anger" followed and then it was time for their closer, "Orion". Robert Trujillo definitely did the song justice during the bass solo. The rain never let up and neither did Metallica or the crowd during this amazing show. If you've never seen Metallica perform, check them out!
- Jake Dixon