Metallica played the first of two shows with the San Francisco Symphony for the grand opening of the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA on September 6.
The band regrouped with the orchestra to mark the 20th Anniversary of the pairing’s 1999 live performance recording “S&M”, with the first live performances of Michael Kamen's original arrangements in 20 years, plus the first-ever Metallica/San Francisco Symphony renditions of songs written and released since the original live set with new orchestral charts by Bruce Coughlin.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports 16,000 fans were on hand to see Metallica perform on a circular, revolving stage in the center of the arena floor, surrounded by 75 members of the Symphony and conductor Edwin Outwater.
The evening began with a live symphonic version of the band’s traditional pre-show opening, Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy Of Gold”, before tilting into the instrumental “The Call of Ktulu,” firmly establishing the show’s cinematic tone.
The three-hour concert was split into two parts, notes reviewer Aidin Vaziri, with the first showcasing the interplay between Metallica’s thundering riffs and the Symphony’s sweeping strings .. while the second half featured an opening set by the Symphony’s veteran Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas.
S&M2 saw the WorldWired tour debut of an acoustic take on “All Within My Hands”, with Avi Vinocur on backing vocals, and the first performance in six years of the 1983 track “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth”, that included a solo by Scott Pingel, the main bassist of the Orchestra.
Metallica will play a second show with the San Francisco Symphony on September 8 as an exclusive gig for fan club members.
The band are filming both nights for an October 9 worldwide cinema event, with full details and tickets available via metallica.film.
See also:
VIDEO: Metallica perform No Leaf Clover in Vienna
Metallica stream extended video trailer for S&M2 cinema event
VIDEO: Metallica perform Ride The Lightning in Romania
VIDEO: Metallica perform Nothing Else Matters in Moscow
Search Metallica at hennemusic
