Death Magnetic German Tour 2009

In the spring of 2009 Metallica came to Europe with a gigantic World Magnetic Tour with concerts in indoor arenas. After a series of concerts in the UK (which you can read on the blog  - Death Magnetic UK Tour 2009) Metallica came to Germany. German fans could never complain about the lack of Metallica concerts in their country. Metallica during each tour played in Germany several times. So it was in the spring of 2009 and Metallica played in Germany mini tour consisting of seven concerts between May 6 and 17.

• May 6th - Munchen, Olympiahalle,

• May 7th - Lepizig, Leipzig Arena,

• May 9th - Stuttgart, Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle,

• May 11th - Frankfurt Festhalle

• May 12th - Hamburg, Color Line Arena,

• May 16th - Oberhausen, Konig Pilsener Arena,

• May 17th - Koln, Lanxess Arena

When we add one more concert in Hockenheim on July 4th where band played under the sign of Sonisphere Festival it is clear that the German fans could not complain.

As for the tickets they were not particularly beautiful when it comes to design. Regular printing of Eventim, even without a graphic logo of Metallica. I’ve seen a nicer version (from concert in Stuttgart), but it is very difficult to find them. The fact that the tickets were not attractive appearance was in my opinion an impact on that people do not care about them. A large part of the concert tickets from that tour with whom I had to deal with was in a very bad condition (folded, crumpled, dirty etc..).

Flyer from Hockenheimring 

Promo folder dedicated German Death Magnetic 2009 Tour

Blitzkrieg 97

Today, three tickets from Metallica European concerts in 1997. They were the only concert that summer in Europe to a wider audience. It is true that the band played several gigs in small clubs during Re-Load Promo Tour but they were promotional gigs before the release of the Re-Load album. It was a real Metallica live blitzkrieg - band played three concerts in three days in a row - just a weekend getaway. Metallica adequately to the situation called this mini-tour - Blitzkrieg 97. So the summer of 1997 You could see the band at Pukkelpop Festival in Hasselt (Belgium), Blindman's Ball Festival in Stuttgart (Germany) and Reading Festival (United Kingdom). It was the first visit Metallica on each of these three festivals. The concert in Stuttgart was fully registered and video from show was a part of the Fan Can # 3. On each of these concerts the band played four songs from the Load album (King Nothing, Hero of the Day, Ain’t my Bitch, Until it Sleeps). I personally would like to make these songs again returned to the current setlist. Are these times I'll ever come back?. Besides ticket from Stuttgart on the other two tickets no mention about Metallica, which is common when it comes to festival tickets.

Damaged Justice Tour - Germany 1988

In 1988 Metallica started monstrous Damaged Justice Tour to promote …And Justice For All album. The tour started in Europe a concert in Budapest (Hungary) September 11, 1988. During the European leg of Tour Metallica played in October and November ten concerts in Germany. Concert promoter rose to the challenge and designed a beautiful series of tickets, which I call “guitar shape tickets”. In the last week I managed to be the holder of the last two tickets from this set and now the entire German ten is in my possession. "Guitar shape series" includes only seven tickets. I do not know whether the remaining three concerts in Munich, Saarbrucken and Stuttgart also were tickets in the shape of a guitar. Maybe someone has information about this?. The remaining three tickets are also very cool. This increases their value is the fact that on the tickets from Munich and Stuttgart was printed the name of the album "... And Justice For All", which was quite rare in those days. I am even willing to venture to say that these are the only two tickets with the print.

Below all ten tickets from my collection.

All "guitar shape" series

Below some concert posters from that Tour. Notice that none of them in contrast to the tickets are mine. All scans stolen from net. Owners - Please forgive me ;)

Abowe typical one show poster from German Tour. Posters of all concerts were the same. They differed only in details as the name of the city and the hall, date, etc.

Nice Tour poster but this is not a poster which can be found on the streets. Below date and venues details

Huge, mean very huge (aprox. 170x60 cm) promo poster. I think this one hung in one of the music stores somewhere in Germany

Schleyer Halle 1988-2009

In the last week the postman brought me two very cool Metallica concert posters. When buying them, I wanted to create a set together with the tickets. It worked because the tickets and posters have common features - town and the hall where concerts were held – Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart in Germany.  The indoor arena was built in 1983, the year before the first Metallica visit in Germany but in 1984, band not filled the hall to 15,000 people. The Four Horsemens gave their first concert in the Schleyer Halle in November 1988 during the European Damaged Tour. Unfortunately I have no ticket and poster from that concert.

from my "Wanted" list. This one above found on ebay

 Another Metallica concert in the Schleyer Halle took place during the Wherever we may roam Tour in the winter of 1992. Metallica was at the peak of its popularity. Black album, black shirts, black poster and black concert tickets. The black design is characteristic for the most of the tickets and posters from the German part of the tour. Paradoxically, a ticket from Stuttgart has a different design and my copy bears the sign of the times - the original color was not too much. In the case of a poster, at first glance it seems that there is nothing but a black color, but at the right angle you can see the team logo and two snakes.

1992 ticket

Back in black - poster from 1992 concert

For the next visit Metallica fans in Stuttgart had to wait 4 years. The specificity of the venue forced the organization of concerts held in the winter. Next stop in Stuttgart was in 1996 during the Poor Touring Me Tour. Metallica's new image of the musicians was reflected in the design of European concert tickets and posters from this period. Just in case the ticket from 1996 Stuttgart is not what we call “picture ticket” but most other European tour tickets shown photo from Load album booklet. We see them on posters promoting the concert. With this ticket related to some kind of story - because it was the first Metallica ticket purchased by me on eBay.  

My very first ticket from ebay (above) with backstage pass (below)

Poster from 1996 concert. Most of the European tickets had design like this poster.

Photo stolen from ebay

Metallica's last performance so far in the Schleyer Halle was a concert that took place during World Magnetic Tour in 2009. All German posters on this tour have the same design. My poster is pretty huge and in perfect condition but the ticket shows signs of damage.

...blood sweat and tears. Ticket from 2009 show...

...and huge poster (80 x 60 cm)

Finally, I would write something about the origins of the name of the hall. Not everyone can know that the arena was named for Hanns Martin Schleyer, a German Employer Representative, and former SS officer and Nazi activist, who was kidnapped and killed by the terrorist Red Army Fraction.