Warsaw 2014 Home Sweet Home

The Boys are back in town ....one of the huge billboards near my home

 

... Then it's time for a concert in Warsaw, my hometown. What could be cooler than a Metallica concert in my hometown?. Just a few days before the concert there were no signs that it will be special gig for me, what more I did not have wristband to the Snakepit, and I thought I'd spend the whole festival in the Golden Circle area, which was in Warsaw monstrous (money rule the world). Two days before the concert I got a text message from my friend that he may be able to get me on backstage as a guest. Finally on the day of the concert, after long nervous anticipation and uncertainty I have received a VIP laminate - my "golden ticket". A piece of plastic, so that all the doors were opened ... OK, maybe not all. This all seemed completely unrealistic for me.

On the red carpet

Kings of Life

I stood in the lobby where there were dressing rooms all bands. Episode 1: high five with Joey Belladonna and Frank Bello just before their show. Episode 2: short conversation and high five with Kvelertak members. Episode 3: Kirk with his bodyguard passing me ….this time I’m not trying to make high-five ….You know, his bodyguard looks like guy from Danzig song “Thirteen” “I was born to bring trouble wherever I’m at…”. I was moving all the time between the Golden Circle, Snakepit and backstage trying to see bands on stage and meet bands on backstage.Zawitałem więc do garderoby Kvelertaka, gdzie miałem okazję pogadać chwilę z zespołem, głównie z gitarzystą Maćkiem, który ma polskie korzenie.

Kvelertak live on stage

 

Scott Ian (Anthrax)

 

So, I had honor to visited Kvelertak dressing room, where I had the opportunity to talk briefly with the band, especially with guitarist Maciek, who has Polish roots.Ci goście rządzą. These guys RULE.Spędziłem też około 40 minut w garderobie Anthraxu. Gwóźdź programu miał jednak nadejść, o czym jeszcze nie wiedziałem. I also spent about 40 minutes in the Anthrax dressing room. Beer from Anthrax in their dressing room tasted better hahaha.

 

With Kvelertak. THANK YOU GUYS

But the best had to come.Tuż przed koncertem Metalliki postanowiłem sprawdzić, czy mój „złoty bilet” upoważnia mnie do wejścia na scenę. Just before the Metallica concert I decided to see if my "golden ticket" entitles me to enter the scene. It turned out that, YES. Not disturbed by anyone walked directly behind the stage and stood on the right side of the stage, next to Kirk.

 

View from stage just before Metallica hit the stage

 

The gig started and I still did not believe that this is happening. Watching the band and the concert from the perspective of the scene is a unique experience, for me it was something more than a meet & greet with Metallica a few years earlier. The team is at your fingertips. During the concert, the band members go through every moment beside you.

 

James

The Call of Kthulu

  

The Ripper

 

Because I knew what to expect at the concerts on this tour I've been waiting impatiently for Creeping Death, when the fans standing on the stage are invited to the edge of the stage where they can chant the famous Die, die, die ... ..

 

Die , die , die ....Kirk and I

Creeping Death Video from National Stadium. Recorded by Monica and Krzysztof

 

It was the moment I had been waiting probably the most. Standing on stage in front of a packed National Stadium and chants die die die .... it was something unreal, something best, what happened to me in the history of my concerts Metallica and it was my sixteenth Metallica concert. All good things come to an end. The concert has passed very quickly.

Seek and Destroyyyyyyy

I knew that after the concert will approach us band members to give us the guitar picks. It was the first time I did not have to fight for them in the crowd ... I got them personally from Kirk;).

Thank you Rysiu. Without you, my FRIEND, all this would not be possible. Many, many THANKS.

Below some stuff from concert:

 

ticket

Some wristbands and laminates pass

VIP package envelope and flyer

Pass sheet

Concert poster

 

 

 

 

 

700

It happened. In those days I reached the number of 700 Metallica tickets in my collection. In fact, there are about 850 including duplicate tickets. When it comes to me collecting tickets slowed a bit recently. The times when my collection was growing about 110 tickets per year are gone. There are several reasons, but I will mention the two most important: lack of money and a smaller number of tickets on the market, which I have not yet. I set for the quality rather than the quantity, which means that in the spectrum of my interest are older, but more expensive and thus less frequent tickets. I can not unambiguously indicate the ticket number 700, because in a few days I got about 20 tickets and all I set my base at the same time. So instead of pictures of the one I put below some older and newer photos of my collection.

Some binders

 

year by year

 

one of the biggest tickets in collection (on left)

 

some concert stuff

 

statistics

 

 

 

Monsters of Rock Tour 1988

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prague in heavy rain

After two years without Metallica live show I hit the road again ...for a mini tour ... OK, very, very mini tour, because only two concerts. The concert in Prague was the first of them. This was to be my second Metallica concert in Prague. The first time I was here in 2008, but then the concert held at the stadium. This year, the concert took place at the fairgrounds.

Old fairgrounds

concert poster

This day was to be unique. First, I had a Snakepit wristband, second....have to write it - the first time I was more waiting for support than headliner. It's about Kvelertak, Norwegian band that I discovered this year and that blew me. I really wanted to see their show from snakepit. I was not disappointed, and although not much understand of what they sing (sing in Norwegian), the fact is the energy emanating from the stage could be shared among a few bands.

 

Kvelertakkkkkk

 

 

pure energy

 

After the Norwegians played Children of Bodom. During their show I decided to walk around the festival area and see merchandise stands. Next band Alice in Chains gave a very nice, although a little static concert.

some Metallica merch

At this point I must add that during Alice In Chains show started to rain. The closer to the Metallica concert, the more rain. A little worried that because of the rain band will walk around snakepit or spend the entire show on stage. During the third song James walked in the pouring rain to the furthest microphone and wet already said "it's just water." It breathes energy in people, in a band ... in me. It was a magical moment and a magical evening in heavy rain.

 

magical night ....due to heavy rain

 

 

Musically, the biggest plus for me was playing St. Anger, which won as a "vote of the day" ... performed far from we can hear on album, but this song is now very rarely played live by band. Unforgiven II lost in the voting and a chance to play this song live by the band departed on time. Pros - amazing despite the rain or perhaps because of the atmosphere at the concert, three guitar picks, met a lot of friends. Cons - I could not get a poster of the concert, which really counted and no shirt Kvelertak, which I forgot to buy after the show.

ticket from Prague concert

 

some goodies from show

 

 

 

The South American leg of the By Request Tour 2014

This year's Metallica South American and European Tour was under formula By Request. In short, it was just that the fans choose setlist. Of all the songs Metallica have ever been recorded the fans who bought tickets via the Internet could choose 17 songs played at concert. Eighteenth song was a new song "Lords of Summer" recorded by the band specifically for this tour.

 Unfortunately, what seemed like a beautiful dream, and only a unique opportunity to hear the songs has long since been played by the band turned into a “greatest hits” nightmare. Not that I did not like to listen Seek and Destroy (I like this song very much), but Nothing Else Matters smacked a little boring. The tour was divided into South American and European legs and in my opinion fans in South America have chosen a better setlist than fans in Europe.

As is usually the case in South America I knew would not be easy to get any tickets. All attempts to get tickets through my friends living in Argentina and Brazil failed. Fortunately my friend Piotr along with his wife Kasia and friends went to three concerts in Argentina and Chile. Getting firsts tickets from the tour became a reality. Another big part of the tickets from this leg of the tour fell into my hands suddenly quite late because after Metallica European concerts. As always helped Piotr, who put me in touch with a friend who had somehow come into possession of a number of tickets from South America. Tickets were unused and in mint condition. Thanks Michał and thanks to Piotr and Kasia.

            Below all the tickets from South American part of the By Request Tour that I managed to get through the help of my friends. Unfortunately, the lack of any tickets on ebay, which would increase the chance of completing a full set of tickets from South America. If anyone has tickets from By Request Tour 2014, especially from Colombia, Ecuador, Brasil and Chile and would like to give them away, trade for other Metallica stuff or eventually sell, please contact me.

 

Lima (Peru) March 20' 2014 

 

Asuncion (Paraguay) March 24' 2014

 

 

Buenos Aires (Argentina) March 29' 2014

 

Buenos Aires (Argentina) March 30' 2014

 

 

New shit in my collection #7

Time for new tickets. We start with the oldest.

First ticket is from a concert in Nashville (Nashville Municipal Auditorium) of July 27’ 1986. A day earlier, James breaking his arm skateboarding and concert, which was to be held in Evansville (Indiana), has been canceled. Since Nashville show until September, Hetfield just sang and Metallica played as a five member band with John Marshall from Metal Church as a second guitarist.

 

In December 1988 the band promoted the newly released album ... And Justice For All . This is one of my favorite periods in the history of Metallica. The ticket, which is below comes from this period and was to be held in Phoenix (Arizona ) at Memorial Coliseum December 4’ 1988 . Just look at the setlist from Phoenix . I wish now the setlist like this at current concerts.

Blackened

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Sanitarium

Leper Messiah

Harvester Of Sorrow

Eye Of The Beholder

Master Of Puppets

One

Seek & Destroy

And Justice For All

Creeping Death

Fade To Black

Battery

Last Caress

Am I Evil

Whiplash

Breadfan

 

 

During the American leg of tour after The Black Album, Metallica quite often played concerts in the same place for two or even three evenings in a row. In early January 1992, they played three nights in a row in Los Angeles. The ticket comes from a second (January 8 ' 1992) from three concerts at The Great Western Forum.

 

The ticket from Summer Shit Tour '94. On this Tour Metallica was supported, by Danzig and Suicidal Tendencies. During the last show on tour in Chicago at the World Music Theatre (July 7’94) Metallica invited guests on stage and played with them the last three songs in the setlist. The Last Caress and Green Hell with Glenn Danzig on vocals (BTW.. the author of these songs) and So What with musicians Suicidal Tendencies. Was it the first time when Rob Trujillo, at that time bass player of Suicidal played for the first time together with Metallica?.

 

A similar situation as with above ticket from 1992. Metallica played three nights in the row at the Rosemont Horizon Arena in Chicago. The ticket came from the second concert February 8, 1997.

 

The last ticket today is my first ticket from 2014. Metallica just ended South American leg of By Request Tour. The ticket comes from a second concert that took place in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on 29 March 2014. Many thanks as always to Piotr and Kasia for this ticket. If someone has a ticket from the first concert in Buenos or other South American concerts of the By Request tour please let me know.

 

Lithuania 2010

In next few days marks the fourth anniversary Metallica concerts in Lithuania, where they promoted Death Magnetic album. It was leg of European World Magnetic Tour during which the band arrived for the first time to Lithuania and also gave concerts in Latvia and Estonia. The concert which became a question mark, because air traffic over Europe was largely paralyzed by a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Metallica as always did everything to bring their music and from Scandinavia (Oslo) moved by ferry to Riga (Latvia). A lot of fans from Western Europe, however, was not so lucky. But I know guys who drove by car from Belgium to Lithuania.... Respect. Me and my friend also went to Vilnius (capital city of Lithuania) by car where we showed up the morning of the concert.

 

Siemens Arena early morning show day

 

METALLICAAAAAA !!!!

 

After the obligatory visiting the old town where you could find a lot of Polish accents (the city that for centuries was Polish and lay on Polish territory) went into the hall where the concert was to be held.

 

Vilnius - where old meet new

 

Vilnius cathedral

 

At the hall we met some friends from TMCC, but what was strange - the lack of crowds at the hall. It was so strange, because it was the first ever Metallica concert in Lithuania. Because on this tour Metallica played on stage centrally located, so we just waited until everyone gathered at the hall come and quietly went inside hoping that, we will all see well. Inside we were surprised again - still could take the place of the barriers in the first row. WTF???. We were on one of the stage corners, but right in front of one of the microphones. The first support was Fear Factory. The sound was weak and I don’t remember much from their performance. Then there was the Gojira. I saw the French for the first time in action and despite still not the best sound performance stuck in my memory ... maybe because of the distinctive bassist playing. During the supports behind us was quite empty, you could easily reach first or second row. Metallica as always came and smashed... at least to me.

 

Show number one

 

Thank You and goodnight

 

During the concert several times passed by us Eric from TMCC, who was working for Metclub recording videos of concerts. As it turned out “knowledge” with "concert staff" made ​​the guards more favorably looked at my camera, which I had hidden earlier and which now snapping occasional pics. They gave us even water. After the concert, we came to Big Mick, who gave me the setlist from the concert with his own hand-written notes. Add to these ticket and two guitar picks ……Yeahhhhh. Ticket from second show bought from other TMCC member two years later.

 

Tickets from April 20 and 21 '2010

 

 

Setlist from Big Mick and guitar picks

 

 Info brochure

 

 

Unfortunately we could not stay for the second concert, which was to be held in the same hall the next day ... a great pity. What stuck in my memory is still in relative peace among the fans and the lack of madness. In Poland the unthinkable.