Photos by Daniel DeSlover

As far as the members of Metallica were concerned in the summer of 2017, it didn’t matter anyone’s age, race, religion, politics or even dietary preferences. Instead, the band comprised of front man James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich were wholeheartedly committed to unifying a sold out Soldier Field rather than digging deeper into the hole of society’s current divisions.

The finale “Enter Sandman” may have been strewn with sleep references, but Metallica unloaded so much adrenaline throughout the performance, it was likely to keep everyone fist-pumping until the sun came up.

And for two-plus hours addressing more than three decades, everyone from old school metal heads right down to little kids celebrated a band that’s blasted down door after door to become one of the most vital heavy-handed acts of all time. No matter if it was the newer “Atlas, Rise!,” “Moth Into Flame” and “Halo On Fire” (from last year’s “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct”) or the groundbreaking “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” “The Four Horsemen” and “Fade To Black,” Metallica operated as an unstoppable force of nature, revisiting stadium-filling status for the first time since 2000’s “Summer Sanitarium” Tour. 

That meant in addition to all the menacing sounds and bellowing screams, the “WorldWired” outing was accompanied by fireballs, a several story screen, multiple mini-stages and all the other eye-popping visuals required for a show of this scope. Yet there was also a prevailing sense of oneness with the expansive audience, whether it was Hetfield giving a shout-out to an eight-year-old boy on his dad’s shoulders or converging mid-venue atop the mosh pit for “Seek & Destroy.”

Although Metallica’s latest (and exceedingly aggressive) album was a priority, so were the classics, which included “Wherever I May Roam,” “Sad But True,” “One,” “Master Of Puppets,” “Battery” and “Nothing Else Matters.” The finale “Enter Sandman” may have been strewn with sleep references, but the players unloaded so much adrenaline throughout the performance, it was likely to keep everyone fist-pumping until the sun came up.

Click here for more Metallica with Avenged Sevenfold photos from Soldier Field.

For additional information on Metallica, visit Metallica.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Soldier Field include Coldplay (Aug. 17). For additional details, visit SoldierField.net, LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com.

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