I was fortunate enough to be sent to review both of Metallica's Chicago shows earlier this week. I witnessed a band at the peak of their powers. Not just on the concert stage, but in the studio as well. The 2004 performance I witnessed {link} was magestic and downright spectacular, but there was a heightened awareness to these two Chicago shows. There was a feeling of this band being cleansed and reborn.To start with is the way they treat their fans. Metallica may be one of the only recession proof bands on the planet because of the connection they have with their fans. I was speaking to a friend recently about them and he brought up a really good point. Metallica is a band that people don't just listen to, but worship and ultimately they are their favorite band. The end result being that their fans never miss a show when it hits their town and they often travel to see them elsewhere. Both Chicago shows were sold-out and for good reason.
When Metallica put their tickets on sale last year, I was betting they were going to have a ticket above $100, which they did not. In fact, they kept the price so low, that even with service fees the ticket stayed under $100. Every ticket in the joint was priced at $79 and $59. It should be noted, that is a $4 increase over 2004 prices. Let me repeat that: a four-dollar increase!
I've seen certain acts triple their concert ticket price in under a year. Not only that, but if you bought your tickets through one of the many pre-sales they had, you will receive a mp3 rtecording of the show within a few weeks. That's right, actual mp3's of the show you attended. How cool is that? It almost makes the ticketmaster charges worthwhile (please note, I used the world almost).
On top of it all, the band played in-the-round, which means every seat has a great vantage point of the stage. It justifies them not having a price below $50. This is a band who could charge far more than they are and they are choosing to leave money on the table. More importantly, they're hitting the stage and performing every night within an inch of their lives. That alone warrants devotion and admiration.
Unrated Magazine and antiMusic will be running the reviews in the next 10 days.
