I tried to get closer to the stage area when Metallica started playing. They were putting on a killer show. After “Ride The Lightning”, James Hetfield started talking to the crowd. He asked if we all came to kick some fucking ass. Well, obviously.
We all screamed in agreement. Then he mentioned that if you came to see spandex, makeup and hairspray, then Metallica were not that band. I had to laugh at that. It was an obvious diss to Ratt. Maybe even Scorpions, but mostly Ratt.
Then he introduced Cliff Burton who did a killer bass solo with distortion turned on. He ended the solo by playing the riff of “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and the rest of the band joined in. But Cliff kept jamming out with a lot of improvising. It was such a killer way to start out the song. A couple songs later they played “Fade To Black” which was a slow song for Metallica. But the song really fit the mood. I looked around at the sea of people. It was the right song for the moment.

This has been an excerpt from the book:
In Search Of The Perfect Buzz: An 80s Metal Memoir
Please see the following links to read more.










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