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This sounded like such a cool idea that I had to go: a satellite broadcast of The Big Four of 80’s thrash — Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax — beamed down live to movie theaters around the world from the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The sound mix in the theater was surprisingly good, and not as loud as you would think. It was loud enough that you could talk with your friends and not disturb anyone, but I wanted to feel the bass pounding in my chest. They probably couldn’t do that without angering moviegoers in adjacent theaters. The video quality was even better — 12 HD cameras captured all the action: from a bird’s-eye view in the rafters looking down on tens of thousands of people, to the band’s-eye view right on stage.
As a guitarist I appreciated all the extreme close-ups on the hands. Not that I can play even half that speed, but it’s nice to see what each player is doing while you’re listening to the song. The editing was brisk and intuitive with a lot of interesting cuts and some nice transitions. There were no long, energy-draining intermissions between bands either — after each set they would show the festival logo for about thirty seconds and then the next band would start (I assume the concert took place earlier that day, in order to broadcast all four acts in four hours). It was almost better than being there: great seats, good sound, and no mud or twelve dollar bottles of water.
Now let’s talk about the music. Anthrax played first. I enjoyed the band, with new-old singer Joey Belladonna, but in retrospect they seemed a little out of their league. Not quite as big as the other three, their sound is more hardcore than thrash in my opinion. But there was plenty of room for diversity here and they made an effective first act, warming up the crowd of young Bulgarians who were ready to rock.
Megadeth stormed onstage next and lit the place on fire. Dave Mustaine obviously had something to prove, opening for the bazillion-selling band that famously sacked him in their salad days. He’s a compelling front man, hammering out crushing hyper-blues hooks while singing with an almost Muppet-like voice. With a competent band behind him, featuring original bass player Dave Ellefson and sinister looking metalbot Chris Broderick on guitar, Mustaine proved his point and then some. Thrash is best when it’s really fast and really tight, and Megadeth were both.
I was surprised that Slayer got second billing, but by the end of their set I understood why. I bet Megadeth chose not to follow them, even if they have sold more records. Slayer rocked harder than anybody else that night. They are just a no-nonsense, all-original, ball-kicking metal machine, pummeling the audience with one punishing song after another. Tom Araya screamed like a wounded goat while Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King got all medieval on their guitars. But their secret weapon is drummer Dave Lombardo. Age has not slowed this guy down at all; he is just as powerful as he was twenty years ago. The theater I was in was only one-third full, but by this point people were warmed up and yelling out lyrics, throwing the horns and bopping in their seats.
Headliners Metallica brought the whole dog and pony show: full pyro display, multi-level stage extensions and the occasional acoustic guitar prelude. At times the spectacle outdid the music and it might as well have been a U2 show. James Hetfield ran around the stage doing his best Bono, flirting with the audience between numbers. They played all the slower, popular songs (which still rock harder than most bands’ heaviest stuff), and it felt kind of anti-climactic after the previous two powerhouse sets. But then they would cut to the audience and show all the girls in the crowd, sitting on their boyfriends’ shoulders and singing along to every word. So what do I know? Give the people what they want, that’s why they’re selling out the European Festival circuit.
Unlike Slayer, the drums were the weakest link here. Would it be rude to suggest to a certain someone that he hit the woodshed a little harder before the next tour? He wasn’t playing the original drum parts and the songs suffered a bit as a result. This was most apparent during the way-too-sped-up chorus in “Master of Puppets” (which incidentally has my vote for best metal song of all time). The best part was watching Kirk Hammet get down to business, a true metal god who alternately ran around the giant stage and shredded the absolute shit out of his signature series ESP guitar. The other three bands came out and joined Metallica toward the end of their set to play King Diamond’s “Am I Evil?” It was kind of interesting to watch them all interact, but displays like that should probably be limited to hall of fame awards banquets (if at all).
It was a fun night, and I would attend another rock concert via satellite in a heartbeat. The only thing missing was that communal rush that you get watching a killer show in a large audience. But if the show in question is across the country or on a different continent, then this is the next best thing.
