Metallica doing it for the fans.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

Report: SLIPKNOT Drummer Saves Day For METALLICA At DOWNLOAD - June 6, 2004

 

Virtual Festival reports: "Rock history was made today as METALLICA seized triumph from the jaws of disaster, after drummer Lars Ulrich was hospitalised with a mystery ailment, on the day of their headline performance at the second day of the Download Festival.

 

"Whereas lesser bands would fold in the face of such adversity, METALLICA were not going to let this little setback spoil the party.

 

"A frantic backstage call for arms (and sticks) rallied an impressive contingent of troops from other artists on today's line-up, all ready and willing to do their bit for the 'TALLICA, and a secret spur-of-the-moment rehearsal/audition was held in the band's dressing room to decide a set-list!

 

"The crowd were not informed of the crisis unfolding backstage, and patience was beginning to wear thin after the band had failed to appear, more than an hour after their due time, evoking the festive chant of 'You're shit!'

 

"At around 10pm, the 'Ecstacy of Gold' intro music kicked in, and the boos became frenzied cheers. These soon faded, as the three emerging band members walked solemnly to the front of the stage. Singer James Hetfield was quick to get to the point.

 

" 'We would like to apologise for being so late to start, but only three of us made it down here to Donington today. Unfortunately our drummer, Lars, is in hospital. We don't know what's wrong, but we wish him all the best. Some friends of ours are gonna help us out, so we're going to make rock history tonight!'

 

"First in the hot seat was SLAYER's Dave Lombardo, much to the crowd's obvious delight, as the band kicked off with an apprehensive 'Battery', and just about pulled it off, with a lot of nodding from Hetfield and bassist Rob Trujillo. Next up was SLIPKNOT's Joey Jordison, and then something magical happened. Surging into 'Whiplash', the remaining band members were unable to contain their smiles as it quickly became apparent that the small, demure figure behind the kit was not so much their salvation, as their hero of the day.

 

"As his confidence grew, Jodison began to add his own flavour, improvising thundering fills over 'Creeping Death' and 'Seek and Destroy', much to the glee of beaming guitarist Kirk Hammett. After a brief and not-entirely-successful attempt by drum tech Flemming to cover on a ropey 'Fade to Black', plans to bring on LIFE OF AGONY's Sal Abruscato and bring back Lombardo and Flemming were swiftly aborted. METALLICA had found their drummer for the night!

 

"After what will long be remembered as a truly legendary performance, a clearly shell-shocked Jordison staggered off-stage to an emotional reunion with his unmasked SLIPKNOT bandmates, proclaiming 'You just made rock history, dude!' He just did."

 

Photos from the gig can be viewed at this location.

 

( 10 )

 

 

 

Update: METALLICA's DOWNLOAD Set List Revealed, Photos Posted Online - June 6, 2004

 

METALLICA's official web site, MetOnTour.com, has issued a statement confirming reports that drummer Lars Ulrich was absent from the group's gig at the Download festival earlier tonight. It reads as follows:

 

"Yes, the rumours are true, Lars was not present at the Download Festival. Joey Jordison from SLIPKNOT and Dave Lombardo from SLAYER stepped up to the plate and helped out, more info and details to follow..."

 

According to various people that attended the show, METALLICA played 11 tracks, with Jordison (complete with his SLIPKNOT mask) sitting behind the kit for most of them (photos). The set list for the concert is believed to have been the following:

 

01. Battery (w/ Lombardo)

02. The Four Horsemen (w/ Lombardo)

03. For Whom The Bell Tolls (w/ Jordison)

04. Creeping Death (w/ Jordison)

05. Seek And Destroy (w/ Jordison)

06. Fade To Black (w/ Lars' drum tech Flemming Larsen)

07. Wherever I May Roam (w/ Jordison)

08. Last Caress (w/ Jordison)

09. Sad But True (w/ Jordison)

10. Nothing Else Matters (w/ Jordison)

11. Enter Sandman (w/ Jordison)

 

Another report...

 

"You're always around for the special ones!" laughs James Hetfield as I stand watching the band prepare for their Donington dambuster of a set behind the stage curtain moments before Battery.

For the last few hours James, Kirk and Rob had been busily jamming with Joey Jordison from Slipknot and Dave Lombardo from Slayer. Word filtered through that Lars suffered a medical emergency and frankly, I don't like to ask too many questions when the boys are preparing to deliver in unusual circumstances. The CD players were out, the guys were ripping through jams and the clock was ticking. Atlanta 2000 Sanitarium anybody? I mean, the comparisons are too crazy, too symmetrically perfect...so did we really, ever doubt that this Metallica show would be anything less than plain goddam cool? No. Why? Because when their backs are against the wall, they ALWAYS ALWAYS deliver.

 

In a sense, the thought of watching Dave Lombardo hammering Battery was something many have dreamt might happen in some crazy "rock swap" game, and as for Jordison, the man behind the mask, his command of the Metallicatalogue was rumored (and proven) to be second to none.

 

Before the guys went onstage their energy was high high high, and with the show having been delayed without announcement, James stepped out and filled in the crowd on what had been going on, informing them of the Lars situation and that the guys had some friends stepping up to fill in. Thus it was that Lombardo bashed out a brutal Battery, a crushing statement that this show was not going to do anything less than deliver. The uniqueness got even greater after Lombardo drilled out Horsemen, when Jordison appeared clad in his Slip-mask to deliver For Whom The Bell Tolls (adding his own unique twist and flavor) before tearing through Creeping Death and Seek and Destroy.

 

Then came my favorite moment... Flemming Larsen, Lars' tech for so many years, delivering a flawless Fade To Black, spotless, calm and with a family feeling to huge to capture... or was it watching James ask suddenly who was gonna do Nothing Else Matters behind the stage, moments before it went down, and seeing Joey, mask shining evil in the night-light, take a deep breath and step up to nail the waltzy percussion... or James beaming a grin back at Joey and chuckling "when do we get some masks?" Or was it just watching the guys step up themselves, continually delivering song after song and not losing a beat...or was it Rob making sure that all occupants of the stool were comfortable and on the count?

 

Look, I could go on and on (I know I know,hard to believe -!!), but time is running out here, the clean-up crew are creeping in and I'm losing time.

Listen.

This was not a fill-in.

These were not substitutes.

That was UNIQUE SHOW.

An EVENT.

And everyone stepped up.

Really.

 

This was family metal, the true way it should be, the proper Donington spirit, in many ways so much more than anyone could've expected.

 

There will be more news as it comes through, and ignore the rumors that will inevitably spring up until you read it here.Too many people out there wanna grab "scoops" and end up missing both the point and the facts altogether.

 

And right here, right now, the big story is that Metallica stepped up to support their missing brother (with the help of some friends) and that the night was yet another unique chapter of Metallihistory.

 

A final abiding memory?

Seeing the members of Slayer and Slipknot watching their respective drummers do the business and wearing big, fat, shit-eating grins.

 

A special night of metal?

Ohhhhh yes, I think so...

 

Saw these on the BWBK board.

 

An instance of Metallica doing it for the fans seems like a nice change when you only hear Lar$ flapping his gums about whatever the fuck. I have not really heard a ton of Slipknot, but what I have has shown me that jordison is basically the shining light of the band, and Lombardo...we all know of course. They could have just as easily packed it in and went home, but they pushed through. I would salut them for this.

 

I'm hoping a bootleg gets floated around, I wouldn't mind hearing how it turned out

[NoCalMike 0]

After having Lombardo back there behind the drum kit, I am sure Hetfield and the gang secretly thought, "geez do we even want Ulrich back now?"

[Red Baron 0]

hell even with Jordison in the drum seat, do they even want Ulrich back?

[Guest Choken One]

at least for once Metallica did something good.

 

Apprently...According to the LOA boards...Something happened to someone backstage as Agony was on the stage and Keith stopped playing because of it...guess this was it.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Damn I would love to hear what Joey and Dave's version of Lars' sets were. Especially since Joey improvised.

 

Metallica could end up realizing that Lars has never been as good as either of those.

[Guest Choken One]

Fuck...ANYONE of those guys (Jacobsin,Lombardo, Sal) would have had Metallica going "fuck lars"

 

I'm hoping that this makes James and Kirk go 'mmm..."

 

and we see this headline at Metallica.com

 

"Metallica boots Lars, enter a good fucking drummer"

 

I'm convinced James and Kirk are willing to make good music...it's just lars going "but guys this shitty song is easier to play and makes more money"

[Guest El Satanico]

I'm sure the songs will find thier way onto the downloading services.

[Steviekick 0]

That just sounds sick. I'm really interested in Joey's improv drumming.

[jimmy no nose 0]

I really want to hear this.

There's always someone recording at those festivals. I know for a fact that there were overseas radio broadcasts of the show, and a lot of the festivals have TV broadcasts too. Metallica have also been recording a lot of their shows for livemetallica.com, so this has to turn up somewhere eventually.

[caboose 0]

Two years in a row I missed out on Donington because of Exams, and two years in a row Metallica put on a set to remember.

 

I FUCKING HATE LIFE.

[Guest Choken One]

I wish I lived in Europe...where I could see Metallica doing cool shit and Agony at the same time.

 

Agony hates Ohio. Can't blame them honestly...I should move to brooklyn.

[Guest Vitamin X]

or was it watching James ask suddenly who was gonna do Nothing Else Matters behind the stage, moments before it went down, and seeing Joey, mask shining evil in the night-light, take a deep breath and step up to nail the waltzy percussion... or James beaming a grin back at Joey and chuckling "when do we get some masks?"

 

The high school Slipknot fan in me would have marked the fuck out for that.

[Slickster 0]

Well, Metallica sells all their concerts on this tour as MP3s, so this one will be a BIG seller I'm sure.

[Guest wayzing]

Lars is back and he has something to say

 

From the offical Metallica web page.

 

Let's just say he comes off as a strange little man here...

[Garth 0]

I have a bunch of friends who were at the festival and saw this, they report as being one the best things they've ever seen. Pissed I passed up the chance of going to this festival with them because no doubt it would of been a great time and i would of been able to see this go down.

[k thx 0]

I have a bunch of friends who were at the festival and saw this, they report as being one the best things they've ever seen. Pissed I passed up the chance of going to this festival with them because no doubt it would of been a great time and i would of been able to see this go down.

Ditto.

 

IIRC, Lamaq Live on BBC Radio 1 did a show from Donnington this Monday thats probably up for streaming on the BBC Radio 1 website. There should be a couple of songs from Metalicas set in that broadcast.

[Garth 0]

Yeah theres that, and also I think that Scuzz got everything on film, there starting showing footage from the festival from tommorow night onwards. Would think that this set would be advertised a bit before they show it on there though.