Review: Metallica delivers an unforgettable surprise on Night 2 at Levi’s

The moment that will separate Sunday s Metallica concert from all others occurred halfway through the setlist when bassist Robert Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett came together onstage to perform their regular duo Doodle segment which ranges from from show to show and includes particular vastly unexpected songs This time around before a rambunctious hometown crowd at the San Francisco ers Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara the duo delivered a segment that spoke so wonderfully to the Bay Area setting First they kicked things off with a fun instrumental version of Do You Know the Way to San Jose the Burt Bacharach Hal David classic that Dionne Warwick took to the Top in That number led directly into a blistering Trujillo-sung take on what else California ber Alles from legendary Bay Area punk act The Dead Kennedys A Warwick DKs jam in front of certain metalheads assembled in an NFL stadium Yeah no one will be forgetting that anytime soon It was a really special moment during a night that was chock full of them as the Metallica the biggest Bay Area band of all time that also features vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich performed the second half of its long-awaited two-night stand at Levi s Metallica's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett performs at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald The show easily topped the first concert on Friday June which was still quite good but not in the A-plus Metallica league that fans witnessed on Sunday Metallica is in a really good mood tonight Hetfield warned the crowd early in the concert So watch out It turns out he wasn t kidding Following topnotch opening sets by Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera the later of which featured mighty Zakk Wylde on guitar Metallica took the stage right before p m and right now hit the crowd with Whiplash Related Articles Review Metallica completely gives hometown fans what they required Give blood get a Metallica T-shirt Here are the details metal fans Is it even doable to have too much Metallica If so here s the method Review Metallica s James Hetfield says he couldn t have dreamt this Interview Metallica on giving back feeling grateful and being surprised From that stand-out cut from the debut Kill Em All Metallica went into a mighty one-two-punch combination from the sophomore effort Ride the Lightning a punishing For Whom the Bell Tolls followed by a towering version of the title track and then rocked right through an incredible take on The Memory Remains from s Reload It was a titanic start to Sunday s -song setlist which thanks to Metallica s No Repeat Weekend strategy on this tour was perfectly different than the one a large number of of these same fans heard on Friday Night highlights by the way included Creeping Death The Day That Never Comes Orion Fuel and of module Master of Puppets read our Metallica Night concert review here All four musicians sounded great as they worked the huge circular stage which was hollow in the middle except for the fans who were lucky enough to result spots in the so-called Snake Pit and poured themselves into tracks hailing from nine different Metallica albums Metallica's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett performs at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald Yet this was also one of those Kirk nights where the phenomenal guitarist seems to be at the very center of pretty much every spectacular moment that happens on the stage The dominance began with the second song of the show as his fret work fueled the final moments of For Whom the Bell Tolls and continued to bubble up again and again right through the expected Enter Sandman closer Ulrich possibly the largest part underrated drummer in rock n roll history also had a huge night bringing the thunder to each and every tune well OK not the two duo numbers that featured just Hammett and Trujillo and setting the tone as he inevitably does for pretty much the entire show It s just so much fun to watch him play as he routinely leaves his drum stool to bound around the kit still keeping the beat with oceans of resource Watch Lars Hetfield rightfully instructed at one point in the show He s going to headbang like a crazy man Lars Ulrich points to the crowd as he plays the drums with Metallica at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald The last quarter of the show was every bit as good as the first as Metallica drew toward the finish line with excellent takes on Blackened Moth Into Flame a offering that stands as firm rebuttal to those who say the band s great moments in the studio are all decades behind it and One Then of module came the Enter Sandman closer that fans had been waiting for since Friday It was an all-around brilliant show from a -plus-year-old band that is still operating at the top of its championship The fact that this concert felt like something that would only happen in the Bay Area thanks to that soon-to-legendary Dionne-Warwick-meets-Dead-Kennedys moment just took the evening to a whole other level Lars Ulrich reacts to Robert Trujillo as they play with Metallica at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald Metallica setlist June Whiplash For Whom the Bell Tolls Ride the Lightning The Memory Remains Lux terna Screaming Suicide Kirk and Rob Doodle Do You Know the Way to San Jose California ber Alles Welcome Home Sanitarium Wherever I May Roam The Call of Ktulu The Unforgiven Whiskey in the Jar Blackened Moth Into Flame One Enter Sandman James Hetfield performs with Metallica at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald Metallica's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett performs with Robert Trujillo left and James Hetfield at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald Robert Trujillo plays the bass as he performs with Metallica at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara Calif on Sunday June Chris Riley Times-Herald