Metallica Load

In recognition of their growing fan base in Latin America, Metallica staged three nights of sold-out concerts at the 50,000-seat stadium Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico, on June 4, 6, and 7, 2009. These three concerts were recorded and compiled for release as the CD/DVD package Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México (retitled for release in Brazil as Orgulho, Paixão, e Glória: Três Noites na Cidade do México). While Metallica did something similar for the French market with the DVD release Français Pour une Nuit (2009), which was recorded in Nimes, France, on July 7, 2009, and features more or less the same set list, Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria is the better of the two packages on account of the enthusiasm evident in not only the crowd but also the band…

What started as a one-shot joke back in 2007 with Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band turned into something surprisingly enduring, with Beatallica releasing three albums in quick succession toward the end of the 2000s. That seemed to wear the band out and the four-year gap between 2009's Masterful Mystery Tour and 2013's Abbey Load suggests a decrease in urgency, while the fact that not one of the 14 songs bears a mash-up title suggests a fading joke…

For many years, Metallica's 1987 EP Garage Days Re-Revisited was the most sought-after item in their catalog; it was constantly bootlegged in the '90s, and often supplemented by a host of covers Metallica had released on singles and compilations throughout the years. By 1998, the band had understandably grown frustrated with this situation and decided to confront the problem head-on by reissuing all these rarities. Savvy businessmen that they are, they also realized they needed to give hardcore fans who already owned all the covers a reason to purchase the new set – hence, the expansion of the Garage Days EP to the double-disc blowout Garage, Inc…

It's something that's happened to most of us and it's never very pleasant. I'm talking about friends growing apart. Sometimes people who were once close simply find themselves seeing each other or communicating less and less until the friendship somehow dissolves. I've had similar dissolutions with musical groups such as R.E.M. and U2. There was a time when I would wait with baited breath for their new releases, but as time went on, it got to where I didn't want to hear from them any longer (the new stuff at least). But, one of the most difficult relationships to break was with Metallica.

This is the 3rd CD From the Metclub FanCan#3. This is the Load/Reload Demos Picked by the Club members.