Daytripper Concert Review: Metallica at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse

Bay Area Metal Titans METALLICA brought their tremendously successful “M72 Tour” to the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse on Saturday night. While the final, official attendance number has not been announced, the show now holds the record for largest ticketed concert in Syracuse history with over 47,500 fans estimated to be in attendance. The previous record of 47, 319 fans was set over forty years ago by The Who. Metallica had not performed in Syracuse since their Lollapalooza performance in 1996.

The production level on this tour is next level. The stage is a huge circular catwalk surrounded on all sides by general admission pits. The coveted “Snake Pit” sits in the middle of the stage, allowing those lucky enough to score tickets to get up close and personal with the band. General admission pits on the east and west sides of the stage were large enough to allow fans that didn’t want to be on the rail to hang back and enjoy the show. Eight giant video towers surround the stage, allowing fans in all areas of the stadium to see the show on the screens.

Metallica hit the stage like they were shot out of a cannon. They opened with the one-two punch of “Creeping Death” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” from 1984’s Ride the Lightning. The Syracuse faithful were treated to a sixteen song setlist that pulled from nine of the band’s eleven studio albums.  Metallica has been playing two shows in most markets with a “no repeat” rule. Syracuse got just the one date, and it seems as though they took this into account when selecting the songs for the night’s setlist. It could easily be described as a greatest hits show. This set was all killer and no filler. James Hetfield and company know what their fans want, and they did not disappoint. The show was full of surprises, from the dozens of enormous yellow and black Metallica beach balls unleashed on the crowd during “Seek and Destroy”, to the stunning pyrotechnics that turned the stage to a ring of fire during “Fuel.”  With a strict 11pm curfew, they didn’t bother wasting time leaving the stage and coming back for an encore. They played straight through and finished with a pummeling “Master of Puppets” and finally the anthemic “Enter Sandman.” Nearly all of the 47,500+ fans stayed until the last note.

Pantera held down the direct support slot with a ten song set. Original members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown are joined on this tour by Zakk Wylde on guitar and Charlie Benante on drums. Wylde and Benante had huge shoes to fill, taking over for the late Abbott brothers, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie, they delivered flawlessly. Some metal purists have argued that there is no Pantera without the Abbott brothers, I disagree. It was great to hear these songs performed live again and to see Rex and Phil enjoying sharing the songs with the world. Pantera will be headlining The Broadview Stage at SPAC on July 28. Don’t miss it.

Venice, California crossover thrash legends Suicidal Tendencies opened with an early set as fans were still filtering in to the venue. Singer Mike Muir is the sole remaining member of ST. He was joined by a stellar backing band including Jay Weinberg (Slipknot) on drums and Tye Trujillo on bass. The dual guitar attack of Dean Pleasants and Ben Weinman (Dillinger Escape Plan) breathed new life into older Suicidal Tendencies songs. Muir may be 62 years old, but he did not appear to have slowed down. He used the entire stage, racing from one side to the other. The band was tight, but the half full Dome didn’t do them any favors acoustically. The sound was less than ideal, which is a shame because this band deserves to be heard.

It was an epic night of heavy music, not to be forgotten any time soon.