Metallica Bring Metal Thunder and Heavy Pyro to Bonnaroo

Throughout Metallica's two-hour headlining set at Bonnaroo on Friday night, singer James Hetfield kept teasing that the band would be playing new songs from their just-finished album, at one point saying: "If you want, we'll just play some old stuff. But what if I said "No!" Alas, the crowd would have to settle for the band's metal classics, and one of the heaviest Bonnaroo sets ever. (There were some hints that would be the case: The band had played only old songs at the warm-up show the night before in nearby Nashville, Tennessee at the very small Basement club.)

Metallica absolutely killed with a set heavy on classics like "Master of Puppets," "Nothing Else Matters" and "The Unforgiven" as well as some deep cuts like the Misfits cover "Last Caress/Green Hell" (from the Garage Days EP). Metallica wrapped things up with massive, ear-shattering pyrotechnics during the one-two punch of the set closer: "One" and "Enter Sandman." As for anything related to the new album - aside from a pocket of fans shouting "Play new songs!" - Lars Ulrich offered only this just before leaving the stage: "We'll be back in October with a brand new record and a tour. Thank you!"

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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