On the evening of March 6th, as Corrosion of Conformity wound up their act and the stage crew quickly set up equipment. An anxious FleetCenter crowd awaited the onslaught of fiery flame bursts, smoke-filled explosions, and thunderous, head popping rock 'n roll that was forthcoming. Oh yes, this mob of worshippers was fired up. They were there for only one reason: to pay homage to their gods. They were there to see Metallica.

The wait lasted over half an hour, but the crowd was not disappointed. Before even picking up a guitar or stepping onto the stage, bassist Jason Newsted and James Hetfield had the entire crowd on their feet after running around the perimeter of the floor high-fiving the fans. With Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich entering shortly thereafter, Hetfield loosened up the crowd by engaging them in the chan "Who gives a $#@?," several times with each 1ouder than the last. This led to a few loud explosions in which large clouds of smoke rose from beneath the stage, and the jamming, "So ...What."

Hetfield then antagonized the crowd with his barks "Do you want heavy? DO YOU WANT HEAVY?!!!" This catapulted the band through the lightning quick, booming rhythms "Sad But True" and "King Nothing" as all three the four gods summoned explosions and flames of fire from the depths of hell, and flashes of glowing light from the heavens.

The ferocious pace calmed for only a moment during "Hero of the Day," but it was all the time needed for almost everyone in the crowd armed with a lighter to have it glowing brightly overhead in ceremonial tribute to the gods.

The pace picked up again with more flames and smoky explosions, the war song "One," and "Wherever I May Roam." Then the crowd was brought back down to surprisingly serene calm with the song "Nothing Else Matters." The song found Lars Ulrich behind a second drum set on the stage opposite from where he began the night, and Hetfield perched on a stool emitting the song's somber words. However, this immediately lead into an increase in pace with "Until it Sleeps" and "Fade To Black" during which more flames poured out of hell and rose from underneath the stage.

After a disappearing for break, Hetfield and company all but brought down the ceiling with the ultimate fan favorit,e "Enter Sandman," which left them surrounded by more hellish flames that formed a ring around both stages, and later a shower of sparks flying in all directions. Metallica wrapped up this phenomenal night of hard core rock 'n roll with "Ride the Lightning" which was followed by a tumultuous roar of appreciation from the crowd that lasted ten minutes.

The four men collectively titled Metallica, and viewed by fans as gods, certainly gave nothing short of a god-like performance. The tireless band rocked for hours, never weakening at any point. Not only did their music sound as good as ever, but the visual effects of the explosions and the fire, and Hetfield's antagonistic attitude and chants are also what made this show so spectacular. Anyone who was fortunate enough to see this concert will forever remember Metallica as being truly amazing