December 10, 2011,
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Year: 2011
Format: Digital
Grade: B+
The fourth and final show in Metallica's 30th anniversary stretch is the best of the bunch.
For the passing fan, it includes a mid-set guest appearance from Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne, playing a smattering of Black Sabbath songs. The Fillmore erupts when Osbourne takes the stage.
Crowd is fired up throughout the night, chanting even in the first song, "Orion."
For "Blackened," fan-club members Dennis and Annette Diaz (of the "Master of Puppets" wedding video) join the group.
The remainder of the guests mine the band's past — Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, first-ever guitarist and bassist Ron McGovney and Lloyd Grant, former bassist Jason Newsted. The last seven songs of the set are from Kill 'Em All, bringing the festivities back to where the group started.
For a band celebrating its 30th anniversary with a slew of guests including every living former member, a line from the opening track on the band's debut album seems apropos: "When we start to rock, we never stop again."
Tomorrow's entry: Wilco, Live at Keyspan Park, Brooklyn, N.Y., 07-13-09
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