My first proper, bombastic, overblown gig was Metallica at the Birmingham NEC in May 1990. I was so looking forward to it, to see my new heroes in the flesh for the first time. There was four of us that went: me, Al, Al's brother and a guy from work called Gary (more on Gary later).
We went on a coach as part of a ticket 'n' travel deal. I'll never forget striding purposely into the confines of the NEC arena... and promptly got my studded leather belt confiscated, to be picked up later. The t-shirt stands were doing swift business; metal fans love their merchandise. I bought one which featured a design by the band's illustrator, Pushead. It was the design which had been used on the posters for the tour, which was called, weirdly, In Vertigo You Will Be.
Warrior Soul were the support act. They were a four-piece from the USA who listed Joy Division and Killing Joke as their influences (indeed, ex-KJ drummer 'Big' Paul Ferguson was on the kit). They were pretty good, for the time. Mind you, I was so excited I'd have creamed my kecks if Bobby Crush was supporting.
Then it was time for the main event: Me-fuckin'-tallica. I can't remember anything about the set list, only the favourites of mine that they played: One, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls. When they played crowd-pleaser Search and Destroy, the place went nuts. James Hetfield did his usual shtick of getting the crowd to chant 'search and destroy' louder and louder each time. Of course we all obeyed, resistance was futile.
The gig had everything: energy, great songs, pyrotechnics (oh yeah) and, er, a bass solo. But who gave a fuck, we even loved the bass solo. I remember that they kept getting called back for encores. On the last one Hetfield had to tell the crowd that after the cover of Diamond Head's Am I Evil? There would be no more, they'd run out of rehearsed songs. Brilliant.
I read later that they regarded that gig as one of the best they'd ever done. And I was there.
Metallica were definitely my band now.
