The Worldwired Tour: Where James Hetfield Plays Drums and Avenged Sevenfold Hails to the Queen

This past Sunday, I traveled down to New York City to spend the day with my mother for, of course, Mother's Day.  But I had a dilemma- I was getting a ride down to NYC, but needed to figure out transportation back.  My car would be upstate, and so I was looking at trains, or well... trains.  Then one day, hanging out in the Q103 Studio with Tigman, before catching up for our Rock Girl Weekly Update, that cartoonish light-bulb clicked on above my head.  The Q Rock and Roll Tour Bus!  Because if I'm already in the area, why would I NOT GO SEE METALLICA LIVE!

So after an amazing day in New York City, having brunch with my mom and then going to see the Broadway musical 'Kinky Boots' [soon to be starring Panic At The Disco's Brendon Urie], I made my way out of NYC towards Met Life Stadium.  With a ton of traffic getting out of the city, I abandoned the car I was in and hopped on a train that went straight to the stadium.  I used to live in Northern Jersey, and know the train lines in and out.  And one of the biggest benefits- avoiding traffic.  I could not WAIT to get to the stadium.

I arrived shortly after Volbeat hit the stage, and caught up with Q103's Tigman.  My seats were in a different section than the rest of the Q group, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the show.

Being a huge Avenged Sevenfold fan, I was screaming along to songs after they hit the stage.  Tigman had the change to interview guitarist Zacky Vengeance prior to the show ( Tigman's Interview ), definitely worth checking out.  They played a set list with some old and new songs, from their classics "Batcountry" and "Nightmare" to their current "The Stage."  And with a special touch for Mother's Day, "Hail to the King" became "Hail to the Queen."  Because I had some higher up seats, I was able to look down at the floor and see about 4 mosh circles, swirling among the general admission.  It was fully light out when Avenged hit the stage, but a few songs in, the sun began to set, and the darkness brought some pyrotechnics and lit up video screens (perfect for someone sitting in my section).  Fans around me screamed along to "Nightmare" as others danced in their seats.  I knew from the moment the music started in my section that this was a rocking crowd, and Avenged Sevenfold made the fire burn.

And if Avenged Sevenfold made the fire burn, Metallica were the gasoline that made the crowd explode.  Over an eighteen song set, Metallica gave proof that they hold reign over rock and roll.  James Hetfield acknowledged to the crowd "It's good to be needed" after mentioning the band's time off prior to their most recent album release, "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct."  With a set full of pyrotechnics and video, Metallica exuded the rock and roll 'vibe' that rock fans long for.  They weren't just people on stage, they were ROCK STARS.  You weren't just watching a band, you were watching legends.  When my favorite, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" began to play, I felt as if I had to pinch myself, or as if I was seeing a ghost.  When "Seek & Destroy" started, my crowd neighbors began to scream.  When "Wherever I May Roam" started, the guy behind me whipped out his phone to take photos for his friend who wasn't there- "he'll never believe this."  The entire set culminated with a fireworks display, and set a new bar for live music in 2017.   I felt like I was going to self-destruct after seeing them live.  Mind. Blown.

Check out some of my photos of the show below!