More than four decades into their career, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Metallica are invested in making their concerts more than just another rock show. That was certainly the case Friday night, when the foursome tore through the first of two nights at U.S.
Bank Stadium in front of a near-capacity crowd. The band played on a massive racetrack-style stage, complete with a pit in the center for the most devoted (and deep-pocketed) fans and eight looming towers that held both speakers and video screens. (In a recent Pioneer Press interview , bassist Robert Trujillo said it took physical training to perform on the stage and after seeing it in person, well, he clearly wasn’t kidding.
) On their current tour, which hits just 22 cities around the world over the course of 18 months, Metallica are offering completely different set lists each night, with the idea fans would attend both shows. Friday, they touched on various parts of their long career, with a focus on their most recent album, last year’s “72 Seasons.” Metallica was the first rock band to play the then-new Vikings stadium in 2016 and cranked up the volume so high , civilians from up to a mile away reported hearing it inside their homes.
They returned to Minneapolis two years later for a more traditional show at Target Center. Friday, they managed to capture both the nervous energy of their USBS debut (which was only one of a handful of shows they played that year) and the more polished professionalism of the 2018 .