Big Four Show Lived Up To The Hype

For years, I've wondered what became of all of the "headbangers" I used to see at concerts and clubs when I was in my late teens. As of Wednesday night, that mystery has been solved.

Clad in skin-tight jeans, leather, concert T-shirts and tattoos, thousands of metalheads congregated at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to rock out to the Big Four - undoubetly one of the most anticipated collaborative metal shows in recent years - for good reason. Four good reasons, although one clearly stood out among the rest. So who, exactly, comprises the Big Four you might ask? Well, if you're not a longtime fan of heavy metal music, the Big Four can be summed up in four words: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax - four of the most influential bands in the world of metal.

Due to the venue iteslef, the best way to describe the influece the Big Four have had on music would be to relate them on a small level to the NY Yankees "core four" - Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada. They are, for all intents and purposes, some of the most important Yankees of the past decade. They've done for New York Baseball what the Big Four have done for metal.

You can argue with me on either point, but I'll tell you this: few other bands in this genre can generate a crowd like the one that filled the stadium Wednesday. Metallica's self-titled fifth album from 1991 sold 15 million copies in the United States alone. Judging by the number of audience members who flew to New York from other countries specifically for this show  - one group even wore shirts claiming "We came from Columbia to see the Big Four at Yankee Stadium" - Metallica's popularity is not just a domestic phenomenon.

Wednesday’s show capped off a modest tour by the four bands. The tour started in April in California, but they've also toured Europe under the Big Four billing.

So let's break it down. First of all, the acoustics and sound in the stadium were better than what I had expected. I think even the bands were surprised.

Anthrax kicked off the show. Did they "Bring the Noise?" You bet. Strong from the start, they seemed to gain momentum and crowd enthusiasm with the older tunes. OK, let me just pause for a second to explain something about metal concerns and the fans who attend them: we like to sing along - loudly. We like older songs with a sprinkling of new ones mixed in for good measure. Give us the classic songs we have been singing along to in our cars for years, and you've got a good show. In short, if we don't go home half-deaf with a pretty good case of laryngitis, chances are it wasn't really a good time.

That being said, next up was Megadeth. Not as edgy as they were a decade ago, they can still get fans to bang their heads. It took two songs, "Peace Sells," and "Holy Wars" - undoubtedly among their most popular - to really get the crowd going. The energy definitely picked up toward the second half of their set, despite the fact that front man Dave Mustaine performed for the New York crowd with a neck injury. The momentum carried through Slayer's part of the show.

Speaking of Slayer, these guys haven't changed. They brought it old school style: hard, loud and fast. By the time they took the stage, the sun was fading and the crowd - fueled by $9 beers and a definite adrenaline rush - had become rowdier.

At least four mosh pits emerged on the field. Perched in the seats below the press box, I wasn't exactly close enough to throw elbows, but I did envy the guy who had enough beer-induced bravery to run across the infield. He may have been hauled off by the NYPD, but as he stumbled across the pitcher's mound, he lived my dream.

Ask the majority of the crowd, however, and they would've told you the real reason they were there was to see Metallica. The band is synonynous with Yankee Stadium for one reason: Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera. Undoubtedly one of the greatest closers in the game of baseball, Mo's theme song as he walks onto the field to pitch the final outs of a close game is Metallica's "Enter Sandman."

Having seen Metallica play live more times than I can count over the years, I can definitely say this ranked among the top shows I've seen. Definitely not a disappointment. There's a reason why they were the top-billed act.

Metallica knows how to work a stadium crowd. From turning the mic to the crowd to finish vereses, to the usual spectacles such as laser shows, impressive and well-times pyrotechnics, solos by the band members and a tribute to late bassist Cliff Burton, front man James Hetfield and band members Lars Ulrich on drums, Kirk Hammett on guitar, Robert Trujillo on bass are good at what they do. There's just no denying it.

Of the bands that made up the Big Four, Metallica was definitely the biggest. Even bigger was the tribute to Motorhead at the end of the show, which had nearly all members of the bands - minus the injured Mustaine - taking the stage in a mammoth, and fitting jam session. If the rumors are true, that would have been the last time all four groups tour togther under the Big Four billing, as individuals in the bands pursue other projects. Overall, the Big Four was well worth the trip to the Bronx. I left the show with my ears ringing and no voice. Translation: it was a good show.