Metallica in Singapore

It was a ginormous venue at the eastern point of Singapore. Quite painful to get to without a car. I was a bit perturbed about the crowds, and the loo situation. At least it was an open air venue. Easier to breathe, literally. On gig day, as we thought about our travel routes, there was a bit of a thrill as though we were not in Singapore and had travelled far to watch it. When I got there, I was wowed. Never mind that it felt a tad like cattle being herded through to gates. Efficient traffic marshals, lots of ushers who knew what they were doing.

Supporting band ANVIL, at sunset.

Great set-up right by the sea. Humongous stage. Totally professional. Felt so much like Coachella! Except a lot less muddy. Heh. Good sound, glorious sunset, fabulous continuous breeze stirred. Took a deep breath. I shifted vacation dates to make this gig; it was going to be just fine. But I steered clear of alcohol. That would make me pee one time too many. It was only towards the end of the night that I bravely bought bottles of water and sipped for necessary hydration. The portaloos were impressive, as clean as could be even at 2230hrs. There was even an attendant going round to spray deodorizer into the plastic shells. Wore boots, didn't care about wet floors.

Leaving the venue, as expected, took 40 minutes amidst a giant clusterfuck. Other friends took about an hour and half to exit. The efficient traffic marshals disappeared. That part could have been better managed. What was cool was to see all the cars filled with humans, saving all space. All in all, organizer LAMC Productions made an ambitious plan, and as an average gig-goer, I think it's a great production. Props to the team at LAMC Productions!

Sound was balanced and the volume was damn loud! The wonders of an outdoor venue by the sea not near to residential areas. Woot! It's probably the loudest gig to date ever held in Singapore. There wasn't like an official mosh pit, but of course people at the front were going to mosh. Retreated to the back of Section A, and we were thankful for the space and earplugs. Apparently, it was a 30,000-strong crowd. Woah. The area was so comfortable and windy that it certainly didn't feel like it. (Addendum: Did the Straits Times review state 40,000?!)

Fulfilled a childhood dream to watch Metallica live. Admittedly, watching them now, albeit twenty years too late took away some of the stardust. 'Sad But True', was ermmm....exactly that. You need to be there to know what I mean. The band (mainly the drummer lah) was kinda not in rhythm and all over the place. But they can still sing, and they put on a good show last night. Sure, it wasn't as electrifying as I hoped it would be, but I got to hear all my favorite songs. Teenage anthems. 'Enter Sandman' played live was every bit as cool as it always is.