Metallica returns to Bogotá, Colombia in November 2016

Metallica. Colombia. What else can I say? The founders of thrash metal will come back to Colombia to give a show as a warm-up for the release of their latest album ‘Hardwired… To Self-destruct.’ For those of you that live or were born in more metal oriented countries, it may not be a big deal that Metallica plays once again in a nearby arena, and I am saying that usually only happens in big cities in your country. In my country, things were different until three bands came to play here for the first time. One of those bands that made their mark in Colombia was Metallica.

I remember when it was announced that Metallica was going to play in Colombia, May 2nd, 1999. I was listening my local radio station, Radioacktiva, a day in December and I had just graduated from high school so, free time was mandatory. I was listening to Doom when they played ‘One’ and right after it started the DJ said that Metallica was going to play in Colombia. It was one of the best things I had ever heard in my young life.

I remember vividly how that concert changed the landscape for Colombian entertainment. Not only did they gather more than a hundred thousand people, something never seen before in Colombia, but also made people from other cities and other countries travel here just to see them live. There were people camping at Parque Metropolitano Simón Bolivar for a week to get a better view, but the coverage was unprecedented for a metal show. This first show, besides making a lot of Latino American fans happy, opened the flux for several musical acts, like Iron Maiden, Slayer, Megadeth to come later on.

You must know that the Metallica show that came to Colombia was the one between ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’. For some fans, those that have had concerts since the 1980’s, could dismiss this period in the band’s history. But for those that had never seen the band live, it was the chance of a lifetime to jump and sing along to James Hetfield and company. Songs like ‘Seek and Destroy’, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, and ‘Master of Puppets’ were loud and echoed through the entire park. For those who attended this first concert, the experience was life-changing.

While Colombia underwent several changes, Metallica went through some changes itself. First, changes in the line-up with the departure of Jason Newsted and the recruitment of Robert Trujillo. Then, a change in their sound that went from that thrasher structure to something more in line with the trend at the time, embracing aspects of nu metal. And of course, personal changes in founding members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich have shifted the band’s orientation towards music.

In the midst of said changes, Metallica came back for a second time on 2010, with the Magnetic Attraction Tour. This time they brought a then rising musical talent known as Mastodon for the first time to these Andean lands. At the time, Mastodon was not well known, but they surely made an impact after that concert, just as Metallica gathers quite a number of fans to their shows, Mastodon can leave a lasting impression with their intricate compositions. This second time, Metallica went back to their roots with the impressive performance of Robert Trujillo. Those that came to the appointment did not leave disappointed as Metallica came back with full force.

Fortunately for Colombians, Metallica did not take another ten years to come back as their third concert took place in 2014. This time around, the concert, part of the Metallica By Request Tour felt more like a small festival due to the performance of Nepentes (Colombia), De La Tierra (Latin America), and Orquesta Musical de Reciclaje de Cateura (Paraguay). It had a heavy Latin American flavour. With a discography as big as the one Metallica has, it was to be expected that every concert is different as they can include songs that were not played before. This third time was equally memorable as the previous ones.

Now, two years after this epic concert, Metallica is coming back. This time, this show is part of their Latin America Tour as a warm-up for the release of their latest album ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ which will hit the shelves on November 18th. This short tour will be held in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. Tickets will be released on September 18th, with a pre-sale for Metallica’s fan club Fifth Member on September 13th. We will be giving more information as news come in. Are you ready to see them in Bogotá?