Seeing Metallica play live is a bucket-list experience, but by now pretty much everyone must have seen it live (or on BBC 3 or 4). And even though long-term fans and the annoyingly hipster element will now proclaim them over in the wake of last years Glastonbury performance, theyre showing no signs of slipping. Their live show is a stunningly slick experience. By virtue of their being screened live from Reading on Saturday night by BBC Four, it was possible for day trippers to see them twice in a matter of days, and the over-riding message is that the gig loses nothing for watching it twice in a row. Inevitably, the Metallica family were out in force, and were treated to a setlist bulging with classics (but a little notoriously lacking in newer material, including frustrating teaser Lords Of Summer) and the odd comparative rarity (King Nothing being welcomed back to the stage like an old friend). Some even got to take a rare souvenir - a beach ball printed with the wrong date, which might well make them more valuable in future. As usual, James Hetfield kept the crowd in his palm throughout the near two hour set, offering sporadic calls to arms among humorous quips, and despite the familiarity of it all, theres never any sense at all that the thrash metal icons are on autopilot. If only theyd get back into the bloody studio and add some more new songs to the setlist though Were you at Leeds Festival 2015? Choose your own favourites from the festival below in the comments thread.
