A rock solid birthday celebration from Metallica wraps up the first Sonisphere

Where to start with a band like Metallica? If there's one act this weekend that's the lynchpin of Sonisphere's success or failure, it has to be this lot. As Ennio Morricone's spine-tingling intro swells out across the field, the ground is packed with revellers for as far as the eye can see, all poised for a knock-out finale to the weekend.

As opening salvoes go, Metallica's tonight is hard to beat. A brutal 1-2-3 of 'Blackened' followed by 'Creeping Death' and a furious 'Fuel' proves to be a powerhouse combo, getting fists in the air and heads banging on all fronts. While recent gigs have placed the focus squarely on showcasing latest album 'Death Magnetic', tonight's performance is rather an archetypal Greatest Hits set, taking in classic material from just about every corner of the band's history. Unsurprisingly, it's a winner with the vast horde of punters that's congregated, though frontman James Hetfield doesn't seem overly impressed with their response, encouraging them to up the ante early on in the set. Whether the crowd is too polite or just too tired from all the moshing is anyone’s guess.

New material from 'Death Magnetic' is worked into the mid-section of the set, and while paling next to the likes of 'Fade to Black' and 'Master of Puppets', it's still a welcome addition. In particular, 'Cyanide' and 'The Day That Never Comes' hold their own in such esteemed company, and it seems unlikely Hetfield and co will be ditching these from their live performances any time soon. While overall the band's playing tonight is as tight and ferocious as ever, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett's performance warrants special praise.

Looking more like the prize poodle to Lars Ulrich's rabid terrier than ever, Hammett still packs a real punch as Metallica's secret weapon, showing off some blistering guitar skills that can't help but make jaws drop. The best of this comes by way of introduction to a seminal 'Nothing Else Matters', in which he teases the crowd with an absolutely gorgeous, slinky little solo with a somewhat classical lilt to it. The song itself is yet another heavyweight rendition, as spellbinding live as on first listen and prompting some impassioned karaoke from the fans. Interestingly, it also suggests that lighter-waving is going out of fashion, with only a few devoted souls making the effort. Let's blame that one on the economic downturn.

With such a high level of quality coming as standard, any highlights have undoubtedly got to be personal. Having said this, the set's iron-clad centerpiece of 'Sad But True', followed by cornerstone 'One' with all the requisite fireworks, stands out as truly exceptional. And, as a treat for the hardcore, there's also an uber-heavy outing for 'Dyer's Eve', played live for the first time in the UK.

The encore tonight is perhaps the only ill-judged part of the show, with an underwhelming cover of Queen's 'Stone Cold Crazy' bringing up the rear. As per tradition, 'Seek and Destroy' closes the set, with Hetfield venturing down to the barriers to trade high-fives and share vocal duties with the front row. Brilliantly, upon returning to the stage, he's greeted by a blizzard of cream-pies courtesy of friends and family, in 'celebration' of his birthday. If you've been lucky enough to catch Metallica more than once in recent years, it's clear that tonight is really business as usual for such a legendary band. But when business is this thrilling, there's little worth criticising.

Latest Updates