Metal Monday: The "Big Four" Concert

posted in: Features

Chances are  if you’re a metal fan then you’ve probably heard that the “big four” of thrash (Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax) played some shows together (Poland and Switzerland among them) for the first time ever during this summer’s Sonisphere fest.

I don’t see what the big deal is, honestly. Sonisphere isn’t exactly the smallest metal festival in the world, there were at least six or seven globally recognized metal bands (e.g Stone Sour, Bullet For My Valentine and  Motí¶rhead among others) playing at each date. If the “big four” were playing a smaller and more extensive tour around Europe or the United States, then it would be more noteworthy.

Perhaps more notable than the concert itself is the fact that the Poland date was aired in movie theaters around the United States (such as your local AMC Loews). This is really cool option for fans who admire any of these bands and would love to see them play a live set, but it’s not like there isn’t footage of all of these bands playing live sets from the last thirty years. From what I’ve seen of the concert footage, it appears that Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield can barely even sing their classic songs anymore (butchering performances of “Hangar 18” and “Master of Puppets” respectively). It’s hard to imagine that there won’t be a forthcoming DVD of one of the shows, which might actually be worth purchasing (or borrowing from a friend who feels the need to buy it).

If you paid to see the concert in your local movie theater, was it worth it? Which band played the best set? How about those of you who didn’t go see it? Why didn’t you go? Let us know in the comments below.