Of fans and Metallic screams
Metal mania in the City saw a new high at the sprawling Palace Grounds where the heavy metal band Metallica performed for the first time in India. The maiden show at Gurgaon on Friday was cancelled over ''security issues''.
Thousands of screaming fans chanted “Metallica”, the mantra of the day, even as they braved the brisk showers which pounded the City in two spells.
Guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead vocalist James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo performed some of their most iconic songs as the fans screamed, head-banged and cheered.
More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed on security duty and a three-layer barricade was erected around the stage.
About 22,000 tickets were sold, with prices ranging from Rs 1,650 to Rs 2,750, according to organisers. Fans started queuing up at the venue since mid-morning.
Opening for the American metal band were Bangalore-based death/thrash metal band Inner Spectrum and Guillotine from New Delhi besides Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. Belting out hits like ‘Who’s Got A Match’ and ‘The Captain’, they kept the energy levels high until Metallica took to the stage.
As soon as the heavy metal giants appeared, the tempo was taken to a new high as the frenzied crowd cheered their idols. They ripped right into one of their all-time classics, ‘Creeping Death’. This was followed by ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, and ‘Fuel’, the audience demanding more. Well-known numbers like ‘Ride The Lightning’, ‘Fade To Black’, ‘Cyanide’ and ‘Memory Remains’ came next, the crowd singing along.
Despite the huge numbers that had gathered at the Palace Grounds, the evening progressed reasonably smoothly.
Learning their lesson from Friday’s debacle at Leisure Valley, the band’s representative repeatedly stressed the need for safety and the band came on stage only after the crowd was reasonably calm.
Metallica promised they would be back in the City.
Traffic jam
Fans kept flocking the venue of the concert throughout the day.
Though the surrounding thoroughfares were not pressed for space, the vehicles moved at a snail’s pace.
But as the concert concluded around 10 pm and fans began coming out, the roads got jammed with vehicles piling up all over the place.
It was probably for the first time that 18-year-old Prarthik Nair ever witnessed sunrise on a Sunday morning.
Student of Christ University, Prarthik and three other friends got up as early as 5 am to get ready to reach their destination — Palace Grounds — for the Metallica concert.
Bellary Road bore the brunt of the traffic congestion and air passengers struggled to reach the airport on time. Jayamahal Road and C V Raman Avenue also saw vehicles pile up.
The overcrowding of the road lasted till most fans left the venue after the concert. Police said that the situation improved around 11.30 pm.
