Metallica Fans of a Certain Age
Metallica performs live to a sold a crowd At BBC Radio 1s Theatre in London. (September 14, 2008)
I’m very fired up about going to see heavy metal titans Metallica tomorrow night at the PNC Center in Newark. It always surprises people that I would be such a big fan of hard rock. The clichéd TV news anchor image – you know, that whole Ted Baxter/Ron Burgundy blow-dried thing – makes people think more of Engelbert Humperdinck than Rage Against the Machine. I guess I can understand that. But I’ve always loved hard, loud, angry rock. I am, after all, a semi-alienated white dude who grew up in the suburbs. This is my soul music.
My buddy Mark turned me on to Metallica when he dragged me to one of their shows at the Garden in 1997. I was blown away. A few months later, they were the musical guests on “Saturday Night Live.” I was the weekend anchor at WNBC-TV at the time, and the newsroom there is just one floor below the SNL studio. So like a couple of 16-year-olds, we plotted with an NBC page who had been assigned to the band (they always have a couple of pages keep an eye on the musicians, to bring them snacks and keep them from wandering off) to meet James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, the Metallica leaders and co-founders. Success!! They were really nice, and although the picture of us with James has been tragically misplaced, check out this photo of Lars and me...
Even back then we were, let’s just say, on the upper end of the Metallica age demographic. Now it’s 12-years later, and I’m expecting that the only other guys there in our age group Saturday night will be dads who are chaperoning their teenaged sons. Also, the tickets Mark managed to score are for something called General Admission Standing. STANDING? I said to Mark, we’re going to be the oldest guys there; if anybody should be sitting, it’s us. Maybe some respectful teenagers will offer us their seats, like you’re supposed to do with elderly people on the subway. Then again, the members of Metallica are in their 40’s now, so I suppose it’s all relative.
But it’s going to be a blast. At the end of the newscast tonight, I’m going to flash some devil horns in tribute. If I can remember to do it. You know, the age thing again.
Comments: 18
I first saw Metallica in 1984 and I'm still a huge fan ... btw, either you're a giant, or Lars is a jockey
I first saw Metallica in 1984 and I'm still a huge fan ... btw, either you're a giant, or Lars is a jockey
I like the Stones...9 Inch Nails and Aerosmith and of course other groups that I can't think of at the moment.*Guns and Roses got it! I am a big fan of Elton John, Tina Turner, Bon Jovi, and some of the oldies but goodies. Bon Jovi is a hottie.
When I was younger I looked like Cher. Actually, she put on a little weight, so I guess that's a plus for me, but I haven't had all the face lifts and hair pieces that she has had.
I think they were making a DVD of the Big Bopper, and Richie Valens and the other guy, who were killed in that plane crash when they were so young. Oh Donna, Oh Donna!
I like all kinds of music and my father looked like Dean Martin,HE WAS SO GOOD LOOKIN THAT THE WOMEN FLOCKED NEAR BY, but he was true to my mom, so of course,
I was a fan of that era, although not a big fan of Sinatra like my beloved aunt was.
I liked Paul Anka *when I was a tween and of course, Fabian, Frankie Avalon and the rest of them.
"Where did our love go" was my signature song, since I could totally relate to that in my life.
See the pyramids across the Nile - YOU BELONG TO ME, another signature song...yeah ok, lets not go there...
Ok, I guess that's the run-down for tonight....
Wow, what a blast...
Lee
*lovesmusicfromeveryera
I'm a hard rock fan and as such I like Metallica along with Ozzy, Rainbow, etc. The bottom line is that you are never too old to rock. Music from the eighties is just better and will be around for a long time. Keep rocking Jim!
I am still a Metallica fan at 40. I have been from the time I was a teen. I even have my 11 yr old jamming to "Enter Sandman" and "Sanatarium" with me. Never had the money to go to a concert but someday I Will get there. Have fun!
Yes, Metallica is still the best. I have been a very, extremely, big longtime fan eveer since,
I was in high school. I Hope they`ll keep on rockin as they grow older. They get better every time.
Don`t Forget that I am also happy to see them getting Inducted at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Have a great time!!!
Jim, this has nothing to do with your blog.
My daughter is writing a blog about The Bachelor.
Although an insane show, her blog is:
www.bachelorlove.blogspot.com. and yesterday she added a podcast, along with her boyfriend.
If you cld listen to it for 15 seconds, you will find it very entertaining. They already have over 22,000 hits.
We need someone to help us get it on air, or use their talent to promote other programs.
Thanks,
the father
Lee forgot to mention U2, cause "I still haven't found what I'm lookin for".
METALLICA!!!! I am on my way there now!!! See you at the show Jim, I will be on the floor thrashing like a maniac!!
PS: I will probably be one of the oldest there also!
I was so surprised to hear on Fri night that you were a Metallica fan!I am 34 yrs old and I have been a fan since I was 11[saw them first when they were touring ..And Justice for All in "88] ..now I had the pleasure of taking my 17 yr. old daughter to her very first Metallica concert my 31 yr brother went with us as well and I saw a lot of fans who didn't "look" like fans either and were older than 40 [...they weren't all accompanying their teenage kids..] and it's 'cause even though we age metal just never really dies as you grow older ...the love just gets stronger ^_^....Keep rockin' hard...METALLICA RULES!!! The concert was totally awesome! Jim you rock!
P.S
My neck hurts due to excessive head banging...but I loved every minute of it....age means nothing !
Most people are also surprised when they hear thet I still like Metal bands as well. While I started listening to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin in the late 70’s, I kept moving on while others my age either kept listening to those bands or even regressed to softer stuff. Metallica is one of the bands that bridged the gap during the metal hair bands of the 80's.
I’ve continued to search out new bands by listening to local hard rock radio stations like Seton Hall’s Pirate radio (89.5) or Satellite radio. A group of my 40 year-old friends have gone to the past nine Ozzfests—too bad that seems to be over.
The one benefit of old age, a friend was able to score first row seats to the Metallica show at the Nassau Coliseum—much better than the bleacher seats I’ve sat in at dozens of shows during my youth.
Keep Rockin’ and I appreciate your wit and sense of reality on the PIX News
Hey, John.. excellent assessment of how Metallica fits right in between "classic" bands and contemporary rock. I like to keep it current (to me, the day a guy starts to get old is when he says "they don't make music/movies/whatever as well as they did back in MY day".. my response to that usually is, "yes they do.. you just stopped exposing yourself to it."
which is what made this weekend's concert that much more amazing.. I don't know what it was like at the Nassau show, but in Newark, the crowd was as into, if not MORE into, the new album stuff compared to the old faves.. I don't think I've ever seen that before in a band that's been around 25 years.
Thanks, John.. appreciate you watching, and commenting.. Jim
Wow! Didn't know you were such a hard rock fan. It's nice to know some of the little, unexpected things. I enjoy watching you and Kaity even more now! Up the irons Jim!
Wow! Didn't know you were such a hard rock fan. It's nice to know some of the little, unexpected things. I enjoy watching you and Kaity even more now! Up the irons Jim!
Is there a page missing? I thought you wrote a very sensitive blog. I guess you have the right to censor your blogs, but I thought it was a really good one. I hope to see more of your inside revelations on here. You seem like a nice person, not to mention, a good anchorman. Bye for now.
Hey Jim,Big fan of Metallica big fan of Jim and Kaity .
You should've taken Kaity with you and make some pics there . That would've been a great pic for your blog (for hijacking your blog before ).
I don't think that you have to be 18 to 22 to listen or go to concerts of that kind of music or any kind for that matter , you just have to be young at heart . Don't matter how old you are , it matter that you have passion for it . Keep it up .
You and Kaity make me laugh every night , especially when someone from back there screw up with that sounds or the video , but that's ok that's even better , makes it more interesting for us .
Hi, cool site, good writing ;)
Hi Jim, PNC center??? LOL. It's the Prudential Center, aka The Rock. I saw the Bon Jovi concert there on the opening night at The Rock and it was great. I'm so glad they built it and now I am hoping that the NJ Nets will move there instead of Brooklyn. I am hearing that Shaq may get involved somehow to help that happen.