Metallica Launches Live Download Site

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Metallica Launches Live Download Site




Following in the footsteps of bands such as Pearl Jam and Phish, Metallica will begin offering unedited soundboard recordings of shows from its upcoming North American tour for sale via the Internet. The trek begins tonight (March 2) in Phoenix; audio files will be available for download approximately four days after each show from www.livemetallica.com/ .

"This is the next logical step in a process that began back in 1991 when we first implemented the 'Taper Section' at our shows, where the fans were encouraged to bring in their own gear to record the show, and then take home their very own 'bootleg' of the concert they had just seen," drummer Lars Ulrich says in a statement. "This technology will enable our fans to get the best possible recording of the show, without having to hold a microphone in the air for the entire night!"

Fans will be able to download the music in MP3 ($9.95) and FLAC files ($12.95) via a back-end system developed by Nugs.net, which provides similar services for Phish and String Cheese Incident. Each show will come with a printable booklet and labels for fans who wish to burn the music to CD.

Metallica is promising that the upcoming tour will feature a different set list every night as well as tracks that have not been regularly featured for years in live performance.

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Metallica and its 'Monster'

Film shows group handling problems through therapy

Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Posted: 11:38 AM EDT (1538 GMT)








NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Most rock documentaries depict bands struggling to produce an album or growing weary on a grueling tour.

The members of heavy metal's Metallica, however, have done a documentary their own way.

"Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," which opened in New York last Friday and will premiere nationwide in coming weeks, is a behind-the-scenes film that shows the musicians undergoing group therapy while they record a hit album.

"Therapy saved us. That's very unmetal," guitarist Kirk Hammett said.

Critics are hailing the documentary for its in-depth emotional profile of three long-time friends who come close to losing their band and their friendships amid midlife crises.

"This is a film about relationships, about people in crisis," said co-director Bruce Sinofsky. "It just happens to be the biggest hard-rock band of all time."

The movie, which began filming in 2001 and took two years to complete, was originally meant to boost sales of Metallica's first album of new material in six years.

But on the first day of shooting, the band began therapy after losing its bass player, and the filmmakers said they realized they were onto something more than just a "making of the album" documentary.

"We finally came to a point where we had to let it all out," said singer/guitarist James Hetfield who in the film entered a rehab program to battle alcoholism.

Hammett acted as a buffer between a sulking and intractable drummer Lars Ulrich and a controlling Hetfield.

'Accessible as possible'

The band gradually rediscovered its love for aggressive music, but not before Ulrich and Hetfield aired their grievances in some emotional and revealing moments.

"We decided that we were going to be as accessible as possible," said Ulrich. "We don't think much about things like image."

The new album "St. Anger," released last year, has sold more than 1.6 million copies in the United States. They credit therapist Phil Towle for saving the band.




"We have the best relationship we've ever had," Ulrich said.

Although some observers said the film might be too long and resemble a real-life version of the cult classic "This Is Spinal Tap" satire, the group did not cut a minute of its two hour, 20 minute running time.

"A lot of people have the stereotype of hard-rock guys being brainless, beer-drinking idiots, and these guys are the exact opposites," said co-director Joe Berlinger. "They're going through a universal struggle and people are being inspired by this film, even if they don't like the music."

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Well, after seeing probably the best heavy metal concert I've ever seen. I'm gonna try and download it on the above mentioned site or at least get my sister to because she has high speed connection and I don't.
If anybody has not seen this show I highly recommend you do From the minute they hit the stage till the time they leave they don't stop.2 and half hours of straight up rock & roll highlights include "Fuel" "Disposable Heroes" "Master of Puppets"
"One" and "Seek and Destroy"