Fans went bananas when Metallica announced their new tour. These old skool metal rockers are going to tour over the entire world, including the occasional festival. And one thing is guaranteed. It’s going to be amazing. What’s their secret? According to drummer Lars Ulrich, it’s just having fun! In anticipation to the big tour, we count down their ten best live tracks.

10. The Unforgiven @ live from Orion Music, 2012.

There is nothing better than the serine sound of James Hetfield’s acoustic guitar. But everyone knows that the pace will be picked up in a heartbeat. The hardy tones of the guitar compliment James’ voice perfectly. But that doesn’t mean that the emotional load that hangs over this song is left out. And in this live version you really feel that emotional load!

9. Battery @ Live in Seattle, 1989.

A blast to the past! ‘Battery’ is one of the classics. Many fans will tell you that this one comes from the best Metallica album of all time, Master of Puppets. Needless to say that this song is very well known among the Metallica fans. This is also one of the epics that really demand interaction of the fans. Jumping, moshing everything is permitted. And look at that drum set! 

8. Creeping Death @ Live in Nimes, 2009.

One of Metallica's strenghts is the fact that they take their time. A song barely makes it under six minutes. 'Creeping Death' is a good example of that. See how they build up to a climax. The song gets bigger and bigger, until it's done. The bass guitar solo in this song is a tribute to the late Cliff Burton. No easy task, but Robert Truijilo gets the job done!

7. Hardwired @ Live Minneapolis, 2016

Roughly three decennia later, and there’s still have the same band fans know and love. This song is a throwback to the skater era of Tony Hawk, when everyone was still shredding on the halve pipes and listening to metal. And Kirk shreds like a skater on his guitar. This again, is another great Metallica song!

6. Welcome Home Santinarium @ Live San Diego, 1992

This is a noteworthy performance. In between Cliff Burton and Trujillo was Jason Newsted. Though this song is heavily guitar driven. Newsted made himself heard as doubling as backing vocals. Metallica isn’t only shredding and banging, these almost metal sounding ballads are what this band is known for the best.

5. For Whom the Bell Tolls @ Day at the Green, 1985

Let’s go back even further, back when Cliff Burton was still alive. This song is another one of their timeless classics. This is a noteworthy mention since Burton added a unique kind of rawness to their live performances. And this rawness, well, he loved to show that off. So the first minute and a half is just him jamming away on his bass!

4. Nothing Else Matters ft. San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, 1992

It should do this list justice to contain all the songs, played with the S&M. They are just so good. But ‘Nothing Else Matters’ is simply the best. The mixture of shredding guitars and a full blown orchestra is probably one of the best combinations in the world. One can only imagine how special this concert must have been. Because a lot of the people attending were sitting, and except for this performance, did that ever happen before?

3. Fade to Black @ Live in Nimes, 2009

Let’s return to Nimes for one last time. Why? Simply because this is the best version of ‘Fade to Black’. And many metalheads will tell you that this song will have one of the best guitar solos in the history of hard rock and metal. This song is once again a great example of Metallica building suspense. It’s amazing to see Kirk and James wailing away on their instruments! 

2. Enter Sandman @ Live Moscow, 1991

Not on number one? Well, it is hard to say that Enter Sandman isn’t their number one song. But it’s definitely a fan favorite. It’s the full package. A banging and booming song with one of the best solo’s in Metallica’s history. This is the band to its full extend!

1. Master of Puppets @ Live in Quebec, 2009

One cannot say Metallica without saying ‘Master of Puppets’. The intro alone is enough to give everyone a feeling of nostalgia. This song has been perfected over time. And you immediately understand what Ulrich means with just having fun. Because they are. Still to this day. It’s a band that has suffered a terrible loss, but came out on top. Master of Puppets is a throwback to the early days, and a top ten list is far too short for these Gods of metal. Nonetheless, this is Metallica at its best.

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The internet is filled to the brim with performances by various artists and bands. Unfortunately, the best live performances are often shadowed by mobile phone recordings with loud shouting audiences in the background. In Autoplay we put the best live performances by an artist in one playlist. So put an end to going through thousands of videos on Youtube; all you need is an update from the Autoplay-list.

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