From pretty much the first time i heard them, I have wanted to see them live in concert. Metallica has been one of the biggest musical influences in my life and it was a personal goal to watch them live where ever they may be. Just before I left from my exchange trimester, i checked all the locations where Metallica was playing during that time hoping they would have a European leg. But sadly, that was not to be. The wait continued.
And then something wonderful happened. They were coming to India! Not only to India, but to Gurgaon, right next freaking door! Two shows were scheduled in the country. October 28th 2011 in Gurgaon and October 30th 2011 in Bangalore. As soon as the window for booking tickets was opened, i booked my tickets for the Guragaon leg. I was so damn happy that finally i could see my idols live in concert! This was going to be the fulfilment of a life long dream!
Let me tell you exactly how much Metallica means to me. From the day i heard James Hetfield scream "Exit Light, Enter Night" in the downtown pub of Manipal, I felt their energy. James has been a big inspiration for me. His stage presence, his riffs, his leadership and the sheer magnitude of his personality just left me staring in awe every time i saw him in a video. Kirk Hammett's musicianship and aggressive stage presence just shows what an awesome entertainer he is. Lars with that thumping of the drums and over the top antics on stage shows how much fun playing music can be. I have grown in several ways with their music. In times of depression or happiness, there was always a Metallica song to relate to. My thoughts at that moment were somehow always captured accurately by their music and left me with a sense of satisfaction and peace. I found peace in their Thrash Metal!
So the day finally came. October 28th. Oojwal, Tatia and I left in Oojwal's car to head towards the concert location in Gurgaon. And naturally, we stopped on route to get drunk ;) When we finally got into the venue, i there was a sense of giddiness in my stomach. A hint of nervousness as well. Feeling of weakness in the knees and extreme excitement at the same time. I was aching for them to begin!
But something was off. The cover band should have begun playing by now but there was no sign of them. The lights were barely on and there seemed to be some sort of confusion on stage. At around 7 in the evening, a American guy finally made an announcement. Due to security reasons, they could not perform today! My world just fell apart!!
What the fuck man!! I felt so cheated at the moment. There were plans to reschedule it to the next day but we knew that would not happen. Some of the fans climbed up on stage and broke equipment. I wanted to be one of them. It was like a childhood dream that came so close to being fulfilled but at the very last moment, was snatched right out of my hands. Never in my life have i feel so disappointed.
We drove back to Delhi. Went straight to Turquoise Cottage and i drowned my sorrows in three bottles of beer. Came back to the room and cried myself to sleep. The next day, i woke up and dint feel like getting out of bed. Saw no purpose to living now. Stayed in bed for another 4 hours before i said to myself , "Enough is Enough". This is my dream and something that i have cherished a lot. This is not just about watch your favourite band on stage. It was all the emotions, the good times, the bad times and the growing that i had with them in my journey of life. I had to watch them play before it gets too late, for them and for me. I had a ray of hope. The concert was scheduled for the next day in Bangalore. I had to make it happen.
I got out of bed, washed up and called up Anki. The tone of her voice and encouragement gave me a lot of hope. I told her, "Anki, get me a Metallica ticket". She said yes and off she went to Planet M. I went online to check for flight fares. 12 freaking thousand. I don't fucking care. I have to get to Bangalore. Within two hours Anki said she has the ticket and also made arrangements for me to stay at our cousin Aniket's place. I owe Anki big time for this. And an additional bonus. Akshay was also coming down for the concert. I jumped onto my laptop. Fares at 14 thousand now. No problem. Book book book. During booking, the fares went to 15.5 thousand. No problem. Book book book. After almost 25 very anxious minutes my confirmed tickets. The flight leaves in 2 hours! I had to rush to the airport.
Ran to the room, threw some clothes in a bag, told Tatia what i am doing. He said i was freaking nuts. Called up mom and dad who were holidaying in the North East that time and told them. Dad was very encouraging. With all things in place, i rushed to the airport. The flight was on time, i got in and then finally take off. Reached Bangalore and was picked up at Mekhri circle by Aniket. Got to his place and spend the night having some good quality cousin time.
The next day started badly. It was pouring! There were fears that the concert may be cancelled. If that were to happen, i would be crushed! I swear, i have never prayed so hard before in my life, but that morning i remember the way i prayed. So honest, so much in awe of the almighty and so sincerely. We got to the venue. Man what a rush! There was not one line but like a mass of people trying to get in. We stood there and waited. And waited and waited and waited. For almost three hours. And then another hour's wait before we finally got inside the stage area. And then it began pouring!! Like mad! Oh how my heart sank! The cover band came on stage and played in the rain. I was bloody impressed. The finished by 7 pm and then the wait began again.
My body was wrecked with pain. Lack of sleep, endless hours of waiting and hunger made me feel sick. I tried sitting in the little space i had. All the people around me were suffering the same fate. Bodies battered and hunger making them go crazy. But our spirits were undampened. Like me there were thousands who have been waiting for this day for a very long time. This was going to happen. I could finally feel it.
At 8 pm, the sound i was looking for for almost 8 years came out like a soft melody. The Ecstasy of Gold never sounded more sweet and good. My eyes went moist. My mouth was open and i could not feel my body anymore. And then it began.. CREEPING DEATH!!!!
There are times in life when you get something that you have wanted for a very very long time. You think you wont be able to control your excitement but more often than not, you are just with your mouth wide open and completely silent. Extreme happiness leaves you feeling so numb that you could just cry. And boy did i cry! Oh my god, all those years, all the disappointment and all that patience. Over in a moment of James riffing that six string like a madman. That moment was sheer bliss and I will always treasure it. I felt a close personal connection with Metallica that night. Never before has James looked so good, never before did Kirk's guitar sound so awesome and never before did Lars go crazy on stage like that. There was nothing that could go wrong from that moment on. I finally screamed my lungs out and head banged like a lunatic. A major element in my bucket list of life has been ticked. Not trying to sound cheesy but now, I can live my life a lot more carefree. METALLICA FOREVER!
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