Tomorrow night, all that matters for Bangalore is Metallica

It is time to ‘turn the page’ and ‘welcome home’ the ‘master of puppets.’ For now, ‘nothing else matters’ because Metallica is here and it’s all set to rock the city on Sunday night.

Considered the biggest metal act in the world, this would be the band’s first concert in the country after its maiden performance got cancelled in Gurgaon on Friday.

“At this stage in the game, there are very few places in the world that we have not dragged our gear and crew to, so that makes this show extra special. For the first time ever, we are visiting India for two shows. It’s about time, wouldn’t you say?” the group posted on their website.

With the countdown having boiled down to just another day, Bangaloreans are indeed geared up for the experience at Palace Grounds. And judging by the frenzy that has been generating since it was first announced that lead vocalist James Hetfield, along with guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo were to play in India, this is going to be a night to remember.

“It seems surreal that I’m going to watch Metallica. What looked like it would never happen is right here. To me, this is more exciting than the world cup finals. And I’m sure any rock fan would agree. This is perhaps the biggest rock show the country will ever see. Metallica is a religion and Hetfield is a god,” said an excited KB Hariharan, national billiards and snooker player, who is also an ardent fan of the ‘Gods of Rock,’ as he calls them.

Metallica, founded in 1981 by James and Lars, has sold over 100 million albums and has earned nine Grammy Awards. It was recognised as the MTV Rock Icons in 2003 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. “I still can’t believe we got this golden opportunity to perform with a renowned band like Metallica. It’s a dream come true,” said Karan Nambiar, lead vocalist of Delhi-based band Guillotine that was selected to open for Metallica’s concert in Delhi.

Fans from around the country have decided to shuttle buses to Bangalore to catch the concert. Cities like Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Chandigarh are witnessing quite a good number of people registering for this bus shuttle journey, where fans who don’t know each other can get acquainted over their love for the genre and, of course, Metallica.

Ask whether they expected this kind of response from all over the country and Sandeep ‘Sandy’ Suvarna, who co-conceptualised the idea, said, “The love for Metallica transcends generation gaps, and for people who are not into the rock scene, it’s difficult to realise what the phenomenon is all about, or the numbers of rock fans in India. They’ll be amazed at the kind of responses we’ve got.”