Metallica's second concert at the Stade de France: more people, more light, more breath

The joke was repeated on the Wednesday after Metallica's first visit to the Stade de France: "No memories tonight? Yes, but it will be on Friday! A small consolation for those who don't have the time or money to buy a 2-day package, pay for accommodation , transportation, etc. But the rest, attending the show this Friday, May 19th, is more than just a memory or follow-up: accompaniment matters!

After an applauding section of Mammoth WVH (Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang's band) and Architects, Metallica entered its spin stage even later than Wednesday's 8:45 p.m. Time to hear the two intros "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll" by AC/DC and "L'Estasi dell'Oro" by Ennio Morricone, so it's already 8:50pm, when People America hit hard with "Creeping Death" a slightly late, but hassle-free schedule, otherwise.

As the lighting has also been redesigned to better highlight the musicians, we are even more immersed in the concert. However, the cast always dressed in black – while walking in rings of the same color – except for Kirk Hammett, who would try on a sophisticated Las Vegas outfit with a pattern of bones on his feet and play a screaming purple guitar during "King Doesn't Exist." . He's in the limelight like never before, enough to be a bit more reserved than singer/guitarist James Hetfield, who also joked about his friend Lars Ulrich's yellow canary drums.

72 Seasons has already wowed the crowd

Stade de France was much busier than Wednesday, thousands more people, maybe 10,000. It's Friday, you could say. Two-thirds of the crowd had turned up two days earlier, judging by the hand raised when James Hetfield asked a question. And who reacted a quarter turn after the thunder strike that defined Creeping Death, followed by Harvester of Sorrow, then Cyanide, a track somewhat forgotten by 2008's Death Magnetic.

After "King Nothing", Metallica presented their latest work "72 Seasons". And we have to admit that the self-titled track was extremely well-received, giving the audience goosebumps as if it were already a classic band. Gaining that response, the song had a chance to appear in the band's repertoire for a long time to come. Maybe more so than "If Darkness Had a Son" or "You Must Burn!", which are played at multiple tempos, with a good family "Welcome Home (Sanatorium)" in between.

Like on Wednesday, the lull where the drums disappear from the stage before new ones appear further back is a bit of a rhythm break, but we think it's shorter than it was two days ago.

Classic "One" and "Enter Sandman" this time in the program

Whatever the case, the second part of the concert will ensure approval in both content and form. After the instrumental "The Call Of Ktulu", Hetfield actually picked up an acoustic guitar and played "The Unforgiven" while the laptops in the arena were on. Big bang on the head with the heavy "Wherever I May Roam" then the fast "Moth Into Flame". Metallica was even caught speeding during the epic "Battery," in which Ulrich, watched by the cameras, was sweating and sticking out his tongue like never before!

A cover of the traditional Irish song 'Whiskey In The Jar' (popularized by Thin Lizzy) provided the most entertaining moment of the evening. Circles of hell that start at the "snake hole" (the space reserved for extreme fans in the center of the circular stage) or elsewhere in the hole are replaced by a few equally furious jigs. However, the evening ended on a frankly metallic note, with two all-time classics that viewers so dearly miss that can only come on a Wednesday: "One" and the legendary "Enter Sandman."

James Hetfield at the first concert on Wednesday at the Stade de France. LP/Arnaud Dumontier

What conclusion can we draw from the two concerts? Well, let's open the door happily: In our opinion, the two shows make up one piece, the equivalent of a four-hour, 32-song concert that we'll never see. Classic delirium, surprises, novelties, obscure titles, original stage layouts... Metallica is trying a risky and ambitious experience on this "M72 World Tour", definitely a disappointment for those who can only attend for one night, but enough make sure you are lucky enough to be able to participate in both.