New Years Eve.....In Vegas......With Metallica

[Deadly Embrace]

I just got back from 4 days in Las Vegas...I stayed at The Hard Rock Hotel......It was the best time I've had on New Years since 1986(Metallica/Exodus..etc..)..Metallica were PLaying at The Joint, a club within The Hard Rock Hotel......Ticket prices were going for BIG BUCKS($1000 on eBAY)...It's been Sold Out for months....I was lucky enough to get 6th row center seats(regularly priced at $500)......Well I had some warm up drinks at Fat Tuesday's ......Powerful $17 Hurricanes......in Ceasars......I Saw Jennifer Lopez in Versaces(she & Ben Affleck were staying in our Hotel)......Also spotted, Paris(& sister) & Nicloe.....at The Hard Rock Hotel Bar......AnywaY I finally made it to my seats, & watched the Metallica set.......they played the Old Shit.....but 5 new songs off St. Anger......the new songs just suck, even up close, & the sound was not the best, and Metallica were just alright, lucky I was drunk, and making the best of it..........I made it up to the front row center, for the last 7 songs, & caught 4 picks.....3 from James.....& 1 from Robert......I enjoyed them way better, when I saw them twice out of the 4 warm up shows in SF at The Fillmore Auditorium.........But it was New Years and the crowd really enjoyed them.......Thats the trip, I was looking around & people were just totally into them, more than me, obviously.......And while looking for picks on the floor, I found $154(wad of cash), what a way to start the New Year....2004......After the show, we still drank more & made it to the Gambling tables around 4:00am.......around 4:30.......I spotted Kirk Hammett, playing Craps, at the table next to our group, a couple of us that know him, approched, I was blocked by his 2 body guards, they told me I could not approach him, without him first acknowleding me, then I could go up to him.........How cheesey......He acknowledged me & I had a short conversation with him & handshake........He was polite and in a good mood, and I left him so he could continue his gaming.......I realized it was almost 5:00am & decided to call it a night.........Well thats my Vegas story........Nice way to kick off The New Year!.......PS I had the Best Sushi of my life!

 

[hiddenlegions]

That's pretty damn cool for new years considering all I did was go to sleep early to go to work the next day. Seeing the show that close up considering ticket prices sounds fun. Kirk Hammet has 2 bodyguards???? What a rockstar

Did he remember you from back in the day or talk about anything from back then Walt ?

 

[snickers]

sounds like you had a blast!

there were seats at the clubs? i was under the impression it was just general admission from the clip i saw on fox.

 

[xAm_I_Evilx]

Blackened
The Four Horsemen
Seek and Destroy
Fade To Black
The Thing That Should Not Be
Frantic
Creeping Death
Dirty Window
Sad But True
One
-----------
NEW YEARS COUNTDOWN
-----------
Damage Inc.
-----------
Harvester Of Sorrow
Nothing else Matters
Master Of Puppets
-----------
St. Anger
Enter Sandman
-----------
So What!
Hit The Lights


i only count 3 St. Anger songs...not 5......what show did you see???

 

[Lies and Perfidy]

That's actually a pretty sweet setlist, especially the closing combination. Methinks DE's drinks had a bit more of an effect than he may have thought.

Speaking of which - JESUS H. CHRIST, man, how much did you spend on this fucking trip?! Seventeen-dollar Hurricanes?! Oy gevalt.

Kirk Hammet has 2 bodyguards???? What a rockstar

Dude, if I played on St. Anger and saw the reaction to it, I'd have bodyguards too.

 

[Deadly Embrace]

sounds like you had a blast!

there were seats at the clubs? i was under the impression it was just general admission from the clip i saw on fox.

Yes seats.........and there was no pit.........or damage done to the seats........
The General admission Show On Fox was eariler in the evening outdoors in front of the Vennitian, heard they only played 3 songs(or were supposed to)......It was free to The Public.........and not the later show that they playeed indoors at The Joint(in The Hard Rock Hotel)......they played from about 10:30pm til 12:45 am..........

 

[Deadly Embrace]

Blackened
The Four Horsemen
Seek and Destroy
Fade To Black
The Thing That Should Not Be
Frantic
Creeping Death
Dirty Window
Sad But True
One
-----------
NEW YEARS COUNTDOWN
-----------
Damage Inc.
-----------
Harvester Of Sorrow
Nothing else Matters
Master Of Puppets
-----------
St. Anger
Enter Sandman
-----------
So What!
Hit The Lights


i only count 3 St. Anger songs...not 5......what show did you see???

Thats what I counted.....could of been 4 though........but I was there.......were you?...........

 

[Deadly Embrace]

That's pretty damn cool for new years considering all I did was go to sleep early to go to work the next day. Seeing the show that close up considering ticket prices sounds fun. Kirk Hammet has 2 bodyguards???? What a rockstar

Did he remember you from back in the day or talk about anything from back then Walt ?

Yes I know Kirk........quite well........he just has out grown me.....so ta say......and no we did'nt talk about old times, or what drugs we used to do?

 

[Deadly Embrace]

Speaking of which - JESUS H. CHRIST, man, how much did you spend on this fucking trip?! Seventeen-dollar Hurricanes?! Oy gevalt.

QUOTE]

Well Pyrus when you grow up and get a job....you can actually leave SF and go on vacation........and yes it was an expensive one........but very fun....about 16 of us made the trip(by my count)......and even more friends of our friends showed up......Well the Hurricanes are like 4 drinks in one, they come in a foot and a half Vase(best way to describe it)......they are $16, but for an extra dollar they throw in an extra shot........2 is all you could handle Pyrus......But those drinks are a deal considering the drinks I like(Grey Goose & Mixer) at The Hard Rock Hotel are $12 each....just with one shot......But sometimes you just got to live!

 

[Stun]

Wow you've been pretty snappy recently DE...... I thought after a time like that you'd be chilled out.

 

[MindInsane]

i only count 3 St. Anger songs...not 5......what show did you see???

Maybe three seemed like five....one would be too much for me...that cd is the biggest piece of shit I've ever heard...I'd rather listen to Justin Timberlake...at least he can sing!

 

[Lies and Perfidy]

Well the Hurricanes are like 4 drinks in one, they come in a foot and a half Vase(best way to describe it)......they are $16, but for an extra dollar they throw in an extra shot........2 is all you could handle Pyrus......

If even that.

But wait, no disrespect, but you like St Anger. Why would you say that?

Because there are a hell of a lot of big, violent people who didn't. I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who (especially on New Years, when everybody tends to get more than a little trashed) wouldn't hesitate to take a swing at Lars or Kirk.

 

[Testament Legions]

Kirk Hammet has 2 bodyguards???? What a rockstar

Yeah !

 

[ChaosWithoutProphecy]

so its DE that found my $154!!!! i was wondering where that went............



sounds like u had a god new years, better then me, i just hung out with my pals, drank 2 40s of king cobra and some vodka and had a joint or 3

 

[Vic Rattlehead]

A good way to find picks is by looking at the floor? Shit never knew or thought of that.

 

[Dirt Junior]

Fuck!!great Story! I Should Have Gone To Vegas..the Hard Rock Rules For New Year's!

 

[xSUIxTOMMYx]

Hey Walter its good to hear you had great times on NYEve, especially as you said its was your best one since 1986! )) I hope someday you will post on this and your personal board (I am wondering how come there is so little people registered???) about great times you will hopefully have while hanging out with Polish Legions next summer))

Guys, I have been reading all those posts regarding Tallicas bodyguards and stuff and I feel a little bit strange that you guys are very surprised by that fact… Most of you guys live in US in a country that treats Metallica like an icon, in fact there is no higher level to reach on American music scene so those guys are being recognized almost by everybody no matter if he is a metalhead, hiphoper or country fan. And all those people are typical leeches demanding an autograph and a photo. Ask any member of any band if it is not getting enough by some time…

Try to imagine going for shopping or to restaurant with your family and on each corner there is one man who screams and pays attention on himself and it makes crowd gathering in a while. Would it be funny to yourselves? Any Metallica band member has to face it every single fukkin day. So I am not surprised that they hired peoples that help them keeping privacy in pubic places.

You guys laughed at Kirk and his bodyguard that he is a fukkin big star. I would do that if Kirk did not want to speak to Walter or pretended he did not know him. But that did not take place so there is no reason to bullshitting on Kirk and Metallica. Believe me, despite succeeding they are still very down-to-earth people, they live in neighbourhood in normal houses without 10ft walls, their kids play with neighbours kids and are being raised by their parents just like any other kid…

Besides, last year half of Metallica came to Warsaw, Poland for a couple of times with a private visit to a friend of mine and they were walking regular streets without bodyguards. One of them spend whole day walking down the most popular street in Warsaw, there is always full of metalfans and he was not disturbed for a once. Of cuz people was straring at him cuz there is not many Indians living in Poland but the only one person who came to him and recognized him was an ST/IG fan. The other one band member walked with my friend in the middle of housing estate and 3 or 4 Metallica fans passed them by, they took a look at him but they could not believe it would be him, they probably though it was a look-a-like.

Me and soulflypl talked about that to my friend that and we were told what it is like in US. Such thing like in Warsaw could not happen there in US. We said that if we met someone famous, we would probably let him know that we recognized him but in a very gentle way, maybe without saying even a word, especially if this person is not here in PL doing his job…

So blame American people for disturbing the peace of famous peoples and disrespecting their privacy*. That is it.

* Walter this last sentence is not pointed at you cuz you guys know each other for many years Greetz from Polska!!!

 

[Valofvalhalla]

As always, great story. For some reason, I knew Hammett would ack. you! Why is it that everyone else always seems to find money? My dad found $800.00 waded up on the ground at the mall. Also during the holidays. Sounds like you had a great New Years eve!

 

[Deadly Embrace]

...............QUOTE]

I know what your trying to say, & your right on.........But also remember that Band members & Stars(Who Make It), are famous because of their good fortunes, thats what they started out wanting(Attention)........And after they get The Fame & Fortune, they want to be left alone........A fine Paradox so ta say.........Body Guards are sometimes needed though..........In fact back in '86.......Kirk & I were seeing The Cult(Love Tour).......when I needed to step in & protect him from some angry guy, wanting to fight him, so I stepped in & told Kirk to just leave, & handled the fists part.........But thats the truth, so in a way I was his Bodyguard that night!

 

[swissman]

I can't stand the rock star attitude that Metallica has taken on. This is ridicilous. Two body guards my ass.