METALLICA
7:30 7 p.m., Alltel Arena, $55-$75.
Metallica fans heaving collective sighs of relief that “Death Magnetic” has given the metal pioneers an adrenaline shot and a return-to-roots mindset don’t need reminding that the seventh all-time best-selling American band returns to Little Rock Saturday. Backstage at their February 1989 “And Justice For All” show at Barton Coliseum, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich eased down the table of seated fans signing autographs while former band mate Jason Tedford and I eyeballed the buffet. He goaded me into asking Lars to autograph a dinner roll, who, after I did, replied with a bewildered, “Are you out of your fucking mind?” Heading back to the dressing room, he paused as if remembering something, grabbed a roll, scribbled on it and tossed it across the table, shaking his head. A lethal dose of hair spray for mold prevention has kept it shiny and intact for nearly two decades and it remains hard enough to shatter a bulletproof window, which is pretty much what I’m counting on Metallica to do at their “in-the-round” show at Alltel. Rising metal acts Down and the Sword open.
—Paul Peterson
Previously: An interview with Lars Ulrich.