Am I Evil? - Metallica

 

"Am I evil? Yes, I am

Am I evil? I am man, yes I am"

4/2/92, the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland I attended my first concert..Metallica!! I was in 8th grade (check out that sweet turtleneck from my class pic) Metallica was already a large presence but this tour supported the Black Album so they were about about to become a global phenomenon. They actually opened the show with the hit single at the time "Enter Sandman." (see below intro clip from the tour) Thanks to the power of the internet I was able to pull up the setlist and revisit the 24 song assault which covered their whole catalogue and a few covers. We only saw 22 of the songs because after a second encore my dad figured we should get home because after all it was a school night. I remember being terrified and excited at the same time before the show. Just driving through the parking lot seeing all the metal heads partying was a bit intimidating to my 14 old self, but I knew I was about to witness a monumental event. From my car window I thought, whoever invented black jeans made a lot of money from Metallica fans. 

I was fortunate to view the show from above. The company my dad worked for at the time had a "skybox" at the Capital Centre so my brother and I got to catch Bullet and Capital games (and of course a few WWF matches) frequently while my dad was working and hosting guests. It was a pretty sweet perk to have. The adults were excited to have unlimited beer and wine while I got to enjoy all you can eat hotdogs and Sprite. I remember seeing my first "passed out" adult at an Aerosmith concert. One minute she's hanging over the glass screaming "play Angel!" over and over again. The next minute she was curled up on a couch. The skybox was always an experience. 

The last song I heard before walking out was a Diamond Head cover, Am I Evil. It's got everything you need in a metal song...anthemic chorus, witches, fire and kick ass guitar solos. I laugh thinking of 13 year old me responding to James's question Am I Evil? Me and the rest of the crowd fist pumping flashing the rock and roll sign screaming YES I AM!! Ha-ha, even though I was someone who never liked to get into trouble so I'm not really evil....OR AM I!!!!! 

Speaking of evil, i'm also a die hard horror movie fan. While I celebrate this genre all year round, it seems more special to revisit some spooky tales during October. I figure i'd share some of my favs over the next few weeks. Growing up in the 80's slasher movies were extremely popular and the monsters were becoming rock stars. Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface and Jason Voorhees. For whatever reason I always had a softspot for the hockey masked lunatic, Jason. I've seen all 12 installments of the franchise but have seen 1-6 the most. It's hard to pick a favorite but I do dig part 4 quite a bit. Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover? How could you go wrong? Check out the below trailer and of course the amazing dancing stylings of Mr. George McFly himself!(before meeting his demise with a corkscrew...don't drink kids!) Happy October!