Stadium-level bands inevitably wind up playing what are essentially greatest-hits tours. Whether it’s the Rolling Stones, AC/DC or Guns N’ Roses, these concert giants rarely showcase their most recent songs, instead relying on decades-old warhorses to keep their fans satisfied.
That wasn’t the case with Metallica on its three-year world tour following the release of “Death Magnetic” in 2008. It was the band’s first album in five years and the ninth of its career, but in many ways it felt like a fresh start, a renewal of the band’s origins as thrash-metal pioneers. It also marked the first album recorded with the band’s new lineup; Robert Trujillo had replaced Jason Newsted as the quartet’s full-time bassist after “St. Anger” was recorded in 2003.
That sense of the band reconnecting with its best self was affirmed during the subsequent tour, with as many as half of the 10 “Death Magnetic” songs sprinkled into the set lists. Seven of the new tracks were spread across the two shows (Oct. 29 and Nov. 1, 2009) from Quebec, Canada, documented on the “Quebec Magnetic” documentary.
Little wonder “Death Magnetic” has become for many Metallica fans the go-to album from the second half of the band’s career. Here’s a deeper look into the “Death Magnetic” songs the quartet spotlighted in its 2009 Quebec shows: