“You guys having fun tonight?” asks James Hetfield after a rip-roaring Ride The Lightning. The roared response from a packed and sun-kissed Donington crowd is very much in the affirmative. “Well,” he frowns, glint in eye, “knock it off!” It’s the second night of Metallica’s two-part Download residency, and if part one took a little while to truly hit its stride, tonight the party vibes are in full flow from the get-go.
Not only is tonight’s setlist undoubtedly superior than its already stacked predecessor (a set-opening tour debut for Whiplash and Until It Sleeps getting only its third UK airing since the 90s are major highlights), but the show itself feels more energetic, more fun, powered by ramped-up pyro, lasers and more retina-singeing visuals. The first two songs played from this year’s 72 Seasons also happen to be two of the album’s very best cuts: the title track a rollocking, groove-laden tubthumper that gets heads banging, the stomping If Darkness Had A Son packing one of Metallica’s best post-2000 choruses. It’s a chorus that Donington is happy to belt back at a band showing no signs of fatigue or disinterest at playing the exact same ground twice in 48 hours - if anything, the Four Horsemen look even more excited to be back.
