Wembley Stadium - The Night Those foundations Got Pounded

ukevents · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 1941

Wembley Stadium - The Night Those foundations Got Pounded

By

Jay Morey

There’s been much bad press concerning the new Wembley Stadium. I was sure most of it must have been unfair, those mandatory unfavourable reviews being written with the overrunning building costs and inflated prices of refreshments in mind. So when it came to my second Metallica gig, I was gad it would be at the new Wembley so I could judge for myself.

The day before it had held the damp squib that was the Live Earth gig. A very futile effort at lecturing people by some failed US presidency candidate that thinks ‘we should know better’, while having to listen to publicity seeking musicians whine about our responsibilities. Bless that Johnny Borrell of Razorlight, managing to arrive at the gig on time to preach his word, and it only took him a private jet ride.
So I watched this debacle on TV, feeling scorned like more than 300 other viewers that Metallica’s set had been mostly cut from the BBC feed. But at least 60,000 would be there the next day.

The stadium is easy to get to, as always was the case, but very oppressive security measures dampened those of us queuing to get in. The stadium manager made repeated announcements that no bottles, backpacks or practically any item of any kind was allowed in, forcing people to drop their full water bottles and dump their cargo. At least a few plastic cups were allowed. Whoop-te-doo.

On the bill was Mastodon, with a delightful ear-splitting collection of death metal tracks which tested the foundations of the surprisingly small stadium. The moshing area looked to be as violent a UFC title match. Head banging, slamming, little surfing however, made those of us sitting glad to have such a comfy seat and class vantage point. Machine Head were next, roped in due to the very well timed withdrawal of wannabe metallists Bullet For My Valentine. They rocked the crowd with minimum effort, and it was great to hear the lead singer proclaim how glad he was that we were into it, with a cavalcade of swearwords meant with actual warm regard.

After they rocked, I went to find food. £8 for chicken and chips, £7.50 for burger and chips, and a quid for a bag of crisps. I got two bags of salt and vinegar after they run out of all the other flavours only a couple of hours into the day. Hardly any people paid for the fast food, opting for the £3.50 lager. I wandered back out to the small red seats and crammed myself down next to a metal head and his amped-up son. Someone had decided to book Scandinavian emo jokers HIM. They surfaced about half past five to a beered up crowd with a genuine adoration of classic metal. They were bottled, booed and made to endure the front section of standing do the Hokey Cokey, YMCA and a very well orchestrated Conga line. As well as some choice chanting and a naughty collection of middle fingers. It was painful.

Metallica made us wait, the crowd building and the mosh pit surging, and it was then that the previously undesirable and frankly dull unatmospheric stadium began to flicker into some kind of existence. That many people pointing their horns to the sky and all shouting the lyrics to more than two decades of classic songs was beautiful. Nothing Else Matters got the lighter treatment, while the first encore that began with One was lit with a march of explosions across the bow of the stage. Earlier in the day, we all done the Marianne Faithfull part of the Memory Remains, to which James Hetfield told us ‘That’s why we do what we do’ and stood back to listen to us with the rest of the band with a look of glee.

With such an established and iconic band as Metallica giving that quite plain stadium life, I do worry about other acts to follow. It’s hard to build a presence and intimacy in any such sized venue, but Wembley seems go have lost its atmosphere, its resonance, since it was rebuilt. It is still a good venue, well built, just bland. I wasn’t overcome by any sense of wonder like I had been at say Twickenham or a packed Hyde Park concert on a summer’s day. Perhaps it needs time to build its own history and gain appreciation. It will come in time, sadly though, it as a long way to go to gain any true affection.