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Metallica. Those over the hill posers can pimp their video game someplace else.
Metallica invades SXSW as `young band from Norway'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090321/...sxsw_metallica
AUSTIN, Texas – Invading South By Southwest, Metallica attempted to pose as one of the hundreds of smaller bands there just hoping to get a record deal.
"We're a young band from Norway and we want to get signed," Metallica frontman James Hetfield told the audience at the heavy metal band's SXSW performance Friday night.
It was a widely expected but not officially announced show at a venue (Stubb's) that for a band like Metallica is downright minuscule, holding about 2,100 people. The band played for slightly more than an hour, performing both classics and, as Hetfield called it, "new stuff" off their 2008 album "Death Magnetic" — a disc widely considered a return to form for the 28-year-old group.
But despite Hetfield's mock camouflage (and poor Norwegian accent), Metallica stood out on the SXSW landscape Friday. With more than 50 million albums sold, Metallica has probably outsold the other 1,900-plus bands at SXSW combined.
Droves of die-hard fans, catching wind of the rumors, lined up all day outside Stubb's, where Metallica 18-wheelers parked outside.
Metallica was in Austin for the day to promote their new "Guitar Hero" video game. To be released March 29, it's the latest rock star simulator dedicated to a single band following last year's "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith."
It may seem like a lot of fanfare for a videogame but "Guitar Hero" and its rival "Rock Band" have proven to be one of few growing revenue streams in a declining music industry.
In an interview before the show, Hetfield said the band wanted to play at SXSW — an old-school, small live show — to balance the promotion of the very contemporary, tech-savvy "Guitar Hero: Metallica."
"Here is the grass roots. Here is the basis of why we like music. Artists are getting up in front of 2,100 people and giving it what they got," Hetfield said of SXSW. "We've always wanted to support live music. We've been road dogs since the day after high school."
Now, Hetfield laughs at the idea that Metallica — who, in one of their most popular songs, sing: "Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings" — have effectively been made digital puppets for kids to play with.
"When (drummer Lars Ulrich) and I were sitting in a garage in Norwalk, California, bashing out a horrible version of `Hit the Lights,' we were not thinking that this was going to be happening anytime soon," Hetfield said. "I've watched people play us. They're pretty good at us."
Hetfield has been more interested in observing his three children — ages 7,8 and 10 — play their father.
At the prospect of playing the game as Ulrich, Hetfield laughs and groans: "Good Lord. We've done some role-playing swapping in therapy already." (In the 2004 do entary "Some Kind of Monster," the band famously resorted to therapy sessions to heal rifts between each other.)
Instead, Hetfield will stick with real performance.
"Have you seen some good bands here?" Hetfield asked the crowd Friday before exiting the stage. "Hope we're one of them."
Metallica. Those over the hill posers can pimp their video game someplace else.
And good news, Metallica will play at the at&t center september 28, tickets go on sale april 4.
I can't stand these whiny richers.
Metallica can eat . They used to be great until they started bending over for Bob Rock and MTV.
LOL
I wish I would have been there to shout "Stick to your roots, not your suits, keep it real mother ERS!"
But I probably would have got my ass kicked by all the frontucked fratboy Metallica fans.
So what's douchier, the guy who didn't start liking Metallica until "Load", or the guy who claims everything Metallica has done from "Load" on is the tiest music ever?
btw Metallica sucks anyways, always have.
Norweigians should feel insulted.
I was at the show last night, it was bad ass. I have passess to see kanye west and Common tonight
hmm. so you'll see a crappier show than last nights then.
^
at what spot and what time
Everything from Black Album to now blows dogs for quarters.
did you sing along? hilarious
I'd say that everything since the song "Fight Fire With Fire" is complete and utter excrement.
I read it slow but then had to just sing it to get the full effect.
Live at Club Fuel Austin Texas
Lots of Fresh Faces out at SxSW
J Krunk
to whoever dropped this flyer, would you please come pick it up...
we dont appreciate this...
theres no gurantee they're gonna love you.
never knew SxSW went down like that...it was one best opportunities for an artist. And the internet has really changed the game up. People everywhere and from everywhere wanna talk to you and get you on there live streams they have going on....this will most definitely be a must next year...
here is a summary from the Kanye West show, it was hosted by Perez Hilton. This was a ava party.
http://perezhilton.com/2009-03-22-an-epic-evening-2
Thanks Metallica for taking time away from bands trying make it. You sure are an inspiration to sell-outs everywhere.
I'm going to push back a little here, SXSW is a music, film, and interactive conference. Metallica was there to promote the Guitar Hero brand. It was cross promoted as an Interactive and Music event for the gaming industry and music industry. The Kayne West show was sponsored by Dell computers as a cross event for interactive and music as well. As a person in the video game industry i'm not at sxsw to discover new bands (although i do find new bands every year). I''m here to network, learn, and talk shop with others in the biz. Most of the people at these two shows were game developers and multi-media producers. The music industry folks could give a about major bands playing sxsw, unless of course you count small town reporters and radio host that get wasted on free Miller Lite.
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