Metallica - 2009 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, the all time Gods of Metal, the Metal Militia, formerly known as Alcoholica, the Four Horseman, whatever else name they would go by - is coming to Charlottesville, VA? I don't believe it! I didn't believe it. Someone told me at work, and I still didn't believe it. Then I heard the nerd on the local "Classic Rock" station mention it. I immediately called him up to confirm it, and yet I still didn't believe him. So I went straight to the computer. Holy crap, they are coming! Why hasn't Jaymz called me to let me know they're coming to my hometown? It was April when they announced the show, and the show wasn't until October. Time to get tickets and play the waiting game.

I've seen a lot of Metallica shows, and this show in C'ville was the best ever! Anytime you can drive 10 minutes from your house to go see Metallica, well... It was only a couple of weeks ago before the Metallica show was announced that U2 played at Scott Stadium (where the University of Virginia (UVA) football team plays). And now Metallica is playing in C'ville too! My mom went to the U2 show, and she was on such a high from that show that she needed more. I had an extra ticket to the best show in town (Metallica), and she actually accepted. After 24 years of me blasting Metallica in my room and in my cars, she'll finally see what I was talking about.

The day before the show I stopped by the John Paul Jones (JPJ) Arena just to see how things were shaping up. I went to the arena, and to my surprise, nothing was going on really. No tractor trailers, no buses, just the normal working staff. I wanted to get a sneak peak of maybe the stage setup, but I walked all around the arena and found nothing.

The day of the show was total adrenaline for me. I got up, took a shower and put on my favorite Metallica t-shirt - Damage Inc. A local music store was holding a contest that day in honor of Metallica. People played their favorite Tallica riffs, and the winner got two tickets to the show. That started the day off right. Next I had to meet Fueler, Keith Lawrence for a parking pass down at his hotel. Keith hadn't checked in yet, so I checked out the local metal sceen at JPJ. Of course, Metallica fans were everywhere. Some had already lined up for the show of their lives. I talked to a few fans, and everyone was as pumped up as I was. Who could blame them? I finally caught up with Keith, and we hit it off right away. The Metallica family is always tight, and I enjoy meeting people with the same interests. So we decided to meet a little later for a few beers before the show.

I've been rocking to Metallica with some of my friends for a long time, and we were all going to the show. Some of my friends are ones that I don't see too often, but this event brought us together. I didn't see him, but I hoped that a friend of mine, Dave, would be at the concert. He was the first person to introduce me to Metallica in '85 playing Creeping Death at our local half pipe.

I talked to another friend of mine, Chris, that I don't see often earlier in the week, and I made sure he was going. Back in high school he was a big Axle Rose fan; until he saw Metallica. We were always arguing back and forth, Metallica vs Guns. He told me on the phone, "Ryan, you know I was always a Guns fan until we went to that Justice concert, and well..." Chris, that's all you have to say. I love Metallicizing people!

The crew met at Ruby Tuesday's for some beer and food. I was so pumped I hardly ate anything. Everyone was wearing their black Metallica shirts, so it wasn't hard to tell what they were doing that night. I never seen that place so black. I met some Fuelers. It wasn't too hard to miss them with their T's on. A couple I recongnized from pictures from the Virginia Fuel website. It was a real fun time. But now it was time to rock. We walked to the JPJ Arena since our car was already parked there. Before going into the arena, we had some more beer and jammed out to some Metallica music.

It's show time! I've never seen the JPJ Arena in this kind of state. No other band has drawn a crowd like this here. No other fan is like a Metallica fan. Everyone was wearing their Metallica shirts proudly. I missed the first band (Gojira). I had to stand in line for a wrist band for beer, but it was worth it. I've never been to a UVA function and been able to drink a beer "legally".

Now down to the seats we go. Lamb of God blasting. They were good. I couldn't understand the singer, but the music was cool. And one of the guitarist had a cool camo Les Paul guitar. My mom looked at me like, "What did you get me into?" All I could think was, "Let's get on with the show!" But you know what, the faster the show comes, the faster it will be over, and then what? Wait til next time...

The lights went down, and every Metallica fan knows what's coming next especially when the "Ectasy of Gold" starts playing. If you were a Metallica virgin, you wouldn't know what was happening, but if you're a vet, you know the boys are about to blow you away. If your adrenaline isn't flowing by this point, this intro will get it started. This show had a great set list, including "Creeping Death," which was the first song I ever heard from Metallica. And "Fuel," my fiances son's favorite song. He's 6 years old (I'm trying, but Lady Ga Ga is his favorite). I just can't get enough of Jaymz yelling out "CHARLOTTESVILLE!" I never heard him say that before. I wonder if this is the first time they stepped foot in C'ville before. I wonder if they liked it. I know Rob has been here because Suicidal Tendencies has played here one time before.

The Charlottesville show was one of the best things I've ever seen before on earth. To have all my friends and family there with me made it even more memorable. Having to drive ONLY 10 minutes down the road to see Metallica...Priceless!!! Hopefully, Metallica will come back here again. The Metal Gods in God's country. There's nothing like it...