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George reviews the Newark shows Prudential Center @ Newark, NJ - 1/31/09 & 2/1/09 After a day off in between shows, it was time to hit the new arena in Newark for two nights in a row. Once again, it was a cold day for the first show, but the arena staff brought out some complimentary hot chocolate that was just flat-out awesome. Big Jeff met up with us at the arena along with several other familiar faces (Yuri, Matt, Steph, Lauren and Blou, to name a few - hey, that rhymed!). The Prudential Center is somewhat the opposite of what you expect when you think of Newark. It's a very nice arena. Of course, I don't really care that much about arenas, per se. Metallica could play in a dingy basement bar, and I'd be just as happy to see them there as I would a fancy arena (although, I'd be more likely to pass out in a basement).
 Picture from MetOnTour We started the night off right before The Sword even hit the stage. Some drunk a-hole (who had already had a run-in with some other fans and security) decided he was going to try to take one of our spots on the rail. Apparently, Jeff and Steph (I am a rhyming fool!) had gave this guy fake names. Jeff was "John from Pennsylvania" and Steph was "Linda from Brooklyn" (hey, you do these kinds of things to keep yourself entertained while waiting for a concert to start). I had gone to get some water and when I got back and moved the dude out of my spot, he started trying to push and shove people around...well, for about half a second at least, until Big Jeff knocked him on his heinie, which prompted him to start exclaiming, "You're weak Pennsylvania boy!" He was still yelling that as the security was carrying him off. He must have been uncooperative, too. By the time they had him down near the short end of the stage he was getting a nice little beat-down. So that was entertaining, unlike The Sword and Machine Head would prove to be. At this point, I have learned to just lean over the rail and try my best to take a nap during the opening acts. Once again, the boys did not disappoint with another solid performance. "Blitzkrieg" even made an appearance on the setlist which was a welcome change to the predictable "Last Caress," "Die, Die, Die My Darling," and "Stone Cold Crazy"-laden encores this leg. We also ate the hottest pizza known to man after the show. I think all of us burned our mouths that night.
 Picture from MetOnTour The second night was just as solid (and the wait in line wasn't nearly as cold). We didn't have any drunk a-holes for pre-show entertainment, so we were instead subjected to Brad stories. Wait through Brad stories. Wait through The Sword. Wait through Machine Head. Come to life for another awesome night of Metallica. Nothing out of the ordinary or rare for night two, but it was still awesome. With me being out of the country the day of the HOF inductions, this night marked the end of my live Metallica experience until the fall (...or maybe not).
 Picture from Bob O'Rourke (L to R) Jeannette, Bob, Jeff, me, and Steph
The Good: Two nights of Metallica in a row, and free hot chocolate
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