Metallica is one of those bands I never really bought into. I mean, I was in my teens when the band released its worst albums "Load," and "Reload," so it make sense. And having to hear "Until It Sleeps" and "Fuel" on the radio every five seconds, not to mention that awful song used for "Mission: Impossible II." Not only was the Metallica I knew awful, it was inescapable.

Of course, I heard good Metallica as I lived life. I know about as many Metallica songs as one is issued with 27 years of life. You know, the ones you know without trying.

Metallica played a sold-out show at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. January 15, and I was prepared to write a snotty, dismissive recap. But that was before the show.

The band rushed the stage to a flurry of laser lights, with fans ecstatic as their heroes launched into their set.

It was 2 hours and 10 minutes of pure energy. The stage was set it an "in-the-round" format, though it was rectangular shaped. Eight microphones stood at different points all around the stage so that James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo could play wherever they wanted to, and drummer Lars Ulrich was positioned in the center of the stage, with his kit rotating every few songs.

The guys' demeanor was as if they walked out of the garage and suddenly discovered they were playing to a crowd of 50,000. 

Metallica is by far the happiest looking angry band I've ever seen. Hetfield, Hammett and Trujillo were all over the stage, running to the edge to play to the audience, or meeting up to feed off of each other's energy.

The only real criticism I can muster is that the set was heavy on songs from the band's latest "Death Magnetic," although totally understandable, since they obviously need to promote the record.

Check out my pictures from the show here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandonlintonmusic

 Set list courtesy of www.setlistfm.com:

1. That Was Just Your Life 
2. The End Of The Line 
3. The Four Horsemen 
4. Harvester Of Sorrow 
5. One 
6. Broken, Beat And Scarred
7. Cyanide 
8. Sad But True 
9. Wherever I May Roam
10. All Nightmare Long 
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets 
13. Battery 
14. Nothing Else Matters 
15. Enter Sandman 
16. Encore:
17. Die, Die My Darling ( Misfits cover)
18. Motorbreath 
19. Seek and Destroy