History was made on April 23, 2011 as Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica performed Indio, California on the now famous Big 4 Tour. This is the first time all four bands have played together in the U.S.A.!!!

Though each of the Big 4 drew their fair share of dedicated fans, the crowd, overall, was there to see Metallica, legitimately, one the greatest rock bands of all time.

The Big 4 festival, featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, proves timeless metal is not dead, fans said Saturday.

Brief notes on the festival from The Desert Sun

I've spent the better part of the past 20 years trashing Metallica to just about anyone who'll listen, but after last night, I think I'm officially back on board.

The first thing I heard was a roar. The crowd was actually louder than the guitars, and that's saying something.

By the time Metallica started their set closing out the Big 4 Festival, I was feeling pretty metal.  And, when I say "metal," I mean there was not a smile on my face and I would've loved to show and punch the rest of the evening away.

The Big 4, the biggest and loudest heavy metal event of the year, is about to deliver a longhair’s wet dream.

The appeal of heavy metal has always lain in its traditions, which are all self-reflexively hokey enough to almost be clichés: the black shirts, the songs about death, the wheeldillee-deedillee guitar solos.

Four of the most popular heavy metal rock bands came together in Indio for their only state-side concert Saturday night.