It's 12.50am, post-show in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Throat's getting a little scratchy, weather's been ridiculously hot and humid, crowds volumous and very, very loud.

From the moment we drove to my first show on this summer's European jaunt and saw a man balanced on the fence circling Donington Park race track, member in one hand, arse pointing to a friend's camera with the word C**T emblazoned in bright orange paint on his back, I knew this would be a doozy of a trip.

I won't get into enormous detail here, but I will say that as word broke that Lars wasn't gonna make Donington (he had an episode, decided it was best to get it checked out, and instead had to visit a Hamburg hospital) the energy was thick and crispy with expectation and nerves as the guest collaborators Dave Lombardo and Joey Jordison (together with Flemming 'drum doctor' Larsen) prepared to carry the load and get the job done.

Did it work out? Come on. By now you KNOW it was fine, the stool somewhat nervous itself without the Great Dane's fearsome attitude bouncing and stomping all over it, instead a sheer 'unique' factor carrying the gig and flying the flag for a crazy one-off nobody will forget.

What is of importance to note is that Lars is back, fine and raring to go, Sunday already a distant memory in the Danish datebook, cheek, sarcasm, humor, love, pure molten 'forhelvede' oozing from his every pore, and proving his wealth o'health by playing a blinder in Ludwigshafen two days after Donington, and another blinder tonight, from everyone, in another blinding crowd in seas of blinding crowds throughout Europe. These guys man . I sometimes wonder if even they can gauge how extraordinary it is to be able to go to Germany three times on one tour and still sell 40-50,000 tickets, still send fans crazy? US Metallifans - I urge you to save those dollars, grab a backpack and join your Euro counterparts for a Metallinight, 'cos there's something about these crowds that is (to employ a youthful phrase) 'off the hook.'

Scratch that, I know they do (even if they don't blabber about it every 5 minutes) because the energy exchange at the Schalke Arena in particular was intense, insane, even funny, as I wind this up, I have to address something which was mentioned to me by someone about these missives, these dispatches' being 'ass-kissy'.'they're simply doing their jobs!' I was told, 'what's so amazing about that?' What's so amazing about doing your job? Nothing. What's so good about doing your job really, really fucking well, under all sorts of circumstances, in all sorts of countries in front of all sorts of crowds with all sorts of conditions after all sorts of years? Everything.

THAT'S why I still (sometimes despite myself) find this mighty Metallica machine so much fun. That's why when they break out, say, 'Metal Militia' or 'Battery' or 'Fade To Black' I still tap my head and shake my foot.OK, you know what I mean. Not everything needs to become victimized by jaded thoughts and pre-conceptions, especially not the mighty noble beast that is Metallica live.

But enough for now!

Steffan Chirazi
So What! Editor