Metallica live at Athens, Greece 03/07/2007

	Rockwave Festival, Athens, Greece 03/07/2007


	Some photos courtesy of Met-on-Tour









5 days away in Athens - Sun, Sea, Sand & Rockwave Festival!!!! It had been a long wait but at last it was here! Sleeping rough again at Gatwick to ensure an early check in at 4am now seemed quite normal. Only a week earlier I was doing exactly the same to head out to Rome to catch the Iron Maiden Olympic Stadium gig. At least Costa Coffee was open all night for refreshments. I managed to catch the last day of the heat wave that hit Athens making the first few hours in town a trifle sapping. Luckily it cooled to a clement 90 degrees for the rest of the trip. Rockwave Festival - been going for quite a while and has had some heavy weight headliners across the years. I had tickets for the 2nd night (Dream Theatre, Iced Earth, Heaven & Hell) as well as the last night with our boys making a rare return to the Greek capital. I knew fellow Metworld member Hec was in town but failed to really see him except for a few moments after the H&H gig on the Sunday. Eventually gig day arrived and I was all set, I was a Meet & Greet winner and had been planning what I was going to ask for the last few hours. With tickets and confirmation email in pocket all the winners headed over to Vibe Park to meet at the merch stall at 5pm-ish. After the inevitable waiting about for the guys to arrive we were taken backstage and lined up ready to meet the band we have been following for many years. One by one they emerged. Rob was first, he seemed in good form, very happy to pose for a few snaps and see how we all were. Next up was Kirk, again he seemed his usual calm self making general chit chat and posing for photo's. To be honest, it took up until now for me to relax a little and prepare some questions for James & Lars. Big Jim strolled round next, he was quite shocked as I was English! I think he was expecting a 100% Greek M&G! We debated about the possibility of playing Breadfan or even changing the opening song, I got a generic "We'll put it in the suggestion box" reply but he genuinely came across as a nice bloke. Was I star struck... just a tad. After about 5 hours (slightly exaggerated) or so, Lars made it out, he too was shocked to be speaking to an Englishman in Athens! We spoke for some time about the set and the possibility of No Leaf Clover making a return. He was well up for it!!! Shame it didn't get an airing til Sunday at Wembley, maybe I planted the Clover seed!?! Lars was amazing though. He genuinely seemed to enjoy speaking to the fans and didn't seem just to go through the motions of "sign, picture & move on". Considering it was well under an hour before show time, he seemed happy to take his time and make sure all the M&G winners got to have a chat. We made it out back into the park in time for the sound check, for me to find my Greek friend, get into the front pit and take our positions for the AC/DC intro. As for the gig... I still was a bit nervous we were going to get the Puppets show as in Bilbao due to them not playing in Athens last year. Creeping Death opened then I was shocked to get immortal lines from the 04 tour "Metallica is with you.. Are you with Metallica? Give me an M!..." FUEL!!!! Fucking hell! I've heard it 1,000 times but it still gets the crowd going crazy. My buttocks were still a little tight until Sanitarium was ripped up. No Puppets in its entirety meant we didn't know what was up next! One of these classics being And Justice For All... a first time for me!!! Yet again I was retching during Memory, last time was in Werchter 04! I don't know what it is but I can't keep from nearly vomiting during the crowd chanting parts! There were no pyro's allowed in Athens so "One" seemed a little subdued until some locals lit up some flares in the crowd! Seems like this is quite common in this country! I was still wondering what the wildcard was going to be before S&D. Tonight we got Whiplash! Another rarity that I don't think I've had the pleasure of before. Rockwave was a new experience for me. Really nice. Not too many bands on, gates at 3pm, spread over 5 days. Made a fucking decent change to the now common uber-festivals with too many bands spread over too many stages. I was sad to leave Athens for a few reasons, the main thing keeping me going was the ticket I had pinned up in my kitchen back home for Wembley Stadium on the 8th! But that's another Metworld story! Cad's July 2007
	Set List Creeping Death Fuel Wherever I May Roam For Whom the Bell Tolls Welcome Home (Sanitarium) ...And Justice For All The Memory Remains Disposable Heroes Orion Fade To Black Master of Puppets Battery - - - - Sad But True Nothing Else Matters One Enter Sandman - - - - Whiplash Seek and Destroy