Tonight, MetalMania Live is ripping open the vault and bringing fans a historic, full-throttle blast from the past: Metallica’s July 13, 2003 performance at the legendary Old Waldorf in San Francisco — a rare tribute set recreating their October 18, 1982 breakout gig that helped shape the very DNA of thrash metal.
This is more than a concert. It’s metal archaeology — a gritty, raw, no-frills dive into Metallica’s primal origins, before the stadiums, before the Grammys, before the Black Album. This is Metallica the way the Bay Area first heard them: loud, fast, and on fire.
🔥 Setlist Breakdown – Old-School Carnage 🔥
🎵 Hit the Lights
They didn’t ease into it — they exploded into it. This opening barrage from Kill ‘Em All wasted no time, electrifying the crowd and setting the tone for a night built on speed and attitude.
🎵 The Mechanix
The ghost of Dave Mustaine looms large in this proto-Four Horsemen riff-fest. Faster, meaner, and rougher than its later incarnation, it’s a snapshot of Metallica’s feral early chemistry.
🎵 Phantom Lord
Galloping riffs, snarling vocals, and a chorus that hits like a hammer — a deep cut that fans screamed every word to. Phantom Lord remains one of the most underrated gems in Metallica’s early catalog.
🎵 Jump in the Fire
With its hellish theme and relentlessly catchy riff, this is where the band started fusing thrash with hooks — a crucial turning point that would eventually give way to mainstream crossover.
🎵 Motorbreath
Pure, unfiltered adrenaline. Motorbreath roared through the Waldorf like a chainsaw. No solos, no polish, just thrash in its most speed-soaked, punk-tinged form.
🎵 No Remorse
A shift in tempo, but not in intensity. Crushing, calculated, and riff-heavy, No Remorse gave the crowd a moment to bang their heads to a heavier groove before diving right back into chaos.
🎵 Seek & Destroy
A young anthem that would go on to define generations. The riff that launched a thousand mosh pits, Seek & Destroy brought the house down — even in its earliest form, this track was a battle cry.
🎵 Metal Militia
The closer. The manifesto. A firestorm of double kicks, breakneck riffs, and lyrics straight from a leather-and-bullets dream. If one song captured what Metallica stood for in ‘82, it was Metal Militia.
🧾 Legacy Etched in Steel
What made this rebroadcast special wasn’t just the songs — it was the time machine. This was Metallica before the polish, before the mainstream, standing at the brink of something huge in the crucible of the Bay Area metal scene.
That 2003 performance, a tribute to the band’s earliest era, perfectly captured the raw energy of their October ‘82 set — complete with analog grit and youthful fury. The crowd was smaller. The sound was faster. But the message was loud and clear: thrash metal had arrived, and it was wearing denim, leather, and attitude.
⚠️ MetalMania Live Fans: Don’t Miss It
Catch the full rebroadcast TONIGHT starting at 9:00 PM PT. Whether you’re a die-hard who owns every demo tape or a newcomer just learning where the metal gods came from, this is a must-watch.
🖤 This is history, volume at 11.
🕘 TUNE IN: 9:00 PM – 11:45 PM PT
📺 Only on MetalMania Live
🎧 Rewind. Relive. Reignite.
#MetallicaLive #ThrashOrigins #OldWaldorf2003 #MetalManiaLive #KillEmAllEra #MetalMilitiaForever