I first saw Metallica live in October 1996, when I was not-quite-sixteen, at Earls Court in London. Cunning Stunts is from the same tour, although filmed in Forth Worth, Texas, and therefore I already have a strong emotional tie to this DVD set.
Kicking off with So What, and into Creeping Death, you know they mean business right from the off. Songs including as One, Nothing Else Matters, Master of Puppets and Enter Sandman are spread out between songs from all of their albums up to Load, and include an early version of Fuel from the at-the-time-unreleased ReLoad.
Concert videos are a great way to remember your favourite gigs (Green Day's Bullet in the Bible for example was recorded while I was there), but not all of them accurately capture the raw emotion of the occasion. Cunning Stunts is not such a film - for me at least it brings back the emotions I felt way back then, and lets me replay them whenever I see fit.
Whilst the first three or four albums may be considered by many to be the golden age of Metallica's studio output, this collection goes to show that even eight years after the release of ...And Justice for All, the band still had what it takes.
In 1996 the band's still young, still full of the passion and energy that carried them to the top of their game. Their hair's shorter, but their playing is no less heavy or relevant.
A top watch for any fan - as far as the quality of the performance, it is up there with Nirvana's and Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged performances. Anyone who's on the fence, this might be the live recording to tip you in favour of Metal's finest.
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