For Chad: The Metallica Live Tones

[Muad'zin]

1000% true
And i've made that point myself...

However- the name METALLICA on any sound recording regardless of what's on it- will sell, more than probably any other active band in the world. Just because of the name on it- not because of the sound, or songs, or music.

Depends. U2 was a great name brand that sold tickets by the bucketload in 1992/93. But come 1997 with Pop and both album sales tanked as did tour tickets. Especially on the US part of the Popmart tour they played stadiums that had large sections unfilled. Their record label even had to lay off people due to disappointing sales. U2 had to work very hard on the next two albums/tours to repair the damage that had been done. Past sales are no guarantee of future sales. Even for a big name as Metallica.

Likewise, Metallica sells tickets- and 99% of the crowd is there for songs - at the earliest 27 years old- upwards of 37 year old songs.

In 2004, they played only 2 songs from their latest album per show
Once I saw them in 2010 and I don't think they played ANY Death Magnetic songs (Rock in Rio Vegas) [I looked it up- they played Cyanide)

So- to summarize- with the name Metallica, and being Metallica- their records sell, their tickets sell.
I'm pretty sure the black album year by year outsells St Anger/DM/Hardwire- if not it's close

So in other words by consistently delivering good live shows by giving the fans what they want (the classic hits up to the Black Album) they've managed to remain a big band. And basically turned the release of every new album as an excuse to go out on tour to give the fans what they really want. Seems like a regular method of operation of any band that is that old and still in business. The Stones have been doing it for decades.

Now, what pisses me off- is Metallica's management BRAGGING about how they triple ticket prices, and got no push back from new fans- and that's their new plan- triple ticket prices.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-manager-explains-how-band-tripled-ticket-prices/

Makes sense on the one hand, as artists really can't depend on album sales anymore as their principle source of revenue. On the other, just as the loudness war has been destroying our eardrums by who can create the loudest most compressed albums, so has the ticket selling industry been engaged in all out warfare on fan's wallets. To see how high they can raise ticketprices before the fans revolt. Unfortunately fans seem to be of the opinion that they should support their favorite band, hell or high water, drunk or sober, and keep on buying tickets at ever increasing prices.

But the band is great to the fans, and at any price there is no value better than any show in the world than Metallica- I think i've seen them 11 times, which isn't much but considering I didn't really discover them until the year 2000, and how inactive they were for the first decade of that, it's still a decent amount.

But, once again my complaint is them not taking full advantage of what they have access to in terms of live and in the studio sonically. Steve Vai does the same thing, uses an Axe Fx- insists on using it for effects only, and using a Carvin Preamp or head. And, what's in the Fractal is better.

I remain firmly of the opinion that guitar tone is irrelevant, what matters most is good songwriting. Personally I think the Master of Puppets guitar tones is nothing special. It's certainly not the thing I listen too when I put on the album. If the song writing is good and successful, whatever guitar tone(s) gets used will become desirable and praised as a result. If the songs suck, then even the best guitar tone will be forgotten. Except by maybe the odd tone freak. But who is going to tweak their tones and songs for that?