You did not have to be at the gigs to witness Metallica\u2019s unfolding relationship with Gulf audiences. <\/p>\n
The band have been studiously keeping track of regional performances as part of an extensive YouTube archive of more than 2,300 videos, the majority chronicling their live tours since 2011. <\/p>\n
That long-running catalogue continues this week with two videos of songs from the band’s Abu Dhabi performance<\/a> as part of the F1 after-race concert series at Etihad Park.<\/p>\n Creeping Death and Master of Puppets is part of a string of official videos of Metallica’s time in the Gulf from their regional debut in Abu Dhabi in 2011 to later visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain over 14 years.<\/p>\n We trace the journey of how the Gulf became an integral part of Metallica\u2019s global fan base.<\/p>\n October 2011: Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi<\/b><\/p>\n It takes a lot for Metallica to be excited about an upcoming gig, but as bassist Robert Trujillo noted in an exclusive backstage interview<\/a> with The National in 2011, the band were already pumped for their Middle Eastern debut after guitarist Kirk Hammett showed them an aerial map of Etihad Park before taking off to the UAE.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were amazed by it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd coming here and seeing it, it is surprising because the architecture, the colours, the whole place looks pretty futuristic.\u201d<\/p>\n As The National noted in its review, more than 25,000 fans from across the region crammed into the outdoor venue to see the group tear into an 18-song set list featuring hits and the now rarely played track Motorbreath from 1983 debut album Kill \u2019Em All.<\/p>\n The occasion was deemed so momentous that Metallica released a 20-minute video of the Abu Dhabi show, including a performance of Ride the Lightning, jamming in the backstage rehearsal room and meeting fans.<\/p>\n April 2013: Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi<\/b><\/p>\n Not even the rising evening temperatures kept fans away when the band returned with another unrelenting set<\/a> featuring pummeling back-to-back takes of The Shortest Straw and Harvester of Sorrow. <\/p>\n Glaring omissions from the 2011 show, such as Nothing Else Matters, were also addressed as well as a rendition of instrumental epic Orion, dedicated to fallen bandmate and bassist Cliff Burton.<\/p>\n Metallica marked the performance by uploading a video of Master of Puppets.<\/p>\n December 2023: Soundstorm, Riyadh<\/b><\/p>\n It took a decade for Metallica to return to the region, but they made up for it with the sheer scale of their performance as headliners of the Soundstorm Festival in Riyadh, marking their debut in Saudi Arabia. <\/p>\n A lot of that was due to the colossal size of the Big Beast Stage, which was featured one of the world\u2019s largest LED screens, at 43 metres high.<\/p>\n