Metallica - Dallas, 1989
Brutal concert start to finish. Queensryche opened.
On this freezing cold day in 1989, you were either there or you had to eat the tickets because your car wouldn't start or your parents wouldn't let you drive in the horrible road conditions.
The core of our group had already seen Metallica the summer before during the Monsters Of Rock Tour at the Cotton Bowl. Van Halen Headlined. Metallica without a doubt absolutely destroyed this tour. Dokken had to come on after Metallica during this tour. Poor Don Dokken.
We got down in there close for Metallica. The video is actually on YouTube. I took this photo with pocket sized Kodak camera. You know, load the film, aim and shoot, then take the film to the photo booth and wait. Remember waiting for things? That chick in the white tank top was headbanging like I've never seen before. She was on that dude's shoulders for the entire show. 
A massive ice storm had hammered North Texas the entire night and day before. This was a serious situation. Kids are scrambling. "Don't be a pussy, we've gotta go. Tell your mom!" Rearranging plans. Begging parents to drive. Negotiating. Pacing back and forth. Looking outside the night before and seeing the ice forming on the roads and the shit is still coming down. This is going to be bad.
We made it to Reunion Arena, thanks to one of the cooler dads in the bunch. Five of us plus our buddy's dad piled into his four door car and he hauled ass the entire 60 plus mile drive down into Dallas. The roads were solid ice. It was a pucker factor 9 ride the entire way down. None of us even wore jackets. Too much shit to wear and carry at a Metal show. We get out of the car and are immediately freezing The wind is howling and it's cold. Thousands of Metal heads are also freezing, in a long line to get inside Reunion Arena. But the doors aren't open, just yet, so you and your buddies are about to earn this Metallica on this particular day. February 5, 1989.
30 years later....of course, it's all right there on the internet. The audio. Obviously the audio alone doesn't come close to the full experience. But the audio does give a clear glimpse of Metallica at the apex of their brutal live shows as the 1980s was coming to a close. How would Metallica top this moment, right here? Would "...And Justice For All," be Metallica's creative peak? You can answer those questions for yourselves but we know one thing....YouTube is a trip.
Listen to the entire show when you get a chance. Total domination.
Metallica "Damaged Justice Tour," remains in the Top-10 All-Time Greatest concerts Heavy Metal Thursday ever attended. Easily. Brutal and memorable.