Metallica & Three Days Grace at The Drive-in [REVIEW]

Music fans of all ages got a real treat Saturday, August 29, at the Getty 4 Drive-in as Metallica and Three Days Grace hit the big screen.

I have to say it was nice to be around some people who love music and would do anything to see a show... even if it meant watching it at a drive-in.

Metallica and Three Days Grace fans got a real treat at the Getty 4 Drive-in located in Muskegon. The concert played on two of the four screens for fans who have not been to a live show since February or early March.

Fans showed up early to get their spot and all seemed very happy to be somewhere to see some music being performed.

Man fans were sporting their Metallica shirts while others danced with glow sticks in the back of truck beds.

One cool thing was, the fans cheered as if they were at a festival watching the final two closers of the evening.

Three Days Grace performed at what looked like their rehearsal studio but they sounded great. Whoever engineered their show - get that man a case of Canadian beer! They sounded top notch right down to every detail.

They performed a good chunk of their hits but "Everything About You" had everyone singing right along word for word.

Metallica performed a nearly two-hour set of all the classics from a stage that was set up outside with mountains behind them as their backdrop. They timed their set to be much like an outdoor shed show with the sun going down in the background for the first couple songs then the night sky rolled in.

I've seen Metallica many times over the years and that was by far the best vocal performance from James Hetfield that I have ever witnessed. He was really good.

I don't think Hetfield realized just how many theaters across the country and Canada that were playing the show on the big screen. He had a list and was rolling through it between songs reading off cities where the show was being aired and he was truly surprised and just how many places and people they were performing for.

The production was a bit stripped down a bit for a Metallica show but it was a night that wasn't about explosions and thousands of lights, it was really about the music and because the show was stripped down, it really came off about the music.

Metallica fans sang along, shouted back at the screen when Hetfield gave them their cues and all in all were excited to see their favorite band once again and even in some cases for their very first time.

I enjoyed the performances from both bands but still my favorite part was seeing all the fans enjoying themselves. They were so energetic even though most were either sitting in lawn chairs or their vehicles, they reacted like they were up against the barricade in the front row having the time of their lives.

Was it the same as being at a normal show? No. Was it entertaining and a great experience? Yes.