‘The Ultimate Metallica Show’ + Boston Calling Recap

They finally returned.

After five long years—seriously, that felt more like 25 years—Metallica returned to Boston and New England for an explosive performance at Boston Calling. After three full days of music that covered many different genres, Metallica gathered the biggest crowd of the weekend for a massive performance, one that even Lars Ulrich recognized as "a crazy f--king Sunday night."

There were a lot of memorable moments from Metallica's Boston Calling set, from the crowd losing their minds with the opening of "Whiplash" to the nice surprise of "Holier Than Thou." I loved seeing "Battery" open the encore and I could listen to their live performance of "Creeping Death" every day for the rest of my life and it still wouldn't be enough.

All that being said, though, one of the sincere highlights of the show came in the middle of Metallica's performance of "Fade to Black" when James Hetfield opened up for a moment with the crowd. "Hey Boston, do you feel the struggle," he asked, and then after sharing some hope and encouragement for everyone listening, he tore into the bridge of the song. It was such a powerful moment. You can see the video and read more about the moment here.

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While I was hoping we could do a very special broadcast of The Ultimate Metallica Show from Boston Calling, cell service was next-to-non-existent due to the massive crowd. But, the show went on and the focus was completely and 100-percent on the music.

If you missed it, the playlist is below, and trust us: This Sunday, June 5, we'll make sure to talk all about Metallica's Boston Calling performance.

The Ultimate Metallica Show — Hour 1

• "Enter Sandman" — Metallica
• "Blackened" — ...And Justice For All
• "Dirty Window" — St. Anger
• "Broken, Beat & Scarred" — Death Magnetic
• "Whiplash" — Live at Tushino Airfield, Moscow, Russia, Sept. 28, 1991
• "Whiskey in the Jar" — Garage Inc.
• "Until It Sleeps" — Load
• "Fuel" — Live at The Basement at Grimey's, Nashville, Tennessee, June 12, 2008

The Ultimate Metallica Show — Hour 2

• "Hardwired" — Hardwired...to Self-Destruct
• "Hero of the Day" — Load
• "Creeping Death" — Cover by Stone Sour, Meanwhile in Burbank...
• "The Memory Remains" — Reload
• "King Nothing" — Load
• "Sad But True" — Cover by Jason Isbell, The Metallica Blacklist Album
• "Holier Than Thou" — Live at Webster Hall, New York, New York, Sept. 27, 2016
• "Hit the Lights" — Kill 'Em All

This Sunday's show will also celebrate two significant album releases: Load on June 4, 1996, and St. Anger on June 5, 2003. What are your favorite tracks from those albums? Send us a message in the CYY app and let us know.

Watch Metallica Perform "Fade to Black" and "Master of Puppets" at Boston Calling