Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México

RELEASE
December 15, 2009
LABEL
Universal Music
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Hard Rock

Album Review

In recognition of their growing fan base in Latin America, Metallica staged three nights of sold-out concerts at the 50,000-seat stadium Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico, on June 4, 6, and 7, 2009. These three concerts were recorded and compiled for release as the CD/DVD package Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México (retitled for release in Brazil as Orgulho, Paixão, e Glória: Três Noites na Cidade do México). While Metallica did something similar for the French market with the DVD release Français pour une Nuit (2009), which was recorded in Nimes, France, on July 7, 2009, and features more or less the same set list, Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria is the better of the two packages on account of the enthusiasm evident in not only the crowd but also the band. The standard edition includes 19 songs spread across two CDs, plus a DVD of the same 19 performances along with behind-the-scenes footage, the best of which features crazed fans expressing their devotion to Metallica for the camera in Spanglish. Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria finds Metallica ripping through a set of fan favorites from their first five albums -- Kill 'Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984), Master of Puppets (1986), ...And Justice for All (1988), and Metallica (1991) -- along with four songs from their most recent, Death Magnetic (2008), and a cover of Killing Joke's "The Wait." Tellingly, the band includes nothing from the latter-day full-length efforts Load (1996), ReLoad (1997), and St. Anger (2003), a trilogy of albums unpopular among fans that seems to have been written off by the band. Though longtime fans will find the set list predictable, Metallica is in fine form, in particular singer James Hetfield, and the band's enthusiasm is clearly evident. The between-song banter is also notable, with Hetfield addressing the crowd in Spanish now and then; for example, between "Ride the Lightning" and "Disposable Heroes" he shouts "¿Están listos?" ("Are you ready?") a couple times, and later in the show he refers to the fans as members of the "Metallica familia." These are small gestures, yet they go over really well with the fans and speak to Metallica's affection for their growing fan base in Latin America. Fans of all nationalities should enjoy Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria, especially the DVD component of the package, which features excellent footage of the bandmembers in performance mode. Especially devoted fans should check out the deluxe edition two-DVD package, which adds another 16 songs, including some rarities ("Turn the Page," "The Prince," "No Remorse," "Fuel").
Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. The Ecstasy of Gold
  2. Creeping Death
  3. For Whom the Bell Tolls
  4. Ride the Lightning
  5. Disposable Heroes
  6. One
  7. Broken, Beat & Scarred
  8. The Memory Remains
  9. Sad But True
  10. The Unforgiven
  11. All Nightmare Long
  12. The Day That Never Comes
  13. Master of Puppets
  14. Fight Fire with Fire
  15. Nothing Else Matters
  16. Enter Sandman
  17. The Wait
  18. Hit the Lights
  19. Seek & Destroy
  20. The Ecstasy of Gold
  21. Creeping Death
  22. For Whom the Bell Tolls
  23. Ride the Lightning
  24. Disposable Heroes
  25. One
  26. Broken, Beat & Scarred
  27. Sad But True
  28. The Memory Remains
  29. The Unforgiven
  30. All Nightmare Long
  31. The Day That Never Comes
  32. Master of Puppets
  33. Fight Fire with Fire
  34. Nothing Else Matters
  35. Enter Sandman
  36. The Wait
  37. Hit the Lights
  38. Seek & Destroy
  39. That Was Just Your Life
  40. The End of the Line
  41. Holier Than Thou
  42. Cyanide
  43. Blackened
  44. Helpless
  45. Trapped Under Ice
  46. Turn the Page
  47. The Prince
  48. No Remorse
  49. Fuel
  50. Wherever I May Roam
  51. Harvester of Sorrow
  52. Fade to Black
  53. ...And Justice for All
  54. Dyers Eve