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").
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Jason Birchmeier, Rovi