Ok so if this is a time machine sort of situation I would be tempted to use it to go back and see some shows I already saw. I would be torn between seeing Fear Factory and Clutch opening for Sepultura, touring on Arise in a small club. Or, Type O Negative touring on Bloody Kisses playing a venue the size of the average living room! I would honorable mention this with the Rollins Band opening for the Beastie Boys and I only am honorable mentioning that one as opposed to a 3-way tie because it was in a giant venue as opposed to the intimacy of the other two shows being in small clubs.
In the spirit of answering the question the way it was intended though, I am going to go with a band and a show I have not attended. It has recently been brought to my attention that the tightest and most dialed in period of Metallica is when they were touring in support of ...And Justice For All. Though I love Justice, being an ardent Master of Puppets and Cliff Burton guy, I may have initially grumbled at this assertion from a close friend whose taste I do respect. I was directed to listen to the 1989 Seattle show that is on the ...And Justice For All (Remastered Deluxe Box Set disk one) and I had to admit the proof is all there. This is the heaviest and most dialed in I have ever heard the band recorded. Yeah, it is missing Cliff, but Jason is definitely no slouch, and the rest of the band is firing on all cylinders. Hell, even Lars sounds fucking good! I have spent most of this week lifting weights to this live album and it definitely got me really amped up every single time. I would have loved to attend this show because if the recorded version comes across this powerful then I would imagine live in the arena it would have blown your head clean off! The three songs I would want to hear would be Blackened, Harvester of Sorrow and Battery all of which are on this recording and if I could ask for three songs that are not on this recording, I would request Damage Incorporated, No Remorse and Escape! Alright, same question to all of you! What show would you pick?
August 30 2026 Issue
If you could see a band live in any decade other than the current one, which would you pick and what 3 songs would you want on the set list?
