Metallica + Ghost + Bokassa live in Prague 18/8/2019

One of the biggest metal band METALLICA came back to Prague after a year to play open air concert. Well, I'm not the biggest Metallica fan. But I guess there are bands what you just have to see live. Like Metallica or AC/DC. I missed AC/DC last time in Prague but not Metallica this time.  Also this time Metallica brought one certain band as their support... the one and only GHOST. I was desperated that this band avoids to Czechia so long. Well, they played here in 2014 again as a support for Iron Maiden but that's all. So I bought my ticket immediately after starting the sale. Meanwhile Ghost announced their solo gig in Prague in December. So I decided to take it easy and not to hurry to the stage. It was also impossible to get into the first row. First, I had a problem during tickets check when my bar code didn't work for a while and second I hurt my little toe few days before the concert. Yeah, that's me...

So we came to the stage and stayed maybe in the 5th row on the left. Good place with good view. They let us in at 2PM and the first band BOKASSA started to play at 17:15. So the waiting was really long. The Norwegian band BOKASSA plays some kind of hardrock/hardcore, whatever. And I really liked their set which lasted only 30 minutes.

But then there was time for my beloved GHOST. This was my first ritual and it was as perfect as I expected. After intro "Ashes" they started with the song "Rats". I can't even describe the level of my happiness to see this band live after listening to them so long. Cardinal Copia was so fucking stunning! They played mostly the biggest hits like "Cirice", "From the Pinnacle to the Pit" and "Year Zero". I loved to hear "Absolution" and "Mummy Dust" with Cardinal's dancing expressions. Only pity they don't play "Monstrance Clock" so I hope I will hear it in Dec. It was also cool that at the end of "Miasma" Papa Nihil came on the stage and played some saxophone for us. Their set was finished with "Dance Macabre" and "Square Hammer" and after an hour it was over. It's always funny to read some comments from people who don't know nor like Ghost. And I get it that they aren't everyone's cup of tea. But I love them and I cannost wait to see them again. 

Setlist

1. Ashes

2. Rats

3. Absolution

4. Ritual

5. From the Pinnacle to the Pit

6. Faith

7. Cirice

8. Miasma

9. Year Zero

10. Mummy Dust

11. Dance Macabre

12. Square Hammer

James, Kirk, Lars and Robert, when you hear those names you know we are talking about METALLICA. They still do tour for their latest album "Hardwired... to Self- Destruct" released in 2016. So the concert started with the same titled song "Hardwired". They mixed new and old hits song. For example as the 3rd song we heard "Ride the Lightning". As I'm so called "radio fan" of Metallica I know mostly those hits like "The Unforgiven" or "Sad but True". But "Moth Into Flame" was very cool to watch because the stage was on fire, literally. Funny thing was that James asked Lars if he's okay after that song, because the flames were all around him. James had some very nice speech about Metallica and metal family. As I said I hurt my little toe so maybe after an hour of the concert I left my spot in the 5th row and moved into back. My toe really started to hurt after long standing and I had to move a bit. I bought a drink, went back and watch the concert from the back. I came back just in time to hear Robert and Kirk performing czech popular song "Jožin z bažin". They performed it on the last concert here so not sure how big surprise it was for the fans. But this time Robert was wearing very stylish chequered jacket. Just watch original song and you will understand. Song "One" started like a war... on the big screens there were soldiers marching and from the towers there were flames coming out and also some red firework. After that they played one of the biggest hits "Master of Puppets". Because there were 70 000+ people I wanted to avoid the crowd of them after the concert so I left the place after "Creeping Death". So I missed my favourite "Seek&Destroy" and of course "Nothing Else Matters" and "Enter Sandman" which was the last song of the night.
If I will not think about my hurt toe it was really amazing afternoon and night. I saw Ghost for the first time 💜 And I could witness how strong is Metallica fan base here. No wonder, Metallica is the band who wrote some metal history. And I'm really glad I could see them finally live.

Setlist
1. Hardwired
2. The Memory Remains
3. Ride the Lightning
4. Harvester of Sorrow
5. The Unforgiven
6. Here Comes Revenge
7. Moth Into Flame
8. Sad but True
9. The Day That Never Comes
(Jožin z bažin)
10. Frantic
11. One
12. Master of Puppets
13. For Whom the Bell Tolls
14. Creeping Death
15. Seek & Destroy
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16. Spit Out the Bone
17. Nothing Else Matters
18. Enter Sandman

More GHOST photos:

More METALLICA photos: