People surfing the interwebs have short attention spans. Right now, you’re probably about to click another link and close this page. But wait! I’ve got a short video with a short anecdote.

So, I was going through my phone the other day and stumbled across all these videos I’ve taken at various gigs and music festivals. I know some people find it annoying when a sea of glittering little phone screens appear at gigs, silently capturing what’s going on onstage while the rest of the audience dances, sways or nods in appreciation. But I like to capture brief video moments at gigs because it gives me something to walk away with and look back on later, much like a photograph or souvenir.

I shot this video at a Metallica concert in Melbourne late last year. I went to the show on my own after splashing out around $300 for a ticket on eBay. I’m not exactly sure what song they are playing in the video, but as you can probably tell, I got pretty close to the stage. Very close in fact. So close that there were a few times when I actually had to pinch myself and ask, “Is that really James and Kirk from Metallica, only a few feet away and shredding like mad?!? They are legends! I must be dreaming’’.

Naturally, I had a blast. They were insanely tight live and unearthed many older songs during the set, including `One’, `Master of Puppets’ and even `The Call of Ktulu’. They’ve been at it for years and you could really tell when watching them. From ripping face-melting solos to encouraging the crowd to shout along, Mr. Hetfield and co. proved their status as seasoned veterans and true entertainers that evening.

As an added bonus, I even managed to catch one of the guitar picks James Hetfield threw into the crowd during their encore. It’s now safely stored at home.