On May 23, 1988, Metallica rocked the cozy Troubadour in West Hollywood for a two-night club date at the historic venue that helped launch the careers of Elton John, David Bowie and the Eagles.
Metallica were poised to release their fourth studio LP, …And Justice For All, which would be their first since Cliff Burton’s untimely death in ’86. James Newsted, with Burton’s parents’ blessing, was given the job as bassist, a role he would man through the year 2000.
The dual dates at the Troubadour were a warm-up for the epic 23-city Monsters of Rock tour Metallica were set to play alongside Van Halen, The Scorpions, Dokken, and Kingdom Come. Five heavy bands, nine hours of rock in thee largest venues across the USA.
But the May dates for Metallica in the 500 capacity club was a perfect way for the quartet to gel as a group live before they toured the nation. It was also a way to smooth out their new tune “Harvester of Sorrow” which the band debuted on May 23rd. “Harvester” would become a bit of a staple in the group’s setlist going forward.
The second night at the Troubadour was recorded in its entirety through the soundboard and appeared in the …And Justice For All remastered 3-CD Expanded Edition version of 2018, so you can hear how overpowering the Bay Area metal masters were in that tiny club.
read more at: Setlist.fm
