The following review was e-mailed to ThePittsburghChannel.com by Mike Hamilton, a Channel 4 Action News viewer from Monroeville.

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I'm one of the few in attendance that were actually there more for Godsmack than Metallica. I was a big fan of Alice In Chains before their lead singer, Layne Staley, died. Godsmack is the closest-sounding band to Alice In Chains that is out there today. They are a mix of about 75 percent AIC and 25 percent old Tool. To show that I am not too far off in my Godsmack theory, their name is actually an Alice In Chains song.

The lead singer of Godsmack is Sully Erna. He looks like a young Bruce Springsteen, but a metal version. He is a very good frontman. He consistently was trying to get the crowd fired up, and even said, "Our job here tonight is to get you all in a frenzy, so that you will be able to handle the awesome power that is Metallica!"

The sad thing about having Godsmack in an opening role is that they only played for about 45 minutes. Some of the songs played were "Awake," "Bad Religion," "Voodoo," "Whatever" and "Keep Away."

As a huge Godsmack fan (just got the Godsmack sun tattooed on my leg in July), a few of my favorites were left off the playlist. I wanted to hear "Moon Baby," "Time Bomb" and the acoustic version of "Re-Align." That will have to wait until a future show ...

The stage was basically a big square. Sully, the guitarist and the bassist moved around a lot to each of the different corners to give everyone a good view. There were also about three or four big-screen televisions mounted way up high on each side of the square. The drum set was able to spin, and that was a cool effect. Very impressive lighting work, as well.

Something that is not well known is that Sully is also a pretty good drummer. There was a part of the show where he played the bongos, while the regular drummer was on the drums. After turning out the lights for a moment, they came back on, and Sully had his own drum kit. The two kits were facing each other. He and the actual drummer played the same parts for about 10 minutes. It was incredible. They were even throwing sticks in the air and catching them and continuing to play. It's one of those times where you are really glad you came to the show, because you can't see this type of thing anywhere else.

For their encore, Godsmack played a tremendous version of their hit "I Stand Alone." It was now time for a break, while Metallica's road crew readied the stage for a 2-hour audio thunderstorm.

I saw Metallica with Guns N' Roses at Three Rivers Stadium in 1992. I was, and still am, a huge GN'R fan. That day, in the pouring rain at Three Rivers stadium, I gained a new respect for Metallica. I barely knew any of their songs, but it was their "rage" and energy that just showed how good they really were. They didn't care that it was raining; they were out in it, just like the crowd. I will never forget how they got the whole crowd into their song "Seek & Destroy."

I think that the most impressive legacy of Metallica is that they are still together and still touring. Not many heavy metal bands of their time are still functioning, let alone releasing new material.

Metallica started off strong tonight and never looked back. They had pyrotechnics that were so loud, I almost spilled my drink the first time they went off. They would really take you by surprise. They had an effect that was a "fireball" -- it would come off the stage, and a ball of fire would then go "poof." They also had points where flumes of flame would come out of the stage in different areas.

Some of the songs played included "Blackened," "Fuel," "Wherever I May Roam," "Frantic," "Master Of Puppets," "Creeping Death," "Disposable Heros," "Nothing Else Matters," "One," and the encore songs of "Sad But True," "Enter Sandman" and "Seek & Destroy."

The new bassist for Metallica is the third one in the history of the band. I don't know his name, but he does a great "cro-magnon" man impersonation. He stays stooped over for most of the show, and when he does move around, it is in short "monkey" movements. He and the lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett, are still sporting the '80s hair, and doing it well. I would have liked Kirk to have more personal solo time during the show, but that didn't happen.

Part of the reason the earlier Metallica songs are so popular is that they are easy to sing along to. The crowd really got into "Master Of Puppets," "Disposable Heroes" and the closer, "Seek & Destroy". The only song they didn't play that I wanted to hear was "Unforgiven."

All in all, Metallica put on a great show. While their energy level wasn't quite what it was in 1992, the dropoff was not that significant. They can still translate all that anger through their impressive library of material. The set list was a wide variety, and a good mix of older and newer songs, in my opinion. For metal fans, old and new, there won't be a better concert this year.