Music notes

Thursday March 11, Metallica played Reno’s Lawlor Events Center. Large tractor trailers, equipment trucks and eight tour buses were massed in front of the venue. A local afternoon radio jockey commented that there was one bus for each member of the band and one bus for each of their egos. Egos seemed to be checked at the stage door, as Metallica hit the stage looking relaxed and genuinely happy to be playing Reno. The band had plenty of interaction with the 9,000-strong audience. Drum sticks and guitar picks were occasionally given to the people on the floor. Photographers followed the band around the odd-shaped stage like racing dogs chasing a rabbit. During an opening song, flames burst from the stage and startled the photographers, who checked their equipment and hair for any damage. The show lasted more than two hours and was a mix of old and new songs. Old-school and new-school Metallica fans got more than their fill.