Customer Reviews

Metallica: Cunning Stunts

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is an interesting show. This is right in the thick of the "Load" tour when Metallica were trying something different.

So What sounds pretty damn good and it's a good way to open the show. Right from that into Creeping Death which always sounds cool live. Then the boys go into the worst version of Sad But True they've probably ever done. I always skip this because it's just...eww. Ain't My Bitch sounds good live however, as do Hero of the Day and King Nothing. Then they go into a pretty bad version of One where Kirk misses the start of his solo and James sounds...not very good. Then, a nice little version of Fuel w/ alternate lyrics and as always, Fuel smokes live. Then a bass/guitar doodle of My Friend of Misery and Sanitarium into a very good version of Nothing Else Matters. Then Until It Sleeps comes in which I'm not a fan of personally, but it sounds good live. Then good ol' Bellz kicks in and gets the place jumpin'. Great live song and huge crowd pleaser every time. Then, Wherever I May Roam which is good live, but I'm glad it's not a staple anymore. Then...Fade to Black. A GREAT version of Fade to Black at that. Everybody nails their parts perfectly and the mood that is set is just awesome. Then they play the Kill/Ride medley, which consists of parts of Ride the Lightning, No Remorse, Hit the Lights, The Four Horsemen, Seek and Destroy, and Fight Fire w/ Fire. Then for the encore they come out with Last Caress into the first part of Master of Puppets, cutting out before the interlude, then segwaying into Enter Sandman. At the end of Sandman is where the "stunts" come in. Lots of pyro, explosions, lights cutting out, emergency workers w/ flashlights, and a guy on fire running across the stage. Once all that's done, the PA system has actually collapsed so it looks like a little garage, which is lit by dozens of hanging light bulbs. The last two songs for the night are Am I Evil? and a badly edited version of Motorbreath where Kirk is clearly using two different guitars. Overall, it's all right. Get S&M before you get this, or better yet, go see Metallica for yourself.

Say what you will about Metallica, but one thing you can't deny is that they always put out the best home video releases, especially when it comes to them playing live. Cunning Stunts was recorded before "ReLoad" was released, and features the boys at their best. "Fade To Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Creeping Death", "Nothing Else Matters", "King Nothing", "So What", and "Sad but True" are all brought to life live great, but there are a few minor gripes. Kirk does mess up a bit on the solo to "One", and on some of the older songs (like the Kill/Ride medley) James seems like he's having trouble remembering his parts. But, the good outweighs the bad in the end, besides the great concert, the DVD features are outstanding, and the picture and sound quality can't be beat; this is how a concert DVD should be done. All in all, this is an essential item if your a Metallica fan, and it is worth every penny.

Metallica, regardless what people may say, is the best band EVER. I can listen to every song they have put out. This DVD just shows how strong a presence they still hold on stage, where they make their home. James, Jason, Lars, and Kirk play harder than ever with each performance. Two hours into this concert these guys are still going stronger than ever.

This DVD just shows that Metallica is the best live band there is, and on Enter Sandman it shows Metallicas popularity as the crowd sings alnog word for word.

This will simply blow your mind away! The visuals are pure DVD quality and the 5.1 sound is mind boggling!

First off, this concert DVD is for the fans. If you don't enjoy "mistakes" or "fun" on stage, then you might as well go buy Milli Vanilli on DVD. Because this is raw, concert, non rehearsed Metallica at it's best. There are PLENTY of songs on here that sound great [even if Hetfield screeches a few times, you try singing 3 hours a day 5 days a week for 2 years and we'll see how your voice sounds]. I love it. I've always been a big fan, and I've tried to see Metallica as many times as possible. To the fans, this is a great DVD. To people that expect a concert to be perfect, well you might as well just by a CD of Metallica because you're going to be disappointed.

Oh, and to the person that made the comment about the energy being "low" due to the "pause and comment" portions to the crowd, you've obviously never gone to a concert, because that's what a CONCERT is all about. Sure, they could have edited those portions out, but if you've ever seen them live, you'll realize what Metallica made this DVD for. For fans that CAN'T always go see them live. This DVD captures the TRUE concert feel.

And for the price, this DVD can't be beat. Plenty of songs, multiple camera angles, background information on the band and the concert setup, pictures taken while touring, and plenty of great loud explosions and pyro, just like Metallica has been, will be, and always shall be.

I'll be honest, I'm a fan of Metallica, I have seen them live many times, and I attended the tour this DVD was taken from at it's Albany, NY stop, I am also a techno-phile, this DVD is the best captured concert DVD I have ever seen, and lets not forget heard, the band sounds great, you can even hear James Hetfeild strain to hit a note every once in a while, the filming of this concert is incredible, at times, if you watch in the dark, it seems you're on stage with the band, gone are the over done MTV style edits like over-used in their concert film Live S*** Benge and Purge, the crowd as usual at a Metallica concert is amazing, they sing along when qued, and go wild for the better part of this DVD, as a Metallica fan, if I had a complaint, it is that unfortunatly, although there are over 20 songs on this DVD, Harvester of Sorrow and Unforgiven are not here, and Welcome Home (Sanitarium)'s opening is only played during an all to breif bass/guitar interlude, but other than those, the classics, and the new classics are here, be warned, this DVD was filmed before the realease of Metallica's Re-Load album, so you can't really complain about those songs not being here, but So What and Fuel from Re-Load are, Fuel is performed just as it sounds now, but at the time an untitled new song, there are even three songs in which you can choose from 5 different camera angles, the main angle, which is edited in the style of this DVD as a whole, the other angles let you follow 1 of the 4 band members as they perform, you see many things you would've missed, it would have been nice if you had this option through all the songs, but this was 1997, and it would have taken 3 DVD's to accomplish that, you would have to pay more, so take what what you can get, this DVD also contains a behind the scenes portion with the band, some breif sessions with the road crew, a photo gallery of all the tour's stops, and much more only from Metallica extras, not to mention the Enter Sandman Cunning Stunt, watch if for youself, it was cool live in person, but the filming of it allows you to see it all, if you didn't know Metallica, you'd think it was for real, it's quite impressive that a metal band and the crew can pull this off night after night, all in all, this DVD is a must not only for Metallica fans, but for music and concert film fans in general, you can hear every bent note from Kirk Hamett's guitar, Jason Newstead is at his best on bass, Lars Ulrich's drumming is even better than usual, which is a hard feat to behold, and James Hetfeild gives it everything he has as usual, in tipifying Metallica style, the stage in the round set up alone is a great breath of air as compared to the normal stage at one end of the arena set up used by most bands, and in most concert films, you see angles, and things you'd never see, and this has a lot to do with the "feeling of being on stage with the band", in my opinion, you need this DVD, run it through your headphones, turn it up, and enjoy, for the money, and for the experience, any music fan, and any techno-phile will wish they had bought this DVD earlier, like I did, on it's day of realise, I am a huge Metallica fan, but I would tell you if this DVD [stunk], it doesn't, I wish more of my favorite bands would do things like Metallica

This has to be the best concert DVD yet. It is by far Metallica's best. Since it was shot specifically for DVD, the quality (audio and video) are amazing. The intro to "One" has the camera spinning around with explosions and strobe lights all around. In 5.1 Digital this sounds awesome! They play all the songs flawlessly (as far as I could tell), and their stage presence is incredible. The roar of the fans adds to the excitement. If you own anything by Metallica, add this to your collection. It is a must.

I've never seen Metallica in concert before, so I thought watching this DVD would be a good way to see them. And believe me, I wasn't disappointed in the least bit! Jaymz and company are clearly enjoying themselves while at the same time making sure that the crowd was pumped up the whole time! The most memorable performance is "Enter Sandman" where part of the stage collapses because some guy decides to drop down from the top (via rope). And then there's "One" with the lights and explosions....

The DVD in general is great. You have multiple angles for three of the songs where you can see each of the players from a different camera. Then there's some documentary footage and a photo gallery. My only problem is the gratuitous profanity (but then again, what do you expect from Metallica?). If you can get past that, "Cunning Stunts" is definitely worth viewing!

This is a great acheivement for the band, and a great acheivement technologically speaking as well! A few random thoughts...

- Metallica is an awesome live band, and some of their songs actually sound BETTER live. Given the complexity of their music, that is pretty damn amazing. So What, Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Last Caress, Am I Evil? and a few others are really enhanced by the extra energy of a live performance.

- James's voice is worn out, but I didn't find it distracted from the quality of the DVD. He doesn't sound BAD, but the wear and tear is clear.

- The best part about concert DVDs is the replay value. I have watched Cunning Stunts several times, so even if you aren't a die-hard fan, it definately pays off to pick up a copy.

So-called die hard "fans" cringe that vocalist James Hetfield has lost his edge. Music listeners stuck in the early 80's fret that the band doesn't play enough old material. Critics claim Metallica has sold out. Well, as bassist Jason Newstead said in a recent TV documentary on VH-1, Metallica has sold out: every seat, every time, anywhere they go. This video demonstrates why - disturbingly tight musicianship, mesmerizing lighting and pyro-techniques, and honest, often comedic, interaction with the crowd. The intro to "One" for example, a dizzying array of gunfire, explosions, and stunning camera work, is as good a DVD demo moment as you'll find. Impress your friends, scare your parents. Metallica manages to make an arena show feel intimate. Loaded with extras, "Cunning Stunts" comes highly recommended.

Thank you all for reviewing this DVD. I really appreciate the love the fans have givin us over the years. Hopefully we will have another DVD out soon. Once again I thank you all. To end this in a good note, I have this 5 stars. Yea!