Around 60,000 fans attended the “Racino Rocks” with Metallica in Ebreichsdorf on Saturday. The metal highlight of the year began surprisingly well, impressed with a strong performance and then descended into chaos later on. But the ground has been prepared for future events.
The first major concert highlight of this summer was the one with the biggest question mark. 16 years after an organizationally largely unsuccessful attempt to hold a concert in the Racino Ebreichsdorf (Bon Jovi), a comeback was attempted with a completely new concept. The “Racino Rocks” brought the thrash metal heroes Metallica back to the country after a five-year break and many feared that the event would be put on again because of past experiences. Thanks to the good distribution of public transport and trains or shuttle buses, there was largely no chaos in getting there. The weather gods were also lucky. After two days of rain, the clouds opened up to allow entry and the sun shone over the ground. There was no need to wear rubber boots because the ground was halfway dry and bark mulch provided a stable surface in precarious places.No room for fine bladesSo an official number of concertgoers turned up for the two opening acts, Ice Nine Kills and Five Finger Death Punch. The former go on stage in fine clothes and celebrate their metalcore with a lot of motivation, but without any major highlights. Five Finger Death Punch, controversial for various reasons, are already live veterans on Austrian soil after numerous festival appearances and indoor concerts. Ivan Moody and Co. summon the collective power of the “metal family” in the evening sun and under threatening storm clouds, grab cell phones from spectators to film themselves and blast through the sound botany uncompromisingly and bluntly. You look in vain for the fine blade in the Las Vegas collective. If they do take their foot off the accelerator, the thin voice of the frontman saws annoyingly across the area. The sound is often shifted by the wind and at times seems thin and crashing – but we know: Open air is not an indoor concert. With the headliners Metallica, there is always something to complain about with the sound, but the overall sound is much more powerful and balanced. James Hetfield and co. entered the stage 20 minutes late, with AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll)” and Ennio Morricone’s cult piece “Ecstasy Of Gold” playing as intros. A number of LED video walls are located in the middle of the stage and on the sides, and the euphoric hardcore fans have their special place in the “snake pit”. While the Californians usually play on a round stage in football stadiums twice per city, in Ebreichsdorf they have to make do with a normal setting. But not all Ebreichsdorfs are the same – at least not for Metallica. The band advertised the gig beforehand with “Vienna” on all posters and social media posts, and that is where Hetfield feels located during the concert. When interacting with the audience, he repeatedly chants the capital, which causes many people who know the area to shout “Oida, we’re in Ebreichsdorf”.The sky remains conciliatoryAs the sun sets and under a threatening carpet of clouds, Metallica start the evening brilliantly with an old-school set. “Whiplash”, “Creeping Death” and “For Whom The Bell Tolls” suddenly turn the mood up, the first volleys of fire shoot into the sky and the seven euro beers (no deposit) fly through the Golden Circle areas. During the classic “Enter Sandman”, fireworks cause cheers before the band increasingly concentrates on new song material from their current album “72 Seasons”. Bassist Rob Trujillo and boss James Hetfield like to jam together at the front of the stage, while drummer Lars Ulrich tries hard but doesn’t always beat the drums in time. He gets “Whiplash” off the mark right from the start, but as the evening progresses, his timing gets better and better and the doomsayers can calm down. While the hit-makers draw on their 40-year oeuvre, the weather remains forgiving and the ever-threatening rain passes. The thunderstorm only comes from the bass and guitar strings, which then exude Austrian local color just before the halfway point of the concert. Hammett and Trujillo start their traditional jam session and this time they play the Falco hit “Der Kommissar”. It is a beloved tradition of the band to include a local hit in the setlist. At the last Vienna gig in 2019, Trujillo sang “Schifoan” by Wolfgang Ambros in a pleasantly off-key way – this time they stuck to a humorous instrumental. After that, they dig deep into the hit drawer again. The rare instrumental “Orion” is what drives long-time hardcore fans crazy, while “Sad But True” and the inevitable “Nothing Else Matters” win over the crowds. Metallica fire on all cylinders at the end with “Seek And Destroy”, the brilliant “One” and a hearty “Master Of Puppets”, but unfortunately there is no encore in the almost two-hour show.The ground is prepared for the futureIn addition to all the successful points, the organizers’ concept for “Racino Rocks” was still off in some areas. The toilet situation on the grounds was inadequate for the number of visitors, and the waiting times at the beer stands were up to an hour, which didn’t exactly make the thirsty metalheads jump for joy. The departure was more chaotic – as many expected. Around 60,000 fans wanted to leave the grounds at the same time, despite the offer of a party tent, and were stuck first standing at the exits and then sitting in their cars. The coordination system worked well for a long journey, but when the group had to leave simultaneously on overcrowded shuttle buses and a narrow country road system for cars, the initial concept quickly reached its limits. But the ground has been prepared for a future concert. Whether in Ebreichsdorf or Vienna – the main thing is heavy metal!
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