Everyone has a few first times in their lives. There’s the first time a person rides their bike, the first time they drive a car, and many others. I would have to say that out of all of my first times, my favorite would have to be my first concert.

It was the middle of November. The fifteenth, to be exact, although the surprise of this event came back in the previous May. It was my birthday, and the last gift I was to receive was the one from my older brother, Johnny. He had a big grin on his face as he handed it to me, and for good reason, for the gift was tickets to a Metallica concert in Madison Square Garden on the fifteenth of November. I was so excited that I almost began to drool on the tickets. Metallica is my favorite band ever, and the chance to see them live was one that I would not pass up for anything in the world.

The months leading up to the concert were excruciating, but well worth it. School helped pass six hours each day, and the weekends were spent on mindless fun. Whenever I have free time, however, I always thought of the concert and how awesome it would be to be there. Going to a concert was one thing, but going to see the greatest metal band ever, Metallica, and at Madison Square Garden nonetheless, was a completely different thing.

When the fateful day did arrive, I was speechless with excitement, as were my brothers. When we arrived at the train station, I knew that a long and boring ride was ahead of me, but again, it was worth it. On the train, I would have to say that almost three-fourths of the passengers were there for the concert. Their anxious conversations were ones of true fans, and I knew that I was one of those true fans. After the train got to Madison Square Garden, I ran inside as fast as I could in order to see Metallica perform.

When Metallica hit the stage, I was in awe. Four of the most amazing performers ever to grace the stage were there, performing for us, the thousands of Metallica fans in the arena. The members of the band were James Hetfield on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Lars Ulrich on the drums, Kirk Hammet on lead guitar, and Rob Trujillo on the bass and backing vocals, truly an amazing combination of talent. The setlist for the show started off with literally, a heartbeat, from their song “That Was Just Your Life,” from their new album, Death Magnetic. As Mr. Hammet tore through his solos, I was right there imitating him, rapidly moving my fingers to follow his. As the concert went on, they eventually played the one song I was waiting the whole night for, “Master of Puppets” from their album of the same name. During the chorus, towers of flames shot up to the sky, and during Hammet’s blistering solo, the whole building erupted in screams that sounded like the people were on fire. The last song was one that they had been playing since 1982, “Seek and Destroy,” from their album Kill ‘Em All. The song involved a lengthy chorus of Hetfield shouting “Searchinggggg…” and the crowd yelling “Seek and destroy!!!” over and over again, until our throats were sore. Speaking of sore, I think I headbanged a little too much, as my head was sore for about three days after the concert. After the last song, we left and got on the train. I almost fell asleep on the train, because it was two in the morning by the time we got home. Tired and lifeless, I stumbled into my bed, and slept for about four hours, then got up at six for another fun day of school.

To this day, I still have not forgotten every detail of that day, and although I want to go and see them again, I am grateful that I got the chance to see Metallica, the greatest metal act ever, live in person. Out of all of the first times in my life, my first concert is by far the greatest event in my life.