Metallica gets up close and personal

THERE was a time when Metallica concerts should come with a whiplash warning on the ticket - after all, one can't help but headbang to their brand of lightning-fast thrash metal.

But three decades on and you could almost see age taking its toll on some of the band members (as well as the fans) at the group's Singapore Indoor Stadium gig last Sunday.

Drummer Lars Ulrich - usually the most vocal and animated onstage - was uncharacteristically quiet and his drumming was less thunderous than usual. Plus, with his casual black tank top and white beard, he looked more like Santa Claus on a post-Christmas break.