Metallica added another new track to their Las Vegas Sphere repertoire over the weekend, giving 1988 classic Harvester of Sorrow the giant visuals makeover. The band again kept their promise of delivering a “no repeat weekend,” with the set on Saturday (October 17) completely different from that on the preceding Thursday.
This time, though, reactions to the huge screen imagery was mixed. Many viewers were confused as they watched a man sharpening a knife blade on a whetstone while a goose – which some people thought was a duck – sat in a separate scene beside him and did what geese do.
“I mean Metallica is my most favorite band and I love Harvester of Sorrow,” one fan wrote on YouTube, “but what the hell was that?” A reply read: “I was expecting the grinding guy to harvest the goose at the end or something… I have no words.”
Additional comments included: “Graphic artist clearly took a break here” and “The duck was an odd choice,” while someone else attempted an explanation: “Geese symbolize teamwork, loyalty, vigilance, and spiritual guidance across many cultures and traditions…Although in this situation I think it represents some knuckleheaded goober got lazy and settled.”
Others pointed out that it was good to hear Harvester back in the band’s set, while one suggested: “People don’t get it – the duck is Jason’s bass.”
Several comments addressed the argument that Metallica shouldn’t have settled on the hi-tech Sphere to stage a residency, citing the idea that bands on stage are dwarfed by the presentation around them.The band themselves admitted to trepidation before the shows opened, with Lars Ulrich saying the concept was “overwhelming and fucking intimidating.”
He added: “We’re all fortunate enough to be able to do these shows, connect with these audiences and sort of reinvent the staging and all of it, all the time. But this is something else. This is another level.”
So much so that Slash recently reported Guns N’ Roses had considered a residency in the venue and then rejected the notion. “It’s not set up where you can set up a bunch of amps and really play live like the way we normally do,” the guitarist said. “It’s really about the production, and it’s not so much about the band, although the band is playing.
“We were talking about doing it last year before this tour that we just did, and we opted for just doing a US tour and not just focusing on that one thing.”
