Bonnarooing: And Justice For You

Metallica wasn't perfect during its headlining slot on the Bonnaroo main stage, but the massive crowd totally ate it up and the band looked like it was having a blast up there. Frontman James Hetfield got the audience involved from the beginning, leading a sing-a-long during the end of "The Memory Remains" and working them into a lather with the promise of oldies from as far back as "Kill 'Em All."

The group effectively transitioned from full-on assaults like "Master of Puppets" and "No Remorse" ("That was a little too fast, don't you think?," Hetfield asked) and dynamic jams like "Sad But True" to other sides of the musical coin like "Nothing Else Matters" and "Fade To Black," the almost-mellow opening section of the latter washing over the crowd like a cooling, calming breeze.

As the set rolled into its last 30 minutes, Hetfield shouted, "You need something fast, or is it time to go back to the tents? You need something to wake you up, yeah?," leading to a frenetic run through "Whiplash." The track served to demonstrate quintessential Metallica: eye-popping virtuosity, unbridled energy and more than enough power to satisfy 50,000-some hot, tired and sweaty fans.

Then they demonstrated it again on "Nothing Else Matters" and "Enter Sandman," somewhat predictable but no less effective finales to the first encore. Their vintage cover of the Misfits' "Last Caress" was a nice surprise, as was the shreddy "So What." "Seek and Destroy" brought it all to a close (20 minutes past the announced curfew!), with Hetfield modifying the lyrics to the site-specific "We're scanning the scene at Bonnaroo tonight."

One semi-bummer though: still no new material from their upcoming album. Guys, if not here, when?

For additional Bonnaroo coverage all weekend, visit Billboard.com