During the Monsters of Rock Festival on 17th August 1991, Metallica was the 4th band to play, just before headliner AC/DC.
This was one of the songs they played, the third track from their second album Ride the Lightning (1984). The chromatic introduction, which is usually mistaken for an electric guitar, is in fact the bass guitar through distortion and wah-wah. The intro was written by the late Cliff Burton before joining Metallica.
Tushino Airfield is an airport located in the northwest part of Moscow, Russia. During the Cold War it was the site of military airshows which reviewed the latest in Soviet innovation. It is a general aviation airfield. On 28th September 1991, it hosted the Russian Monsters of Rock concert featuring AC/DC, Pantera and Metallica. Some say there were 150,000 in the crowd, some say 500,000, some say 1.6 million. This could be the biggest crowd Metallica has played live to.
Apparently, attendance was free. Legend has it that the Russian prime minister Mikhail Gorbachev personally invited the band to play at the concert.
As can be seen in the video, more than 1,000 militiamen are on guard around the stage, and more are hidden in trucks parked further away. Their violent methods of controlling crowds leave 53 people injured.
The clincher is, at least of the guards can be seen singing along.
Metallica played Enter Sandman for the first time in Europe, and the 3rd time ever live, during the Wherever We May Roam tour of 1991 – 1993. The following was on 10th August 1991 at Gentofte Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark.
