Metallica played an old-school set of songs from their first two albums in honor of the late Megaforce Records founders Jon and Marsha Zazula, who passed away in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
The show took place last night (November 6th) at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Metallica played songs from their debut album Kill ‘Em All and its follow-up Ride the Lightning — both of which were released by the Zazulas, helping launch Metallica’s illustrious career.
The 16-song set opened with the epic “Creeping Death” and included plenty of highlight cuts from both albums: “Seek & Destroy,” “Ride the Lightning,” “Fade to Black,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” to name a few. Signature covers of Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?” and Blizkrieg’s “Blitzkrieg” also made the set, having been famously covered by Metallica during their early years. Fellow Megaforce alum Raven provided support for the evening, reprising the 1983 tour package that featured the two bands.
Upon the show’s initial announcement, Metallica issued the following statement: “Jonny gave us our first break in New York, released our first albums on his Megaforce Records label, and put us out on the road for our first real tour. With Marsha by his side, Jonny was a mentor, a manager, a label head, and a father figure to us all… we would not be where we are today without the two of them. Sadly, we recently lost both Jonny and Marsha, just a little more than a year apart.”
The Zazula family then responded with their own statement: “The Zazula family is beyond humbled and appreciative that Metallica is playing this show in our parents’ honor,” state the Zazula family. “The pride our parents felt toward every member of the Metallica community, from the band members to fans, was insurmountable.”
Below you can see fan footage and the full setlist from Metallica’s tribute show for the Zazulas.
Metallica Setlist:
Creeping Death
Ride The Lightning
Motorbreath
No Remorse
Trapped Under Ice
The Call Of Ktulu
Phantom Lord
Am I Evil
Metal Militia
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Whiplash
Fade To Black
Seek & Destroy
Encore:
Fight Fire With Fire
Bliztkrieg
Hit The Lights