Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 2, 2020

Michael Tilson Thomas has long been part of my personal musical life, as I recounted in some detail in our now long ago Keeping Score: Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 Blu-ray review. In that review, I also mentioned how MTT (as he is known to fans) managed to take the "music education for the masses" torch securely from the hands of his mentor Leonard Bernstein, who himself so memorably taught legions of young music lovers (including yours truly) with his typically impeccably erudite yet accessible Young People's Concerts. Fans of Bernstein's television tutorials will certainly be aware that Lenny (as he is known to fans) often delighted in playing snippets of rock tunes in various episodes, analyzing the works of, say, Lennon and McCartney in virtually the same breath that he would talk about, say, the songs of Richard Strauss or Franz Schubert. MTT, no doubt due at least in part to his generation if not his temperament, has had a probably even more visceral connection to rock than Bernstein did (within the confines of his actual career, not necessarily in terms of his acumen or exposure), as evidenced by the very album I mention in the above linked review which first introduced me to MTT's name, the Mahavishnu Orchestra's epic Apocalypse. While probably more on the jazzy side than this particular outing, Apocalypse offered some blistering, dare I say head banging, rhythms combined with the sheer virtuosity of John McLaughlin's guitar and a really sumptuous orchestral presence courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra playing orchestrations by the redoubtable Michael Gibbs.

Another Michael, Michael Kamen, was responsible for the orchestrations of the first pairing of Metallica with the San Francisco Orchestra way back in 1999. And in fact the opening of this concert is very much like the original S & M, with Ennio Morricone's The Ecstasy of Gold giving way to The Call of Ktulu. The setlist here does perhaps unavoidably repeat some of what was offered in the original teaming with the San Francisco Symphony, but there are new elements as well. The first part of the concert is conducted by Edwin Outwater, before MTT himself comes out at slightly past the one hour mark to take over. MTT leads the orchestra in a couple of classical pieces, including an excerpt from Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, which MTT likens to heavy metal (your mileage may vary). Additional arrangements were done by Bruce Coughlin, as well as San Francisco Symphony bassist Scott Pingel, who both arranged and plays on an astounding version of (Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth.

If you were a fan of the original S & M, or are fond of other "symphony plus rock band" outings like Jon Lord: Concerto for Group and Orchestra, chances are you'll find a lot to like here. That said, there's a certain heaviness to some of the orchestrations that may not sit all that well with fans of the band who just want to hear more traditionally energetic versions of these tunes. Some of the more spacious, languorous arrangements actually reminded at times of efforts like The Moody Blues' collaborations with the London Festival Orchestra, for what that's worth, though Lars Ulrich's energetic drumming often adds at least a little momentum. It's kind of funny to see the symphony members wearing headphones, I guess to shut out both the sometimes overpowering crowd noises, as well as to also keep them on "track" (no pun intended). That said, there are occasional minor sync issues that can crop up in passing, noticeably in terms of some of Ulrich's drumming.

The concert includes the following selections:

1. The Ecstasy of Gold
2. The Call of Ktulu
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls
4. The Day That Never Comes
5. The Memory Remains
6. Confusion
7. Moth Into Flame
8. The Outlaw Torn
9. No Leaf Clover
10. Halo on Fire
11. Intro to Scythian Suite
12. Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and the Dance of the Dark Spirits
13. Intro to the Iron Foundry
14. The Iron Foundry, Opus 19
15. The Unforgiven III
16. All Within My Hands
17. (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth
18. Wherever I May Roam
19. One
20. Master of Puppets
21. Nothing Else Matters
22. Enter Sandman

Note: For those interested, this concert is coming out in a couple of different versions. To check out another one, click on the following link:

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Blackened Records with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a very winning presentation overall, with abundant detail levels in close-ups even in many moments where there's a relative lack of any ambient lighting. You can make out the fun pattern on Michael Tilson Thomas' jacket even in near blackness and other close-ups provide a detailed look like the increasing perspiration on some of faces of the band members. There is occasional murk which is further exacerbated by shooting into lighting arrays or even lens flare that can occasionally obstruct overall detail levels and especially fine detail levels.

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 tracks. All I can say is this is what a concert video's audio element should sound like, in my not so humble opinion. I'm frequently on record (no pun intended) as feeling like vocals in particular can get buried in surround mixes, but here everything is prioritized smartly, and in my estimation, that also includes the decision to kind of shunt the sometimes overpowering crowd noises into the background on the surround track (they're much more present, and arguably more intrusive, in the stereo mix). Fidelity is fantastic across the board, supporting both some of the gossamer textures in the orchestrations but also the punch of the band's rhythm instruments in particular. The drumming often cuts through things with particular force.

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction (1080p; 1:40) offers some time lapse photography of San Francisco and environs before moving automatically on to the concert itself. Hitting the Concert option on the Main Menu starts things right at the concert.


• Behind the Scenes - Making of the Show (1080p; 6:52) offers some good if brief interviews and some fun snippets from the first S&M concert in 1999.


• All Within My Hands Promo (1080p; 3:06) highlights a Foundation that Metallica started.

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

S&M2: Metallica and San Francisco Symphony is an appealing concert within its own kind of narrow context of metal(lica) and orchestra combos, and that's one reason why I suspect individual reactions to this mashup will be at least somewhat dependent on how folks felt about the first S&M concert. This disc does provide solid video and exceptional audio, and the supplements, while not numerous, are enjoyable as well. Recommended.