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<p>It has been almost 15 years since I discovered Metallica.</p><p>As a disgruntled, stubborn teenager, I related to the band&#8217;s &#8220;St. Anger&#8221; album in so many ways, and it fostered a fandom that has only intensified over the years.</p><p>If I&#8217;m being totally honest, &#8220;stubborn&#8221; can probably still be used to describe me. Those close to me would agree.</p><p>Going to see Metallica in concert was always a dream, and it finally came true this month.</p><p>Metallica kicked off its North American &#8220;WorldWired Tour,&#8221; and luckily for me, that tour stopped in Philadelphia on May 12.</p><p>I hit the road with best friends Clay and Jake a little early so we could check out the City of Brotherly Love before rocking out. Our first stop was to Dalessandro&#8217;s Steaks for lunch so I could expose them to some legitimate cheesesteaks.</p><p>If you ever go to Philly, a stop at Dalessandro&#8217;s for lunch or dinner is a must. It will not disappoint.</p><p>After lunch, we made our way through the city to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to visit the coveted Rocky statue. We probably spent a good 30 minutes taking selfies in and around the area, and just doing the tourist thing.</p><p>I would have ran up the stairs had my stomach not been full of cheesesteak.</p><p>Soon enough, it was time to make our way over to Lincoln Financial Field.</p><p>We picked up some souvenirs and headed up to our club seats, which were surprisingly better than I had expected. We were far enough away to avoid mosh pits, but close enough to be able to comfortably see everything on the stage.</p><p>A younger me would have welcomed the idea of jamming in the thick of a mosh pit.</p><p>Volbeat opened up the show, which is really who Clay came to see. The neat thing I&#8217;ve learned about concerts is it can really help foster a liking for a certain band. It happened with my first concert with Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed, and I can say the same for Volbeat.</p><p>Still, I was there to see <em>my</em> band.</p><p>The lights went out when it was time for the show to start. Clips from Clint Eastwood classic &#8220;The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly&#8221; came up on the screen as &#8220;The Ecstasy of Gold&#8221; played. The crowd became electric as the song ended, and finally, Metallica hit the stage.</p><p>Once they started jamming, they didn&#8217;t let up.</p><p>They opened hard and fast with &#8220;Hardwired,&#8221; and continued on with some newer stuff before diving into older jams like &#8220;The Unforgiven,&#8221; &#8220;One,&#8221; and &#8220;Master of Puppets.&#8221; For guys who are well into their 50s, they jammed like they still had another 36 years in them.</p><p>I couldn&#8217;t help but be overcome with an immense sense of nostalgia throughout the night. I remembered what it was like to discover new Metallica songs as a young guy, and how I related to them at various points in my life.</p><p>At one point, lead singer James Hetfield grabbed the mic and spoke to the crowd.</p><p>&#8220;Are you alive?&#8221; he asked as the crowd roared with approval. &#8220;How does it feel to be alive?&#8221;</p><p>That night, I was seeing my favorite band with two friends I truly consider to be my brothers.</p><p>I was alive, it felt incredible, and nothing else mattered.</p><p>My ears rang the whole way home and well into the following week. My voice wasn&#8217;t quite broken, but it was noticeably harsh thanks to screaming and cheering all night.</p><p>Once it was time to go to work on Monday morning, I put on my Metallica playlist in the car to get the day started off right.</p><p>As &#8220;Fuel&#8221; played on my short ride across the bridge into Wilkes-Barre, it finally dawned on me that I could finally say that I saw Metallica perform live.</p><p>I&#8217;m not sure if any other concert will be able to match up to seeing Metallica live. In fact, I&#8217;ve told many people close to me I&#8217;d be content if I never saw another concert.</p><p>Unless, of course, it&#8217;s Metallica.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Metallica lead singer James Hetfield as he preformed in Philadelphia on May 12. Travis Kellar | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_HETFIELD.jpg</photo0><caption0>Metallica lead singer James Hetfield as he preformed in Philadelphia on May 12. Travis Kellar | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_18485879_10158742858570066_669627697878011043_n.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Reporter Travis Kellar, center, and friends Jake, left, and Clay, right, pose as they wait for Metallica to take the stage.</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_18485879_10158742858570066_669627697878011043_n.jpg</photo1><caption1>Reporter Travis Kellar, center, and friends Jake, left, and Clay, right, pose as they wait for Metallica to take the stage.</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_KellarMug-cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">BEYOND THE BYLINE Travis Kellar </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_KellarMug-cmyk.jpg</photo2><caption2>BEYOND THE BYLINE Travis Kellar </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Seeing Metallica live was a reflective, fun experience