Metallica - Metallica Tour Gets Off To Explosive Start In Mexico City

The start of Metallica's Mexican tour has got off to a blazing start, according to a report from Associated Press. The band's vocalist, James Hetfield, had warned their fans that things could get 'perilous' and warned "we're very focused on how dangerous this show is." The opening night of the tour, in Mexico City, was proof that Hetfield meant what he said. According to the report, many of the 22,000-strong crowd were "visibly terrified" by the show, which included pyrotechnics, explosions, laser lights and even a giant coffin.

At one point during the show, a technician crossed the stage "like a human torch" as the band went to the effort of recreating the stage-burning performance that featured in their 'Cunning Stunts' video album. The tour is expected to include material spanning Metallica's 31-year career and if the opening night is anything to go by, fans will need to steel themselves for an explosive performance. They are expected to perform another seven shows at the Sports Palace in Mexico City, before hitting the road and playing in San Francisco and Canada.

Meanwhile, Lars Ulrich warned radio listeners not to hold their breath for any new material, any time soon. Talking to Canadian radio station 99.3 The Fox, Lars explained that a new album is in the pipeline but it's going to take some time. "In the context of, say, the age of planet Earth, we're pretty close. But in the context of, say, other things, there may be one or two football seasons, or one or two baseball seasons, or one or two hockey seasons. I think even late '13 may be a bit optimistic. I would say hopefully we can realistically get a record out probably about a year and half from now, so maybe early '14."