On March 14, 1982 — 44 years ago today — four young musicians took the stage at Radio City in Anaheim, California for a concert that would, in retrospect, change the course of heavy metal. METALLICA played their first-ever live show.
The setlist that night was characteristically raw: covers of Diamond Head and Blitzkrieg alongside originals that would eventually find their way onto Kill 'Em All. The lineup included James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine on guitar, and Ron McGovney on bass — the band was still months away from the personnel changes that would cement their classic lineup.
Metallica marked the anniversary with a post on their official social media channels, sharing archival photos from the period. The band remains one of the best-selling musical acts of all time, with over 125 million albums sold worldwide.
Forty-four years. Not bad.