It was metal mayhem in Auckland last night as Metallica took to the stage with lasers, silver coffins and black ballons.
Front man James Hetfield set the scene with this announcement, "Metallica's in a good mood and we're keen to have some fun."
The Vector arena concert was the first of two Auckland shows, both of which have sold out.
Staunch fans had to battle to get tickets, which disappeared quickly.
One of those, TVNZ7's Glen Larmer, told ONE News it was the first time he had seen the band live and he loved the show.
"Some might have been a bit disappointed with the setlist, with the band choosing to ignore their Load album entirely, but personally that didn't bother me.
"Metallica kick arse... so too did (support acts) Baroness and Lamb of God, who in Randy Blythe have an awesome front man."
But Larmer wasn't so impressed with the audience.
"The only bummer was the timid Auckland crowd... no moshing in my section... no shins being kicked. What was going on? This was a heavy metal show wasn't it?"
The second Auckland concert is on tonight.
Metallica played in Christchurch on September 21, adding the concert to their tour after a group of Facebook fans pleaded for them to do so.