In 20 years so much changes, and yet … nothing changes. The first S&M came out in late 1999, when I was listening to music on cassette tapes, when I was 26, when I had a full head of hair, when everything was different. When everything was worse.

20 years later, and an older, possibly wiser Metallica release their sequel, christening a just opened arena in San Francisco with an updated version of S&M. Michael Kamen, who orchestrated the original set, has left us. Jason Newsted left the band 20 years ago, and Robert Trujillo on bass carries that flame. Metallica have become world pioneers in making stadium metal an enormous business.

Metal is huge and yet somehow sidelined ; never played on the radio, barely shown on television, somehow a different, separate world of insider knowledge that is huge yet barely visible to the uninitiated. When was the last time Metallica, or Rammstein, or Iron Maiden, or Megadeth, or Slayer, or Motorhead shown on broadcast television? And yet these bands still (mostly) tour arenas and stadiums, with new, younger bands always in the wings.

When I was younger, metal might have got in the charts, but never made daytime radio. If you heard these bands, its because someone somewhere played it a Friday night on the midnight radio – “and if you love someone, tell them before its too late” – just before heading into the final song of the night/morning, possibly about killing virgins and battling Satan. And yet somehow metal just kept going.

So, whilst in my mind Metallica are still the theatre band that made those first four albums who somehow became a stadium rock band by accident, I have to remember that, in all honesty, Metallica wanted what they became – they wanted to make a great, classic rock album, headline stadiums, sell gazillions, and conquer the world. They’ve been a stadium level band for nearly 30 years – and the fact that they have their own bullshit whiskey, sell hand crafted tables made by the singer, and publish $300 books about cars signed by band members. Metallica became, by any metric, far removed from whatever they used to be. Sure, they make music, but sometimes – often times – the music is just another product, whilst Metallica attach their logo to anything that can be sold to make even more money than anyone can imagine.The idea that Metallica make music. and not brakemats emblazoned with a cartoon of a flaming skull, is almost absurd.

And thus, comes “S&M²”, the gargantuan, epic sequel, which sees the band – and orchestra – play to an audience of flags and fanclub members in a 20,000 capacity arena. Sure, it sounds great. The setlist is freshened up – and though ten songs are reprised from the 1999 release – ten other songs are added, including material from “St Anger”, “Death Magnetic” and “Hardwired” – but, there’s still a sense that Metallica are a touring museum aimed at reminding us how good they used to be and trading on past glories that were sometimes overlooked.

But are Metallica any good live? Hell, live is where Metallica live. Live Metallica is the best Metallica ever gets. The records are mere outlines for the live shows. That is all there is. The newer songs – reinvigorated takes on “Confusion”, “Halo On Fire”, “The Day That Never Comes” and “All Within My Hands” sound fresh and vibrant ; like the originals but more so. There’s a couple of unreleased covers – dramatic Metallica-ised interpretations of classical pieces you almost definitely haven’t heard- alongside a completely reimagined “Unforgiven III”. Classics – such as “One”, “Master Of Puppets”, “Nothing Else Matters, “ “Enter Sandman” – all close the evening with a flourish of assured arrogance that is confident of their abilities and their history.

As a package, “S&M²” is exhaustive, and exhausting, with deluxe box set editions on a variety of coloured 4LP vinyl sets, Blu Rays, CD’s, books, and so on that make it clear that Metallica has been as much about packaging as they ever have music. Is this a new beginning, or a new end? To date, a year after the shows, this is the last public live Metallica performance yet ; touring derailed by a relapse into addiction and the Covid-19 pandemic that has made all of us prisoners to factors beyond our control. What next? Who knows.

I do wish Ulrich would stop wearing that backwards baseball cap though. Dude, you’re not fooling anyone about the hair.