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Metallica played their first-ever show in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tuesday night at Yas Island.

The band were looking forward to playing in the country, as bassist Robert Trujillo told Gulf News.

“This is a whole new adventure for us. Within a tour cycle, we usually play for a couple of years, and usually play a lot of the same venues in Europe and the US. This [show] is great, because we have never been to the Emirates, and we've never been to India [where Metallica are heading to after Abu Dhabi]. We know that there are a lot of fans there who have never seen Metallica live before.”

“This is where it turns into a gig, adventure and holiday — we have been very busy, so for us to go to a place like the UAE, it becomes an adventure,” added Trujillo. “And it makes it all that much more exciting because we get to perform. It's something different, and we love to explore. We have the best job in the world. We're not clocking in a 9-to-5. We do what we love, and we get to see the world. That's really cool.”

It took years for the group to get to the UAE, and that wasn’t necessarily by design.

“With Metallica, we get into this thing where we tour very hard, but the problem is you cannot cater to all the opportunities that are offered to you,” said the bassist. “So it was a matter of it being the right time. The door is opening now to play more interesting and different places. I'll tell you this: the band are on fire. We have been playing a lot in the past few years, plus we have been recording, so we're anxious to get out there and play in front of new fans, play in front of people who have never seen us live before. That right there is exciting to us already.”

Metallica
Yas Island – Abu Dhabi, UAE – October 25, 2011

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom the Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Ride the Lightning
05. Fade to Black
06. Cyanide
07. The Memory Remains
08. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
09. Sad But True
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. Am I Evil?
17. Motorbreath
18. Seek & Destroy