Freeze 'Em All
| One-off concert by Metallica | |
 | |
| Location | Carlini Base, Antarctica |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | December 8, 2013 |
| No. of shows | 1 |
| Attendance | ~120 |
| Metallica concert chronology | |
Freeze 'Em All was a one-off concert by American heavy metal band Metallica played in Antarctica on December 8, 2013. It took place in a dome near the heliport of the Carlini Base in Argentine Antarctica, and was attended by 120 people, ranging from members of the base's research team and winners of a sweepstake offered by the Coca-Cola Company. The concert featured ten songs played over the span of an hour. As to prevent noise pollution, the show was played without any traditional amplification and was instead transmitted to the audience through headphones. The concert made Metallica the first band to perform on all seven continents. The concert was later released as a live album.
Background and production
[edit]
Freeze 'Em All took place at the Carlini Base, an Argentine-operated base in Antarctica on December 8, 2013.[1] The concert was first hinted at by Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich in September 2013, when he stated that "there [was] a very interesting thing coming our way" in December of that year, and that there was "another frontier coming."[2] The concert was officially announced on October 25, 2013, with the band stating that they had "been unbelievably fortunate to visit just about every corner of the Earth... except for one." The concert was done in collaboration with the Coca-Cola Company, which offered a sweepstake in five Latin American countries–specifically Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico–where ten winners would receive an eight-day cruise from Tierra del Fuego to Antarctica to watch the concert.[3]
Freeze 'Em All marked the first time a band had performed in Antarctica, excluding the short-lived Nunatak, an indie rock band created by researchers in 2007. Additionally, Fall Out Boy was scheduled to play on the continent in 2008, though the show was cancelled after poor weather conditions.[1][4]
Synopsis and attendance
[edit]Freeze 'Em All was about one hour long, with the band performing ten songs inside of a small dome near the base's heliport. Examples of songs performed included "Enter Sandman" and "Master of Puppets", while some songs like "Trapped Under Ice" were excluded. The concert was attended by 120 people, consisting only of researchers and contest winners. In accordance with the Madrid Protocol, the show was played without any traditional amplification, and was instead transmitted to the audience through headphones. This was done in an effort to preserve the local environment from noise pollution.[1]
Legacy
[edit]Metallica considered the show to be a success, stating that it was the "most unique show" they had ever done, and that "words [could] not describe how happy everyone was".[5] With Freeze 'Em All, Metallica set a Guinness World Record as the first band to perform on all seven continents, as well as the only one to perform on all continents in only one year.[6]
Set list
[edit]The following lists the songs performed during Freeze 'Em All.[1] On December 20, 2013, Metallica released the concert as a live album on their website, with two additional tracks titled "Bass Solo" and "Kirk Solo".[7]
- "Creeping Death"
- "For Whom The Bell Tolls"
- "Sad but True"
- "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
- "Master Of Puppets"
- "One"
- "Blackened"
- "Nothing Else Matters"
- "Enter Sandman"
- "Seek & Destroy"[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Coleman, Miriam (December 9, 2013). "Metallica Play a Dome in Antarctica". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (October 23, 2013). "Metallica set to go south – for Antarctica gig". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Aaron (October 25, 2013). "Metallica to rock Antarctica in Coke-sponsored show". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (October 25, 2013). "Metallica to play Antarctica without amps". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Streisand, Elizabeth (December 10, 2013). "Metallica Becomes First Band to Play All 7 Continents in a Year (Yes, Even Antarctica!)". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (September 3, 2014). "Metallica Set Guinness World Record for Playing All Seven Continents | Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (December 20, 2013). "Metallica releases Antarctica concert as live album". Consequence. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
