In 1989, I saw Metallica at Stabler Arena on Lehigh University’s campus in Bethlehem, PA. The And Justice for All tour. Queensryche opened.
It was me and my two best friends from college. One particular moment during Harvester of Sorrow left an emotional impression on me. I almost cried. I’ve told the story several times over the years — Hetfield in a particular spot on stage, in a particular stance, perfectly timed pyro blast, lighting, sounds, etc. All of it burned indelibly into my brain. I can still picture it. The whole thing created an emotional welling-up that survives in me to this day.
About a year ago, I found some YouTube footage of the moment. I’s wrong. Or at least, the particular facts of the moment that I remember and describe are wrong. Hetfield wasn’t stage left; he was stage right. Oh, there wasn’t a pyro blast timed perfectly. He didn’t pose or move the way I describe it. Huh, I remember the lights very differently.
And then just a month ago, I was telling my brother about this show, and he said, “I know, I was there with you!”
“What? You were? I don’t remember that.”
“Dude. It was you, me, Scotty, and Gerk.”
Oh my, 0 for 2 with a memory that was “burned indelibly into my brain.”
I got the facts wrong, but not the story. Because the story was about the feeling I had in the moment. That’s what’s burned into my brain.
The “facts” are just there to support the emotion of the story.
