Murder in the Front Row: March 5th, Cliff Burton and Metallica

. . .

Author/photographer and all-around Bay Area metal historian Brian Lew took time out to pay homage to March 5th, an important date in the history of metal. The significance of that date, detailed below, is accompanied by some rare photos similar to those found in his acclaimed Murder in the Front Row, which examines the Bay Area thrash scene of the early 80s. Order yours via Bazillion Points.

. . .

March 5th marks the 30th Anniversary of Clifford Lee Burton’s debut with Metallica in 1983 at The Stone in San Francisco. Metallica had visited The City By The Bay for the first time just under six months prior and immediately bonded with us small gang of underground Bay Area Metalheads. As history tells, the feeling was mutual and Metallica made their official move to the Bay Area in February 1983. Only a couple of weeks after the move the band booked their first show with the new bassist.

I had seen and met Cliff with his first band Trauma and he already had a local reputation for being a major rager on the Rickenbacker. A couple of months prior to his Metallica debut I witnessed Cliff’s first rehearsal with Metallica. I didn’t appreciate the magnitude of all of this until much later. At the time, most of us were still teenagers and it was just fun hanging out with these guys our age who also happened to be in this new Metal band who completely raged. At the time Metallica’s discography consisted of a couple of cassette demo tapes. On the day of the show I arrived at the venue early and helped load in their gear. Then I took photos during Cliff’s first soundcheck and later during the show.

Besides being Cliff’s first show it was also Metallica’s first show as a local Bay Area band. Ironically, Exodus with Kirk Hammett on guitar opened the show. Cliff’s parents were in attendance and his mom was proudly wearing a Metallica “Metal Up Your Ass” shirt to support her son and his new band. Lars’ parents had traveled from L.A. and were there too. Thinking back it’s pretty amazing that those parental units supported their sons and their then unknown band so completely. Metallica played another show at The Stone only 2 weeks later on March 19th and after that things happened fast.

Over the next 6 months they traveled to New York, replaced Mustaine with Kirk, recorded and released Kill ‘Em All, and completed their first U.S. tour.

A year after Cliff’s first show they had toured Europe for the first time and recorded Ride The Lightning.

Fast forward to March 1986, three years after that first show, and Master Of Puppets was released.

Then, only 3 years and 6 months after his first show with Metallica, Cliff was gone.

“Bass solo. Take one.”

. . .

All photos by Brian Lew

. . .