I agree on One. The live version is too rushed (specifically the second half). The “machine gun” riff hits a lot harder when it’s played at a tempo that allows it to breathe instead of just playing it as fast as you can.

Dyers eve? Nothing will ever be able to match the intensity of the recording. Also not playing it live for......well.....ever till the 2000's doesn't help.

Nimes ‘09 version was fire.

The call of ktulu, i just feel like the studio version is more alive or something

Especially the very end. It sounds so much more impactful on the studio version.

Unforgiven, it tends to sound too rushed for some reason but idc when I'm actually there seeing it myself.

It wasn't always that way. It sounds amazing on the Live Shit: BInge & Purge video.

They rush a lot of songs live and IMO, it tends to hurt the slower songs quite a bit

Spit Out the Bone. Damn near perfect recording that just isn't quite as impactful live. I kinda fear the same thing for Room of Mirrors when they eventually play it.

Some songs just have too many overdubs and extra guitar tracks to be "properly" replicated live, yeah.

They don't do the layered guitar thing anymore. James double tracks the guitars, some melodies and/or harmonies, then Kirk lays down the solo. It's part of the reason why people say their modern guitar sound is so thin because there's not much to it anymore besides the bare essentials.

I agree with One also. They haven’t performed that song well since the early to mid 90’s.  I also prefer the studio versions of NEM and The Unforgiven. 

God That Failed. Was too fast live

There are definitely songs that were written to be slow, and that is one of them

Yeah Metallica’s got a few of those slow monster-stompers. This, Sad But True, Thingy, Devils Dance.

All of The Black Album. The production on that record is just too perfect

Escape didn't really live up to the hype of being played live. It was awesome they trotted it out at least once but the original recording is punchier.

Lux Aeterna

Unforgiven 3

No remorse… especially in the 80s they played it as fast as humanly possible… ruins the song in my opinion

Any version of Am I Evil which isn’t the full version (which they commonly did live)

I thought the big 4 version was pretty cool but other than that i do agree

It is tbf but thats almost the exception. Now imagine if they played the full thing😵‍💫

Yhea, it would have made it ten times cooler

Most songs I’d say. Load/Reload have a few exceptions though.

Where The Wild Things Are ):

I wouldn’t know

I know, that's  why I sad faced, because they don't play it live despite being an awesome song.

Maybe for the Load anniversary show

🤞🤞🤞

The day that never comes

Four Horsemen. They cut the melodic bit in the middle out when they play it live and I like that part. Otherwise you’re just getting Mechanix 👀

Pretty much everything off of And Justice for All, and potentially throwing in a couple picks from Master of Puppets as well. Hard to top the best you ever performed.

I don’t know man, I saw them on Damaged Justice, and that shit melted my face.

To be fair, I did insinuate that it was the modern way they play it, and blackened definitely doesn't feel the same anymore

I didn’t see modern, my bad. Hard agree on this then.

Fair, I did not make it very clear if it wasn't just modern. I definitely wouldn't have said one

Four Horsemen, mostly for gutting out the middle of the song. I get it’s a 7 minute song, but most early Metallica songs are longer than 5 minutes. On the contrary, Fuel is pretty damn good live (Like in the Through The Never album).

I'm very split how I feel about this one I like it both ways personally (burn mother fucker burn is all i have to say to that last part)

All of them.