I saw a lot of great shows in 2013 but far and away the best show I saw was Metallica at Harlem’s Apollo Theater — a legendary and beautiful space roughly 1/20 the size of the rooms usually played by Metallica. I wasn’t at the band’s show in Antarctica last night, but I’d imagine it would have given the Apollo gig a run for its money. The band played a 10-song set in a domed space for a tiny group of people, and travel/hassle/bitter cold aside, it seems like it was a total blast. Said the band of the show:

This was the most unique show Metallica has ever done. The band, contest winners, research station scientists (from Russia, South Korea, China, Poland, Chile, Brazil and Germany), and the ship crew, all crammed in this little dome out on the helipad of Carlini Station in ANTARCTICA! The energy in the little dome was amazing! Words can not describe how happy everyone was.

I believe it. Check out the setlist as well as video of the entire performance below, and pictures from the show in the gallery above.

Metallica @ Antarctica setlist:

“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”