Official Metallica.com footage from METALLICA's January 15, 2009 concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. can be viewed below. The clip includes footage from the pre-show meet-and-greet session, backstage jam and the actual performance.

METALLICA's concert in Washington, D.C. was a rare pyrotechnics-free affair. According to a posting on the MetOnTour.com web site, which is described as "your FREE virtual backstage pass to every METALLICA show," the reason for the lack of pyro was that "something [was to happen the following] week [at the same venue] and they didn't want anything to go wrong."

First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hosted a children's concert at the Verizon Center on January 19 honoring military families.

According to the official METALLICA web site, a March 29 release in the U.S. has been set for Guitar Hero: Metallica on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The game's arrival for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii will most likely come in early May, around the same time the game is issued in Europe. As previously reported, METALLICA is only the second act to get its own version of Guitar Hero, following last year's AEROSMITH game.

The band had to go through an extensive motion-capture process in order to make them come to life in the game, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett told The Pulse of Radio the final result was a little unsettling. "Once they've actually made a virtual you and you start seeing that virtual you playing METALLICA songs, it's a trip, man," he said. "It's like watching a hologram of yourself or, you know, a cartoon of yourself or whatever. It's strange because it's weird and different but oddly familiar at the same time."

Guitar Hero: Metallica will include 28 METALLICA songs, along with tracks from SLAYER, FOO FIGHTERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, and others.

The game will allow players to perform in either single instrument or band mode, in a variety of settings and stages.