S&M2 (stylized as S&M2; an abbreviation of Symphony and Metallica 2) is a live

album by American thrash metal band Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. It
is a follow-up to S&M, a live collaborative album released in 1999. The album was
recorded during a live performance in San Francisco at the Chase Center in 2019.
[3]
The performance was also filmed and released theatrically on October 9, 2019.[4]

Background and recording

[edit]
Further information: S&M (album)
On April 21 and 22, 1999, Metallica, in collaboration with the San Francisco
Symphony and Michael Kamen, recorded and filmed a concert at the Berkeley
Community Theater.[5][6] The performance was released as a film and a live album in
November 1999.[7]

In March 2019, Metallica announced the S&M2 concert. The concert, which was
similarly performed in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, was planned
in celebration of the 20th anniversary of S&M.[8] The concert was recorded and filmed
at the Chase Center in San Francisco on September 6 and 8, 2019,[9] with Edwin
Outwater and Michael Tilson Thomas[nb 1] conducting the symphony orchestra.[10] The
concert also marked the grand opening of the Chase Center.[11] Filming was directed
by Wayne Isham, who also directed S&M.[12]

Release
[edit]
The film was released in theaters on October 9, 2019. It earned over $1.2 million at
the North American box office, and totaled $5.5 million internationally, making it the
highest-grossing rock cinema event ever.[12] As a result, the film was shown
theatrically for a second time on October 30, 2019.[13]

The live album was released on August 28, 2020.[14] The Blu-ray release included a
new revised version of the film seen in theaters edited by the band, with remixed and
remastered audio plus behind the scenes footage.[15]

Critical reception
[edit]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores

Source Rating

Metacritic 78/100[16]

Review scores

Source Rating
 [17]
AllMusic

Clash 7/10[18]

Classic Rock 9/10[19]

Consequence of Sound B+[20]

[21]
Kerrang!

[22]
Metal Hammer

[23]
Mojo

Pitchfork 5.2/10[24]

[25]
Slant Magazine

At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 78 based on eight reviews,

indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

Critics generally praised the album as a worthy successor of S&M. Paul Brannigan
of Kerrang! gave the performance a perfect rating, writing that the album "stands as
a tribute both to Metallica’s growing confidence as players and composers, and an
absolute vindication of their decision to revisit one of their most inspired creative
outings."[21]

In a mixed review, Andy Cush of Pitchfork felt that the album had the same issues
that S&M did. Cush wrote that the songs are not suited to an orchestral
accompaniment, writing "Metallica’s best songs, intricate and ambitious though they
may be, are not actually well suited for the additional orchestrating they get here,
precisely because they are plenty symphonic already."[24] Cush was also critical of the
song selection for S&M2, noting that "Of the 20 pieces of music here, more than half
appeared in a similar form more than two decades ago on the first S&M."[24]

Commercial performance
[edit]
S&M2 debuted at No. 4 on Billboard with 56,000 equivalent album units, with 53,000
units of that coming from album sales.[26]

Track listing
[edit]
Disc 1
No. Title Writer(s) Original album Length
1. "The Ecstasy of Gold"  Ennio The Good, the Bad 2:41
 (instrumental) Morricone and the Ugly
2. "The Call of Ktulu"  James Ride the Lightning 9:14
(instrumental) Hetfield
 Lars Ulrich
 Cliff Burton
 Dave
Mustaine
3. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"  Hetfield Ride the Lightning 4:37
 Ulrich
 Burton
4. "The Day That Never  Hetfield Death Magnetic 8:27
Comes"  Ulrich
 Kirk Hammett
 Robert
Trujillo
5. "The Memory Remains"  Hetfield Reload 5:42
 Ulrich
6. "Confusion"  Hetfield Hardwired... to 6:41
 Ulrich Self-Destruct
7. "Moth into Flame"  Hetfield Hardwired... to 6:18
 Ulrich Self-Destruct
8. "The Outlaw Torn"  Hetfield Load 10:03
 Ulrich
9. "No Leaf Clover"  Hetfield S&M 5:30
 Ulrich
10. "Halo on Fire"  Hetfield Hardwired...to 8:17
 Ulrich Self-Destruct
Total length: 67:30
Disc 2
No. Title Writer(s) Original album Length
1. "Intro to Scythian Suite" 5:17
2. "Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II:  Sergei 3:39
The Enemy God and the Prokofiev
Dance of the Dark Spirits"
(instrumental)
3. "Intro to the Iron Foundry" 1:03
4. "The Iron Foundry, Opus  Alexander 4:16
19" (instrumental) Mosolov
5. "The Unforgiven III"  Hetfield Death Magnetic 8:19
 Ulrich
 Hammett
 Trujillo
6. "All Within My Hands  Hetfield St. Anger 6:13
(Acoustic)"  Ulrich
 Hammett
 Bob Rock
7. "(Anesthesia) - Pulling  Burton Kill 'Em All 7:27
Teeth" (instrumental)
 8. "Wherever I May Roam"  Hetfield Metallica 6:32
 Ulrich
9. "One"  Hetfield ...And Justice for 9:23
 Ulrich All
10. "Master of Puppets"  Hetfield Master of Puppets 8:29
 Ulrich
 Burton
 Hammett
11. "Nothing Else Matters"  Hetfield Metallica 6:39
 Ulrich
12. "Enter Sandman"  Hetfield Metallica 8:45
 Ulrich
 Hammett
Total length: Disc
two: 76:42
Total: 143:25
Blu-ray
No. Title Length
1. "Intro (Wherever I May Roam / All Within My Hands)" (medley)
2. "The Ecstasy of Gold" (instrumental)
3. "The Call of Ktulu" (instrumental)
4. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
5. "The Day That Never Comes"
6. "The Memory Remains"
7. "Confusion"
8. "Moth into Flame"
9. "The Outlaw Torn"
10. "No Leaf Clover"
11. "Halo on Fire"
12. "Intro to Scythian Suite"
13. "Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and The Dance of the Dark
Spirits" (instrumental)
14. "Intro to the Iron Foundry"
15. "The Iron Foundry, Opus 19" (instrumental)
16. "The Unforgiven III"
17. "All Within My Hands (Acoustic)"
18. "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth" (instrumental)
19. "Wherever I May Roam"
20. "One"
21. "Master of Puppets"
22. "Nothing Else Matters"
23. "Enter Sandman"
24. "Credits"
25. "Behind the Scenes: Making of the Show"
26. "All Within My Hands Promo"
Personnel
[edit]
Metallica

 James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar solo on "Nothing Else
Matters", "Master of Puppets" and "The Outlaw Torn", acoustic (rhythm)
guitar on "All Within My Hands", production
 Lars Ulrich – drums, production
 Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals, acoustic (lead) guitar on "All
Within My Hands", sitar on "Wherever I May Roam"[27]
 Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals
San Francisco Symphony

 Edwin Outwater – conductor

 Michael Tilson Thomas – conductor on "Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The
Enemy God and the Dance of the Dark Spirits", "The Iron Foundry, Opus
19", "The Unforgiven III" and "Enter Sandman", keyboards on "Enter
Sandman"
 Scott Pingel – bass solo for "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth"
 Nadya Tichman (concertmaster), Jeremy Constant, Mariko Smiley,
Melissa Kleinbart, Sarn Oliver, Naomi Kazama Hull, Victor Romasevich,
Yun Chu, Yukiko Kurakata, Katie Kadarauch – first violins
 Jessie Fellows, Polina Sedukh, David Chernyavsky, Raushan
Akhmedyarova, Chen Zhao, Adam Smyla, Sarah Knutson, Yuna Lee –
second violins
 Yun Jie Liu, John Schoening, Christina King, Gina Cooper, David Gaudry,
Matthew Young, David Kim, Nanci Severance – violas
 Amos Yang, Margaret Tait, Jill Rachuy Brindel, Stephen Tramontozzi,
Shu-Yi Pai, Richard Andaya, Miriam Perkoff, Adelle-Akiko Kearns – cellos
 Scott Pingel, Daniel G. Smith, S. Mark Wright, Charles Chandler, Chris
Gilbert, William Ritchen – basses
 Robin McKee, Linda Lukas, Catherine Payne – flutes
 James Button, Pamela Smith, Russ deLuna – oboes
 Luis Baez, David Neuman, Jerome Simas – clarinets
 Stephen Paulson, Rob Weir, Steven Braunstein – bassons
 Robert Ward, Jonathan Ring, Bruce Roberts, Daniel Hawkins, Chris
Cooper, Joshua Paulus, Jeff Garza – horns
 Aaron Schuman, Joseph Brown, Robert Giambruno, John Freeman
– trumpets
 Timothy Higgins, Nick Platoff, John Engelkes, Jeff Budin – trombones
 Jeffrey Anderson – tuba
 Edward Stephan – timpani
 Jacob Nissly, James Lee Wyatt III, Tom Hemphill, Robert Klieger
– percussion
 Douglas Rioth – harp
 Marc Shapiro – keyboard
 Margo Kieser, John Campbell, Matt Gray – librarians
Additional musicians
  Avi Vinocur – backing vocals on "All Within My Hands"
Technical personnel

 Greg Fidelman – production, mixing

 Edwin Outwater – musical direction
 Michael Tilson Thomas – additional conceptualization
 Bruce Coughlin, Michael Kamen – arrangement
 Scott Pingel – arrangement on "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth"
 Emily Grisham, Adriana Grace, David Horne, Larry Spivack, Frederick
Alden Terry – copyists
 Ann Shuttlesworth, Patrick DiCenso – transcribers
 John Harris, Jay Vicari, Brian Flanzbaum – recording engineering
 Bran Vibberts, Bob Wartinbee, Charlie Campbell, Mike Fortunato, Jimmy
Goldsmith, Dave Schwerkolt – recording crew
 Sara Lyn Killion, Dan Monti, Jim Monti, Jason Gossman, Kent Matcke,
Billy Joe Bowers – engineering, editing
 Bob Ludwig – mastering
 Anton Corbijn – band photography
 Stan Musilek – cover/instrument photography
 Brett Murray – additional audience photography
 David Turner – album package design, art direction
 Alex Tenta – album package layout, additional art direction
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts Year-end charts
[edit] [edit]

Weekly chart performance of S&M2 2020 year-end chart performan

Peak Chart (2020)

Chart (2020)
position

Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[55]

Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 1

Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flander

Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 1

Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallon

Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 1

French Albums (SNEP)[58]

Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 2

German Albums (Offizielle Top 1

 Weekly chart performance of S&M2 2020 year-end chart performan

Peak Chart (2020)

Chart (2020)
position

Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 4

Polish Albums (ZPAV)[60]

Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [33]
4

Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE

Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [34]
3

Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitpara

Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [35]
1

US Top Classical Albums (Billboa

Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] 3

US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)

French Albums (SNEP) [37]
4

2021 year-end chart performan

German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [38]
1

Chart (2021)
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [39]
2

US Top Classical Albums (Billboa

Irish Albums (OCC) [40]
2

Italian Albums (FIMI)[41] 13

New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[42] 7

Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[43] 6

Polish Albums (ZPAV)[44] 3

Portuguese Albums (AFP)[45] 1

 Weekly chart performance of S&M2

Peak
Chart (2020)
position

Scottish Albums (OCC)[46] 1

Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[47] 3

Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 2

UK Albums (OCC)[49] 2

UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[50] 1

US Billboard 200[51] 4

US Top Classical Albums (Billboard)[52] 1

US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[53] 1

US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[54] 1

Certifications
[edit]

Certifications and sales for S&M2

Certificatio
Region Certified units/sales
n

Germany (BVMI)[66] Gold 100,000‡

Poland (ZPAV)[67] Gold 10,000‡

 Certifications and sales for S&M2

Certificatio
Region Certified units/sales
n

‡
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.