Having, by 1986, already gained a fearsome reputation for performing a fast, aggressive brand of metal known to insiders as thrash, Metallica nevertheless continued to stun audiences worldwide towards the end of that year.

Following the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton in a bus crash near Dörarp, Sweden, on 27th September, many believed the band would break-up. However, with the blessing of Burton’s family, Metallica soldiered on, enlisting Jason Newsted as his replacement. More impressively, the band resumed touring again just over a month after the tragedy, playing the Country Club in Reseda, California on 8th November.

Although they had been forced to cancel a number of dates in the meantime, the group continued with the remainder of the Damage Inc. Tour. Playing more than 50 further shows across North America, Asia and Europe, they concluded on 13th February 1987 with a performance at the Frölundaborg in Gothenburg, just 100 miles from the crash site.

Newsted’s first recordings with the band would follow in August 1987, with the release of the covers record, The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited. The show included on this LP is taken from the Canadian leg of the Damage Inc. Tour, during Newsted’s first jaunt with the band. Recorded at Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg on 13th December, and broadcast in exceptional audio quality over FM radio, this performance finds Metallica displaying as much fury and energy as ever they had, in a performance that exemplifies the band’s commitment to the future.