The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria is a live video with performances by Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, the "big four" of American thrash metal.Lee, Cosmo (2007-05-07). "Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal" . Stylus Magazine. The concert took place on June 22, 2010, at the Sonisphere Festival at Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria. It was shown at 450 movie theaters in the United States and over 350 movie theaters across Europe, Canada, and Latin America on June 22, 2010.

Reviews of the DVD were mostly favorable. Websites such as AllMusic and About.com were positive, though Blogcritics gave the DVD a mixed review. The DVD peaked at number one on the United States, United Kingdom, Austrian, and Canadian charts, and also charted on five other charts. It was certified gold in Germany, and provided Slayer with its first platinum certification.

Background and release On June 16, 2010, at the Sonisphere Festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland, the "big four" of American thrash metal—Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax—performed together for the first time. The bandmembers (except for Slayer's Jeff Hanneman) were first photographed together on the previous day."METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX: The First 'Big Four' Photo" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-06-15. Their live concert in Bulgaria's capital, on June 22, was for one night only. Directed by Nick Wickham,"Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax: The Big 4 - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (2010)". IMDb. Retrieved 2011-01-01. the event was filmed and transmitted via satellite to over 450 movie theaters in the United States and over 350 movie theaters across Europe, Canada, and Latin America, including London's famed Leicester Square. Tickets were made available for around $20 at TheBigFourLive.com, which also listed the theaters where the concert was being screened."METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX: 'Big Four' Coming To A Theater Near You" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-05-20. Delayed screenings took place in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

The film's contents and artwork were revealed on August 25, 2010."'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria' Artwork, Track Listing Revealed" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-08-25. A limited-edition guitar pick was unveiled a day after the artwork was revealed."'The Big Four' Limited-Edition Guitar Pick Unveiled" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-08-26. The European release was initially scheduled for October 11,"'The Big Four: Live From Sonisphere 2010' DVD, Blu-ray U.K. Release Date Announced" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-08-14. but Metallica later announced on their official site that the European release would be pushed back to October 15, with an International release on October 18, and a North American release on October 19, 2010."'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria': More DVD Details Revealed" . Roadrunnerrecords.com. 2010-08-24. On September 15, it was announced that a "super deluxe" limited edition box set would be released on the same date as the regular edition,"'The Big Four' Super Deluxe Box Set: First Photo Available" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-09-15. and a 36-second video preview of the box set was released on September 17."'The Big Four' Super Deluxe Box Set: Video Footage Of Packaging Posted Online" . Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2010-09-17. In mid September, publication was postponed further to a European release on October 29, an International release on November 1, and a North American release on November 2, 2010."'The Big Four' DVD: New Release Dates Announced" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-09-20. Four teaser clips from the video were released on October 12,"'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria': Four New Teaser Clips Released" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-10-12. and nine days later, Metallica's performance of "Sad but True", taken from the film, was released."'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria': Four New Teaser Clips Released" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-10-21. A three-and-a-half-minute trailer was released on September 21, 2010."'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria': New DVD Trailer Released" . Blabbermouth.net. 2010-09-21.

The Slayer title card before the band's performance is the only one of the four bands that did not feature their official logo. In addition, all Slayer members (except drummer Dave Lombardo) did not participate in the "Am I Evil?" performance due to lack of interest.

In 2016, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine expressed interest in doing more Big Four shows.

Event dates DateCityCountryVenueBoxscoreAttendanceJune 16, 2010WarsawPolandSonisphere Festival - Lotnisko BemowoJune 18, 2010JonschwilSwitzerlandSonisphere Festival - Jonschwil DegenauparkJune 19, 2010MiloviceCzech RepublicSonisphere Festival - Milovice AirportJune 22, 2010SofiaBulgariaSonisphere Festival - Natsionalen stadion Vasil LevskiJune 24, 2010AthensGreeceSonisphere Festival - Terra Vibe ParkJune 26, 2010BucharestRomaniaSonisphere Festival - Complexul expozițional RomexpoJune 27, 2010IstanbulTurkeySonisphere Festival - BJK İnönü StadyumuApril 23, 2011Indio, CaliforniaUnited StatesEmpire Polo Club$4,793,76844,205 July 2, 2011GelsenkirchenGermanyVeltins-ArenaJuly 3, 2011GothenburgSwedenUllevi56,000July 6, 2011MilanItalyFiera Open Air ArenaJuly 8, 2011KnebworthUnited KingdomSonisphere Festival - Knebworth HouseJuly 9, 2011AmnévilleFranceSonisphere Festival - Snowhall ParcSeptember 14, 2011New York CityUnited StatesYankee Stadium$5,371,16741,762

Reception

The album was received positively by music critics. Thom Jurek gave it four out of five stars in his review for AllMusic, and stated that "each [song] is incredibly energetic, clearly riding the crowd excitement of the event, and the performances are stellar without a lapse." He pointed to Anthrax's "Madhouse" and "Antisocial"; Megadeth's "Head Crusher" and the "Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise"; Slayer's "Angel of Death", "Seasons in the Abyss", and "Raining Blood"; and Metallica's "Fade to Black", "Creeping Death", "Master of Puppets", and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" as musical highlights, and described the encore performance of "Am I Evil?", in which members of all four bands perform, as "an historic high point."Jurek, Thom. "The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria" . AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-01.

In a mixed review for Blogcritics, Chris Beaumont summed up that "Watching these promo DVDs makes me want the Blu-ray that much more. The performances are great, the sets are great, and it is hard not to get excited about these guys taking the stage together. This is metal."

Chad Bowar, writing for About.com, said that the concert was "one of the defining moments and biggest events in recent metal history" and commented that the bands "can still put on a great show" despite their age. He distinguished the styles of each band, writing: "Anthrax has a more lighthearted, fun approach, while Megadeth is 100 percent business with very little banter and focus on the music. Slayer has a more ominous vibe, although their evil mystique has lessened over the years. Metallica were very inclusive, with James Hetfield acting as everybody's favorite uncle interacting with the crowd and taking time to soak it all in."Bower, Chad (2010-11-25). "The Big 4: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria DVD Review" . About.com.

Charts and certifications

Album charts Chart (2010)PeakpositionAustralian Albums (ARIA)71Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)73Canadian Albums (Billboard) 3Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)75Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)31German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)59Swiss Music (Schweizer Hitparade)63

Video charts Chart (2010)PeakpositionAustralian Video Chart1Austrian Video Chart3Dutch Video Chart7German Video Chart4Japanese Video Chart (Oricon)6New Zealand Video Chart1Switzerland Video Chart3UK Music Video Chart1US Billboard Music DVD ChartTrust, Gary (2010-11-11). "Weekly Chart Notes: Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson" . Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.1

Certifications Country Certification Australia 2× Platinum Brazil Platinum Germany Gold New Zealand Gold Poland 3× Platinum United States 2× Platinum"'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria' DVD Certified Double Platinum In U.S." . Blabbermouth.net. 2011-01-08.

Contents The DVD's contents can be verified by AllMusic and the DVD's notes.

Track listing

Personnel A complete list can be found at AllMusic.

Anthrax Joey Belladonna – lead vocals Rob Caggiano – lead guitar, backing vocals Scott Ian – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Frank Bello – bass, backing vocals Charlie Benante – drums

Megadeth Dave Mustaine – guitars, lead vocals Chris Broderick – guitars, backing vocals David Ellefson – bass, backing vocals Shawn Drover – drums

Slayer Tom Araya – bass, vocals Kerry King – guitars Jeff Hanneman – guitars Dave Lombardo – drums

Metallica James Hetfield – rhythm guitar, lead vocals, acoustic guitar on "Fade to Black" Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals Robert Trujillo – bass, backing vocals Lars Ulrich – drums

Production and assistance

Warren Lee – bass technician, guitar technician Michael Pearce; Philip Richardson – editing John Wedge Branon – engineer, production manager, tour manager David May – executive producer

Mark Workman – lighting director Doug C. Short and Scott Boculac – Megadeth audio Russ Russell; Andy Sneap – mixing Ross Halfin – photography Jim Parsons – producer

Chris Blair; Michael McGuire – pyrotechnics Mike Osman – sound technician Alan Doyle – stage manager Chris David – video technician

References