Metallica‘s 2012 Orion Music + More Festival kicked off yesterday (June 23) at Bader Field in Atlantic City, N.J. to an enthusiastic crowd – look no further than the photo above for photographic evidence!

Featuring everything from vintage car shows to guitarist Kirk Hammett’s own personal collection of horror movie memorabilia, the real star of the two day event has been the music. With back to back headlining sets from Metallica, the rest of the lineup is an eclectic mix of the best in music from all genres.

Day one kicked off with sets from Arctic Monkeys, Baroness, Modest Mouse and The Sword – just to name a few.

Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo even joined his old band Suicidal Tendencies onstage during their set, creating quite a memorable moment for all in attendance.

Jim Breur’s Heavy Metal Comedy Tour was also a huge hit – for more on that check out our exclusive interview with comedian metal heads Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson here.

Couldn’t make it to the show this year? Click through the gallery below to get a real feel for the musical diversity being promoted throughout the event featuring Cage the Elephant, F—ed Up, Kyng, Lucero, Red Fang, Roky Erickson and more!

Check Out Photos From Day One of Metallica’s Orion Music and More Festival

*Photos courtesy of Orion Music and More Festival

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