I've never seen Metallica live nor would I ever pay the money to see them live BUT I've watched hundreds of live videos ranging from the Burton days all the way up to shows within the last year... Lars just gets worse and worse. He can't play his own drum parts at all, his timing is all over the place, and the rest of the band looks miserable having to follow along with him.
His recorded drum parts are actually cool, ESPECIALLY Kill Em All and Ride The Lightning. Hell, even that new Lux Eterna song kicks ass. But he is just so sloppy live. I wish I could get paid millions of dollars a year to be a crappy drummer.
And die hard Lars fans are worse than hardcore political followers. Don't you dare say anything about him or they will make it their mission to prove you wrong through nonsensical rants and quoting false "facts".