Metallica are such an institution that, for one whole weekend, they’re bending London to their will. As well as headlining the former Olympic Stadium twice to a combined 160,000 people, the Grammy-gobbling megastars are screening their concert films in cinemas across town, running a pop-up shop on Old Street and donating thousands of pounds to local disadvantaged students. They’re even hosting a blood drive where fans can exchange their plasma for possible goodies.
As if metal’s best-selling band taking over the capital wasn’t big enough, they’ve also brought two of the scene’s most exciting bands for night one. KNOCKED LOOSE’s chest-kicking hardcore was refined in Kentucky basements, so it’s easy to imagine a half-empty stadium swallowing much of their oomph. But, the five-piece thrive in the expanse. Frontman Bryan Garris strides around the circular stage while six moshpits swirl: a record no one else this evening will touch.
GOJIRA’s hour nearly steals the show. Inspired by Morbid Angel as much as Meshuggah, the Frenchmen are progressive but never pretentious. The Cell and Backbone use technical parts to build disgusting riffs, whereas newer cuts Born For One Thing and Amazonia flaunt their developing melodic prowess. The band covered revolutionary song Ah! Ça ira! at 2024’s Paris Olympics opening ceremony, and they relive that mainstream moment, rejoined by opera singer Marina Viotti. The Gift Of Guilt may end things with anguished lyrics, but this set was an unencumbered victory.
(Image credit: Tina Korhonen)
“Die! Die! Die!” chant tens of thousands of people. Only at a METALLICA show can that be a sign of enjoyment. London Stadium is instantly absorbed as the Californians unload Creeping Death, and after fellow oldie Harvester Of Sorrow keeps the energy high, singer/guitarist James Hetfield takes to the mic with supreme gratitude, calling the amped-up masses “family”. We’re subsequently treated to Holier Than Thou and Of Wolf And Man: two deep cuts from 1991’s chart-busting Black Album.
The momentum stumbles during recent songs Lux Æterna and If Darkness Had A Son, which have yet to reach fan-favourite status, before falling flat on its face when bassist Rob Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett jam near-unrecognisable renditions of Ian Dury’s Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and The Clash’s Guns Of Brixton. Sweeping ballad Fade To Black course-corrects, however, and from there the lineup truly locks in. Everything is performed with surgical precision, not to mention an enthusiasm which belies the fact they’ve been doing this for 45 years now. The members explore every corner of their 360 setup (literally – Lars Ulrich has four different drum kits at his disposal) and Trujillo surfs a makeshift board through the VIP ‘snake pit’.
The final 45 minutes offer a string of spectacles. Phone lights pierce the darkness during Nothing Else Matters, then stomper Sad But True rattles the stands. Hardwired is aired for the first time all tour, Fuel brings the fire, and gigantic blow-up balls drop for Seek & Destroy. Master Of Puppets concludes without the bells and whistles but remains a display of neoclassical magnificence, as magical now as it was in 1986.
Even though Metallica’s first night at their last European stop wasn’t quite perfect, it reiterated that when the kings of metal knuckle down, they deserve their crowns. Being gigantic isn’t the same as being good, yet this was unquestionably both. And we’re only halfway done…
Metallica setlist: London Stadium – July 3, 2026
Creeping DeathHarvester Of SorrowHolier Than ThouOf Wolf And ManLux ÆternaIf Darkness Had A SonSex & Drugs & Rock & Roll / Guns Of Brixton (Ian Dury and The Clash covers; Kirk and Rob only)Fade To BlackCyanideOrionNothing Else MattersSad But TrueHardwiredFuelSeek & DestroyMaster Of Puppets
