With the UK leg of the 2026 M72 Tour underway, Metallica have made a big splash at their first Welsh show in the 21st century – this weekend they set a new attendance record with their show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, where they also broke the rules by performing a cheeky Tom Jones cover.
Hailing from San Francisco’s Bay Area, US thrash metal legends Metallica are widely regarded as the biggest heavy metal band on the planet and with good reason – they’ve sold over 125 million records, won 10 Grammys, and had six consecutive albums reach Number One on the Billboard Hot 200. Their 45 years as one of the world’s greatest live acts has seen them play over 1,600 shows across all seven continents, reportedly playing to over 3.5 million fans and earning $227 million in ticket sales over their careers.
Since releasing their eleventh and most recent album ‘72 Seasons’ in 2023, Metallica have been on their M72 World Tour supporting it non-stop. While they’ve dazzled festivals the world round, it’s their stadium performances that have set a new standard for metal gigs. The band have opted to play in-the-round, with a gigantic circular staging platform in the heart of stadiums, and their VIP ‘Snake Pit’ ticket-holders viewing it from the centre. As a result, this setup has opened all of the seating allocations in venues and broken various attendance records in Europe and the US.
After a pair of shows in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and one in Glasgow’s Hampden Park, their last date in June was at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on the 28th, their first visit to Wales since October 1996. With support from US metalcore heavyweights Knocked Loose and French metal powerhouse Gojira, Metallica set a new attendance record of 76,000 for the stadium and Wales as a whole, surpassing Ed Sheeran’s previous best of 75,000 from 2022 and U2’s past record of 73,000 in 2009.
In a set packed with their biggest hits over nearly 50 years such as ‘Master of Puppets’, ‘Sad But True’, and the ever-present ‘Enter Sandman’, the headliners caused a bit of a stir when they led the crowd through a rendition of Welsh star Tom Jones’ 1968 hit ‘Delilah’. The song has historically been a staple sing-along for crowds at the Welsh national rugby team’s home games at the Principality, until it was removed from their stadium playlist in 2015 and confirmed to be effectively taboo ahead of the 2023 Six Nations tournament. The song is considered a ‘murder ballad’, telling the story of a man who kills his partner after catching her in an affair, which led to calls to withdraw it due to the theme of violence to women. Since its removal by Welsh Rugby Union, Jones himself has continued to perform it, and the crowd in Cardiff on Sunday loved every moment of it.
Metallica hit the British headlines again this week for other reasons – acts of charity and kindness. Two weeks ago, Cardiff Foodbank had appealed for donations, claiming they’d never “seen the warehouse so empty”. The group donated £20,000 through their charity foundation All In My Hands, with Cardiff Foodbank CEO Rachel Biggs gratefully saying “It’s an incredible amount of money which will make such a difference and replenish our empty shelves.” Also, the show partnered with the Welsh Blood Service to run blood and plasma donations across Wales from June 28 to July 3.
The next stops on the M72 World Tour are at the London Stadium this week, bringing Knocked Loose and Gojira for Friday July 3, then Avatar and Pantera for Sunday July 5. After that, they’re returning to the States to extend their residency at the Las Vegas Sphere from October until March 2027. You can click here to support All Within My Hands and fund food banks around the world.
