On Friday, June 27th, Metallica lit up Empower Field at Mile High Stadium, kicking off their “No Repeat Weekend.” The show was part of their M72 World Tour supporting their latest album, “72 Seasons,” and they were greeted by over 75,000 fans and an air of electricity rolling throughout the venue. Over the course of the weekend, they’d actually set the record for most fans to ever attend two shows by a single artist in Empower Field history, with a higher attendance than even Taylor Swift’s two nights there in 2023. As always, Metallica exceeded expectations and further cemented their status as music legends.
Openers for the night were the American heavy metal band Ice Nine Kills and the American nu metal band Limp Bizkit. Ice Nine Kills had an especially theatrical performance, featuring horror-inspired props and costumes, along with narrated storytelling to introduce songs. The set definitely fed the audience’s darkest horror fantasies and created a visual spectacle that matched the intensity of the band’s music.
Following the performance, the crowd cheered as nu metal icons Limp Bizkit took to the stage. As they amped up the crowd with their playfully infectious spirit and lead vocalist Fred Durst’s iconic vocals, the crowd went absolutely wild. Closing with their most widely regarded song, “Break Stuff,” the band set the tone for Metallica’s performance to follow.
Sitting and looking out at the 360-degree stage surrounded by towers, it was impossible to fathom the epic scale of the performance to come. After the classic Metallica Western intro, the crowd immediately went crazy as each member ran onto the stage to greet fans. Seeing the band projected onto the large screens was a surreal, mythical experience to witness. As the lights dimmed and exploded into bright red, the band opened with “Creeping Death,” from their album Ride the Lightning released in 1984. Beating down on the drums, Lars Ulrich set the tone for Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo to shred on their guitars, and bringing it all together, James Hetfield sent the audience into a state of transcendence with his vocal prowess.
Their explosive entrance was followed by a performance of “Harvester of Sorrow” and “Holier Than Thou” before they swapped drum kits to perform “King Nothing.” In total, they had four drum kit swaps throughout the night, covering all corners of the stage.
The band also played “72 Seasons” from their album of the same name before dedicating their song, “Orion,” to their late bassist Cliff Burton, who passed away in 1986. Speaking to the crowd, Hetfield stated, “This song is dedicated to our fallen brother, Mr. Clifford Lee Burton. We love you, and we miss you, brother,” before blowing a kiss to the sky. As the lights turned a serene blue hue, Hammett began to play the beautifully somber guitar melody of “Orion.” Following the energy of the music, the band continued with “Nothing Else Matters,” another one of their slower, melodic songs.
Hetfield then took a moment to soak in the crowd, darting across the stage in a goofy manner while taking in cheers across the stadium. After the playful banter, he continued by asking people if it was their first, second, third, fifth, or tenth Metallica show before officially inducting everyone into the Metallica family.
“Alright, everyone is officially now in the Metallica family, whether you like it or not. You are in! It’s a big family too. It feels good to be a part of it. The only stipulation is you can’t leave. You can’t ever leave, because we will come find you. Yes, we will.”
Segueing into their next song, Hetfield pulled the crowd in, yelling, “And we do know that the Metallica family, especially here in Denver, do you like your music heavy? Do you want heavy now? Metallica gives you heavy, baby!” The screen then lit up with visuals of hands pounding down hammers, as a steady beat of drums and guitar riffs reverberated through the stadium.
The elaborate production continued beyond this point. As the band continued to play various songs spanning their discography, they pulled out all the stops between the various flashing screens and pyrotechnic elements in their performance.
During their performance of “Fuel,” a shock of excitement spread throughout the stadium as flames suddenly shot up from the stage. Throughout the song, flames continued to rise to the beat of in elaborate movements. Following the fiery excitement, Metallica just continued to pack on the heat by releasing a huge stream of beach balls from the towers surrounding the stage as they performed “Seek.” Suddenly, people were screaming and jumping to push beach balls around the crowd, and everyone wanted to jump in on the action.
In a small corner of the floor people jumped around in a mosh pit, mindlessly thrashing around and completely entranced by the music as beach balls bounced overhead. The culmination of chaos and people enjoying the music in their own unique way was something only Metallica could achieve. To top it all off, the band finished their epic performance off by lighting off a barrage of fireworks during “Master of Puppets,” one of the most highly regarded thrash songs from their 1986 album, sending people into an absolute frenzy.
The cathartic experience of the performance left nothing to be desired, yet simultaneously created anticipation for the second night of their two-day takeover. The second performance will also be taking place at Empower Field on June 29, featuring a completely different setlist and openers Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera.
It’s hard to comprehend how they will outdo the insane opening night of their “No Repeat Weekend,” but if anyone knows how to destroy a crowd, it’s Metallica.