Metallica, Gojira, Pantera, Knocked Loose, Avatar – Athens, Glasgow, Cardiff and London – May-July 2026

STILL RELEVANT

It is probably fair to say that every metalhead will have crossed paths with Metallica at some point or another. For more casual listeners this may have simply been a short dalliance when the black album erupted, while for others Metallica perhaps served as a gateway band on the way to more extreme auditory delights, but for many dedicated Metallifans around the world ‘Birth, School, Metallica, Death’ holds true and those fans remain some of the most dedicated of any band.

Despite this, I often have people telling me that Metallica are a parody of their former selves and have no relevance in today’s “true” metal scene. I’m here to tell you that they are absolutely relevant and they remain a live force to be reckoned with, and even though my heart is now firmly ensconced in black metal, I will continue to proudly fly the Metallica flag as my not so guilty pleasure, and based on this tour, I am not alone. 

The M72 tour, supporting the 72 Seasons album, kicked off in Amsterdam in 2023 and since then has rumbled its way around the world, culminating back in Europe for a couple of months of dates starting in Athens and ending in London. At The Barrier packed its bags and headed back to the pit for a few of these final dates, some of which were single nights, whereas others were the “two night, no repeat” format. 

ATHENS…

Athens opened this leg of the tour, and even five days before the show, there were a lot of Metallica shirts around the city and as the show got closer the atmosphere and hype grew until it reached fever pitch, way beyond that experienced in most cities. This was perhaps as this was the first time Metallica had played in Athens for sixteen years and anticipation and excitement was through the roof. 

Part of the build up included a visit to the obligatory “pop up shop”, which had loads of new merch available, including some exclusive to the shop. Despite arriving nearly two hours before the shop opened, the queue was absolutely massive with the crush at the front as tight as the crush at the barrier at any concert, as dedicated fans tried to get their hands on some of this merch with media photographing and videoing the queue for coverage as part of the build up. 

The concert was held in the Olympic Stadium and the trains to the venue were absolutely rammed but this only added to the excitement and the atmosphere was buzzing as fans made their way into this historic venue. The impressive stage layout was the same as on previous legs with the circular stage being in the middle of the floor, with the huge snake pit in the middle giving lucky fans the chance to get up close and personal with the bands. There were also eight pillars surrounding the stage with large screens on top, allowing video footage of the bands to be shown throughout the shows.

It was absolutely roasting in the stadium as the record breaking crowd of 90,000 took up their spots in readiness for Kentucky’s Knocked Loose and their ferocious brand of hardcore. While it was great to hear vitriolic renditions of tracks such as Blinding Faith, Piece By Piece and Hive Mind, some of the intensity was lost in the bright sunshine and large chunks of the crowd quickly seemed indifferent despite the bands energetic performance. 

Gojira followed shortly after with signature tracks Stranded and Flying Whales soon rumbling around the stadium. Those at the front lapped it up, but by the time the set was brought to a close with Amazonia, larges swathes of the crowd were growing restless for the main event. 

In the build up to Metallica, the crowd entertained themselves with Mexican waves, before the screens changed to display an image of Poseidon sitting under the Metallica logo which was greeted with loud cheers. Before long, the PA volume cranked up as AC/DC’s It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll) belted out as the now familiar early warning that the show is about to start, leading into Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstasy of Gold as the band took up positions. Blistering versions of Creeping Death and For Whom the Bell Tolls opened the show as they would for the rest of the single night shows on the tour, and were greeted enthusiastically by the passionate Greek crowd.

It was clear that some songs were set staples, whereas others were on rotation, and Athens was given Moth Into Flame (complete with the first pyros of the night), King Nothing and a frenetic, wonderful version of Lux Æterna as the first of the interchangeable songs in the set. The Unforgiven was particularly powerful before Fuel saw more pyros lighting up the Athens sky. Talking of which, I should mention how energetic the Greek crowd was including several who were letting off flares in the crowd during the show adding more atmosphere and theatrics to proceedings!

There was then a change in momentum as James and Lars left the stage leaving Rob and Kirk to do their ‘doodle’, where they perform light hearted covers of a couple of local songs. In the past I have seen songs ranging from Abba to Black Sabbath, The Dubliners to The Stone Roses and of course, Iron Maiden amongst others. Sometimes these fall completely flat, whereas on other occasions, the crowd has completely embraced them in the spirit they were intended, but I had never seen a response like Zorba’s Dance and Trypes’ Den Choras Pouthena earned in Athens with the entire crowd singing loudly and happily dancing along. 

The mood changed for the next interchangeable, and an emotional rendition of the stunning Fade To Black which was perhaps a highlight of the whole run of shows for me, before a trio of black album songs (Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters and Sad But True) had the crowd singing louder than ever, before One upped the ante further with pyros and videos as the melancholic beginning built to its destructive climax.

Seek & Destroy saw large beach balls drop from the video towers into the crowd giving a party atmosphere as the mosh pits were happily throwing the balls around. The atmosphere was electric as the show reached its finale with the immense Master Of Puppets and Enter Sandman leaving a battered and bruised, but very happy, crowd to battle the Greek public transport system back into the city. This had been a truly special night and the bar had been set very high for the rest of the tour. 

GLASGOW…

A few weeks later, we found ourselves stood in (unexpectedly) hot sunshine queuing outside another pop up before heading to Hampden Park for Metallica’s first ever stadium show in Scotland, and their first show in Glasgow for nine years. The UK was basking in an omega block heatwave and was 29 degrees for this date, as the bars in the city quickly filled with Metallica shirts and those seeking liquid refreshments before the show.

Due to challenges getting to the venue I missed Knocked Loose and only caught the tail end of Gojira as Amazonia filled the stadium. Frustrated, I took up my spot for Metallica and before long,the usual combo of intro music put a smile back on my face. The energy was electric for Creeping Death and For Whom The Bell Tolls before an unexpected Hit The Lights took things to a whole new level and was my highlight of the night. King Nothing followed before 72 Seasons replaced Lux Æterna.

Glasgow’s doodle was Nazareth’s Hair Of The Dog and The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). Unfortunately very few seemed to recognise the Nazareth track and although the Proclaimers’ track was familiar with many singing along, it sadly fell a little flat. 

The Day That Never Comes replaced Fade To Black, and is establishing itself as a powerful live track and got a great response from the crowd as it built in intensity to its robust climax. The black album trio then followed with Rob making his way across the snake pit on a raised platform. It struck me how loud things were, with subsequent reports were that the concert was audible miles away in East Glasgow.

The band looked to be enjoying themselves and the crowd was, once again, a venue record with 58,000. The energy and excitement in the crowd reached fever pitch as the set was brought to a close with “the hits”, as it had been in Athens, with Enter Sandman closing the show. The band then took a few minutes to take a bow and throw plectrums to the crowd before leaving them to head out into the pleasant Scottish evening to either battle with public transport or walk back into the city. 

CARDIFF…

A few nights later, Metallica returned to Cardiff for the first time in an unbelievable thirty years! Excitement was building from the day before where fans either warmed up at Cardiff Castle with Alter Bridge and Skindred or by sampling Cardiff’s hospitality in hot sunshine. The pop up shop was once again very popular with long queues, as were the bars around the stadium leading up to the doors opening with a good natured buzz. 

The roof was closed on the stadium giving some respite from the heatwave, and giving the atmosphere a bit more intensity, although it quickly became stiflingly hot in the packed (record breaking again) 76,000 crowd.

Knocked Loose kicked things off, but they came across as more abrasive and aggressive than on previous dates and the crowd seemed more receptive with bigger and more active pits than I had seen at other dates. Likewise, Gojira seemed to fair better in the darker environment as their dense grooves rumbled around the ever expanding crowd. The band looked to be enjoying themselves and interacted enthusiastically with the front rows. 

Before long, the usual intro songs were played over the PA before Metallica once again ripped into Creeping Death and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Familiarity with this intro did nothing to lessen the impact of these thrash monsters before Cyanide tagged in with The Memory Remains as the first two interchangeables. The latter seeing a very loud, long singalong from the crowd with the band grinning from ear to ear waiting for the crowd to stop!

72 Seasons kept its spot in the set  with The Unforgiven before the doodle and Tom Jones’ Delilah which the crowd absolutely loved. Interestingly, this song used to be sung by choirs and played on the PA at half time at Welsh rugby international matches at this venue, but it has now been banned due to its lyrical content about the murder of an unfaithful woman by her jealous partner! Irrespective of this, this rowdy rendition went down well as the crowd sang along enthusiastically. 

The rest of the set list ran as expected with the stadium being lit up with phones/lighters during an emotional rendition of Nothing Else Matters and Rob traversing the snake pit on his platform during Sad But True. Seek & Destroy saw another battery of beach balls again bringing the party to Cardiff before Enter Sandman saw Skindred’s “Newport Helicopter” in the snakepit. I’m not sure the band knew what was going on as this closed the raucous show with everyone having had an absolute blast. 

LONDON – Night One…

Five days later the juggernaut moved to London for a two night show meaning the set list would be mixed up and include a lot more tracks, with none being repeated over the two nights, as well as two new support acts for the second night. It also meant that the band did a city take over with the pop up shop (of course), cover bands, a film festival and a conversation evening with Kirk Hammett, as well as the actual concerts. 

On the Friday afternoon, the weather was once again glorious and the bars and restaurants around the venue were packed with Metallica shirts as the atmosphere and excitement built. The infrastructure in the venue was possibly the best I’ve seen at a stadium as I relaxed soaking up the atmosphere before taking up a spot for Knocked Loose. From the outset, the band were abrasive and energetic. The band acknowledged this was the last show of the tour and thanked Metallica and their crew, dedicating Hive Mind to everyone in the venue, before Suffocate battered the crowd with its breakdowns. The crowd was a mix of those doing karate in the pit alongside those doing some (presumably) ironic dad dancing, as well as the more familiar mosh pits!

It was interesting to have seen the band grow in confidence and ability to handle the big stage and stadium crowds during the tour, although I’m sure they are still better suited to much smaller intimate venues. Credit should also go to Metallica for bringing out a young and “dangerous” band rather than simply playing it safe. 

As was now a familiar routine, Gojira followed and their hypnotic grooves were soon resonating around the stadium in the baking hot summer afternoon. Flying Whales somehow sounded a little more confrontational than usual before the band thanked Metallica for bringing them on tour, before dedicating Love to them. The music was more cerebral than Knocked Loose’s direct punch to the face, but was no less intense. 

Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) was introduced as a song about revolution with Marina Viotti joining the band for the operatic sections adding a new dimension to their sound. Amazonia followed before Marina took to the stage again helping the crowd warm up their voices for The Chant before the set was drawn to a close with The Gift Of Guilt.

The floor area was absolutely packed making a grand 80,000 in the sold out venue as It’s A Long Way To…The Ecstasy of Gold once again heralding the bands arrival before the familiar Creeping Death and its “Die! Die! Die!” singalong kicked things off for Metallica. Harvester Of Sorrow was a little more plodding but was no less heavy and as its crushing riffs engulfed the stadium it struck me that the energy level in the crowd was immense.

Black album tracks Holier Than Thou and Of Wolf And Man followed before Lux Æterna and If Darkness Had A Son represented the 72 Seasons album, with Lux sounding particularly and gloriously vicious!

There had been a lot of speculation about the doodle with a lot of material to choose from, but unfortunately Ian Dury’s Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and The Clash’s Guns Of Brixton fell flat with a lot of the crowd looking slightyl bemused, not seeming to recognise them. 

The personal tour favourite Fade To Black was as emotive as ever before the groove laden Cyanide brought some movement back to the crowd. The instrumental Orion was dedicated to the much revered Cliff Burton and was a stand out moment of the whole run of shows. It was as poignant as it was epic with its melancholic melodies swirling around the venue with everyone seeming to acknowledge the significance of the track. Nothing Else Matters also hit the mark before Sad But True’once again saw Rob cross the Snakepit.

An aggressive version of Hardwired was a nice surprise and as far as I know it was the only time it was played on this leg of the tour, leading into a literally explosive Fuel. James then joked that the next track would be from Kill ‘Em All’ an album which has a hammer on the front, noting that the stadium (West Ham’s ground and favoured club of Maiden’s Steve Harris) is the home of The Hammers, which was universally met with boos.

James laughed, shrugged his shoulders and jokingly said that the crowd could boo or cheer and he didn’t really care either way, before Seek & Destroy and the obligatory beach balls. A truly epic version of Master Of Puppets once again brought the show to a temporary close, before we would all return a couple of days later to do it all again with a completely different set list. 

LONDON – Night Two…

Having entertained themselves for 48 hours, the crowd gathered at the venue again on the Sunday afternoon in readiness for Sweden’s Avatar. The band initially gathered around the drum kit before dispersing across the large stage. Johannes Eckerström screamed “London is on fire” before launching into Let It Burn and The Eagle Has Landed which was preceded with a statement that “The circus has come to town!” The modest crowd enjoyed the blend of melodic death metal and groove metal as the melodies washed over them. A shout out too for Metallica before the industrial grooves of Smells Like A Freak Show and Hail The Apocalypse which closed the short set. 

After a quick turnaround, with seemingly the entire stadium heading to the the bars, water points and toilets (!), it was time for Pantera. The crowd was much bigger when the set started with a video in tribute to Dimebag and Vinnie Paul before a confrontational A New Leve and Mouth For War opened up numerous pits in the crowd despite the baking hot temperature. There was a shout out to Avatar and Metallica, before a primal version of Becoming rang around the stadium. The intro to Cemetery Gates provided another poignant moment as images of Dimebag and Vinnie Paul were once again projected on the screens before 5 Minutes Alone. 

Phil took a minute to note that at many dates on this tour a lot of people didn’t know who they are… I’m not sure that was the case in London judging by the response around me. This Love led into an abrasive Fucking Hostile which took the intensity to a new level, before Walk had everyone singing along. Domination and Hollow merged before the set was closed with a rampant Cowboys From Hell. 

And so – for the final time on the M72 tour, after a short turnaround, the PA cranked out AC/DC and Ennio Morricone once more before Metallica launched into a stunning rowdy opening duo of Whiplash and For Whom The Bell Tolls which had the crowd bouncing up and down as Rob rolled onto his back! Ride The Lightning kept us in the early days with the whole crowd head banging and screaming along as one. It’s incredible that a song which is 42 years old can still sound so contemporary, fresh and relevant rather than nostalgic karaoke but Metallica seem to achieve this with their entire back catalogue.

The band reminded us that this was the final night of the tour, and the show was dedicated to the Metallica crew and all of the fans who travel to the shows, before The Memory Remains rang out, complete with a lengthy crowd singalong section as has become tradition. 72 Seasons was represented with the title track and Screaming Suicide, which James told us was Lars‘ favourite song and we should watch him headbang like it was 1982. 

Before going into the mid set doodle, it was noted that exactly one year ago, it had been the Black Sabbath ‘Back To The Beginning’ event in Birmingham, which Metallica had played at alongside many greats of the rock and metal world, including Black Sabbath and Ozzy, shortly before Ozzy’s tragic passing. It was then inevitable that the doodle would include a Sabbath number and we were given a section of Electric Funeral, which led into Holidays In The Sun. Both went down much better than the previous show’s choices! Ringing out the setlist changes, a drawn out intro led into the powerful The Day That Never Comes before Wherever I May Roam saw Rob traversing the snake pit once again. 

Whereas Friday had Orion as its instrumental offering, Sunday was given an emotive rendition of The Call of Ktulu, which was dedicated to “fallen brother” Cliff Burton. The Unforgiven led into a teaser of …And Justice For All which morphed into Whiskey In The Jar bringing the party to London with the crowd as loud as the band!

The atmosphere changed when a ferocious version of Blackened battered the stadium and was perhaps my highlight of the night, before Moth Into Flame, One and, of course, Enter Sandman bringing the show and the three year tour to an emotional end. With their ears ringing, the crowd headed out into the warm London evening, in many cases trying to find somewhere to watch the England – Mexico World Cup clash!

This tour has been a triumphant masterclass in heavy music, with a band 45 years old still showing as much fire, energy, passion and commitment as much younger bands, and they do it with an understated class and confidence that comes from knowing they are at the top of their game.

The band will hit Las Vegas in the autumn for a short residency, but let’s hope there will be a new album before long, followed by another tour!

All photography by Andy Pountney (Event Photography Awards Winner 2024 and 2025). You can check out more of his work on shot_in_the_dark_photography2 on Instagram.

All photos taken from the crowd with a point and shoot camera.

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