That’s how it was with METALLICA

Metal gods on Mount Olympus

In ancient Greece, the gods had their seat on Mount Olympus. It’s no secret that quite a few metalheads also consider Metallica to be gods. On 30.05.2026, these gods found their Olympus in Berlin: the Olympic Stadium. Metallica played perhaps the biggest single stadium concert in German live history in front of a historic 95,000 spectators. This was made possible by the gigantic 360-degree ring stage of the “M72 World” tour, which was erected in the middle of the stadium and offered space for fans even in the center. To say it in advance: It was impressive, spectacular, completely inspiring. It was simply divine.

AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll)” played from the loudspeakers, followed shortly afterwards by Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold”. 95,000 people knew exactly what that meant. Then James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo stormed onto the stage. No long greetings, no superfluous words – and suddenly there was no stopping them. With “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Of Wolf and Man” and “The Memory Remains”, the stadium was energized early on. Later, “72 Seasons”, “The Unforgiven” and “Fuel” drove the mood even higher. Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo provided a special Berlin moment with their special cover version of Rammstein’s “Sonne”. When the two of them sang the lyrics in German, the Olympic Stadium celebrated its very own capital city anthem.

After that, “The Day That Never Comes” and “Wherever I May Roam” took over again before “Nothing Else Matters” transformed the stadium into a huge sea of stars made of cell phone lights. For a moment, it seemed as if Berlin was breathing under the open sky. The heaviness returned with “Sad But True”. This was followed by “One” – accompanied by sirens, explosions, fire and flashes of light. 95,000 voices carried the song through the night. During “Seek & Destroy”, the Olympic Stadium became a single choir. “Master of Puppets” then impressively demonstrated why Metallica have been at the forefront of metal for decades. During the finale “Enter Sandman”, the entire stadium sang along to every line, while light, pyro and euphoria merged one last time into a powerful finale that culminated in a huge firework display. Metallica didn’t just visit Berlin that night. They made history.

Text & Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann

Setlist:
“It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” – “The Ecstasy of Gold” – “Creeping Death” – “For Whom the Bell Tolls” – “Of Wolf and Man” – “The Memory Remains” – “72 Seasons” – “The Unforgiven” – “Fuel” – “Kirk and Rob Doodle” (Rammstein cover “Sonne”) – “The Day That Never Comes” – “Wherever I May Roam” – “Nothing Else Matters” – “Sad But True” – “One” – “Seek & Destroy” – “Master of Puppets” – “Enter Sandman”