{"id":509451,"date":"2026-06-20T10:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T10:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/509451\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T10:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T10:33:13","slug":"metallica-in-dublin-review-spectacular-production-helps-get-the-fans-rocking-at-aviva-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/509451\/","title":{"rendered":"Metallica in Dublin review: Spectacular production helps get the fans rocking at Aviva Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Metallica have stormed\u00a0 the Aviva Stadium this weekend for their first Dublin shows since 2009, and their first time headlining in Ireland since Slane Castle in 2019. The four-piece – James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Rob Trujillo, and Lars Ulrich – have been at it for 45 years, and Hetfield, surveying the roughly 40,000-strong crowd of newbies and veterans, admits they haven\u2019t played Ireland often enough over the decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They\u2019re making up for lost time with a No Repeat Weekender: Dublin is one of only three cities on the European leg of the M72 tour to get two full shows, Friday and Sunday. If you only go to one, you are missing out.<\/p>\n

\"JamesJames Hetfield of Metallica on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Picture: Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

The production is spectacular. They\u2019re playing in the round on a circular stage with a \u201csnake pit\u201d at its heart – a couple of hundred lucky uber-fans packed in as close as you can get to the foursome. Towering above it all are eight 30m-high video and speaker towers that make the whole thing look and feel massive.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The only downside? Playing in the middle of the pitch leaves the band completely exposed to our washout summer. Rain hammers down throughout, leaving puddles across the stage. As Hetfield sings “And the sunshine never comes\u201d during The Day That Never Comes, it feels almost too on the nose.<\/p>\n

At 8.15pm, after the classic Ennio Morricone The Ecstasy of Gold intro, Ulrich\u2019s drums rose from beneath the stage and they exploded straight into it: Creeping Death (the predicted opener for night one), Harvester of Sorrow, and a thunderous Leper Messiah. The early set was pure, crushing energy as the band prowled the circular stage.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0Metallica\u00a0\u00a0Metallica\u00a0 at the Aviva Stadium. Picture: Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

Then came a heavier dose of material drawn from their output this century. While 72 Seasons (the album that gives the tour its name) has some strong moments – If Darkness Had a Son is admirably soul-searching – the energy and attention of the 40,000-strong crowd dipped noticeably during the newer tracks. Hetfield\u2019s between-song banter\u00a0 also feels a bit corny (\u201cthe Metallica family\u201d etc), though his signature growl is still commanding.<\/p>\n

The nadir of this section is Trujillo and Hammett’s ‘doodle’ jam, an attempt to cover Thin Lizzy’s Black Rose. It’s ropey at best.<\/p>\n

The turning point comes with the instrumental Orion, dedicated to their \u201cfallen brother\u201d Cliff Burton, the band’s original bassist who passed away in 1986. The musicians huddle around Ulrich\u2019s kit to play it, a genuine stadium-rock moment that reminded everyone of the band’s roots.<\/p>\n

From there, any quibbles vanish. Nothing Else Matters drew the loudest roar of the night, with thousands of phone lights swaying and arms around shoulders – even the mini mosh pits turned into group hugs. \u201cI have the best job in the world and I know it,\u201d Hetfield grinned. \u201cThanks for bringing the energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Metallica’s James Hetfield at the Aviva Stadium. Picture: Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

\n \u00a0Sad But True sees Trujillo sporting a silly paper crown (looking like it came straight out of a fast-food meal) as he crosses the snake pit on a moving platform – the only time it happens on the night. it looked like a blast. Maybe the other three will give it a go on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Fuel then explodes out of the speakers with flames and pyrotechnics shooting up from the stage; the four-piece must know exactly where not to be standing for this one.<\/p>\n

They close the night with the epic call-and-response of Seek & Destroy (complete with a shower of bouncing balloons from the towers) and the immortal Master of Puppets during which Hetfield growls: \u201cMore is all you need.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyone with tickets for Sunday night is in for another two-hour feast, with the added bonus of some sunshine along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Out and about at Metallica\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0Metallica\u00a0Metallica Fans Babbs and Niallo from Marino, Dublin, going to the Metallica gig in the Aviva Stadium. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"
\n \u00a0Calam, Georgia Butterly, and Graeme Millar from Belfast on their way to the Aviva. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"\u00a0Chlo\u00e9\u00a0Chlo\u00e9 Histon (Cork) and Chris Tarbox (Lafayette IN, USA) on their way to Metallica. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"\u00a0Layla\u00a0Layla and Wemyss O\u2019Sullivan from Kilkenny going to the Metallica gig. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"PrincessPrincess Esezobor (Dublin) going to Metallica. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"IssacIssac (6) and Mateo Lopez (9)\u00a0 (Ireland\/Mexico) on their way to the Aviva. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"MatthewMatthew Boyle, Owen Convery, Arron and Dean McCarthy on their way to the gig. Picture: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos\"JamesJames Roach from Dublin going to the Metallica gig.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0Metallica have stormed\u00a0 the Aviva Stadium this weekend for their first Dublin shows since 2009, and their first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[93,61,60,278,6405],"class_list":["post-509451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-music","tag-music-movies-reviews-munster"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}