Metallica rocked Virginia so hard Wednesday (5/7) it was noticeable on the richter scale.
After playing 15 songs at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, the quartet grooved into the familiar "Enter Sandman," the 60,000 bounced up and down in unison.
Lane Stadium, if you aren't familiar with Atlantic Coast Conference football, is home of the Virginia Tech Hokies, who have given us a slew of NFL stars like quarterback Michael Vick; running back Kevin Jones; wide receivers Antonio Freeman and André Davis; defensive end Bruce Smith; and cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Kyle Fuller.
When the Hokies storm out of the locker room at the beginning of the game and onto the field flanked by the marching band, "Enter Sandman" is blasting throughout Lane Stadium where both the kids and the alumni are bouncing to the beat and losing their minds.
Dubbed "The Blacksburg Bounce," for years the team and school have been trying to get Metallica to record a unique live rendition at the stadium. The hope was it would be that version they'd blast at the start of each game. But it never happened.
Until Metallica's 2025 M72 World Tour.
Even though there had only been one concert held at Lane Stadium in its history, the free Dave Matthews / Nas / John Mayer memorial show, Metallica opted to play its first metal show there.
A reward, in sorts, for the college football town who for 25 years have gotten pumped up to the Black Album jam.
And together they moved the earth.
Did it cause an earthquake as some outlets are reporting, breathlessly?
"What we recorded last night is a lot bigger than what we see at a football game, so Metallica really got the crowd rocking there," VA Tech Geophysics professor Dr. Martin Chapman, told the local ABC affiliate, while confirming the seismograph at the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory had documented the tremor.
Before "Enter Sandman" is pumped through the speakers at football games, the crowd on one side yells, "LET'S GO," and the other half of the crowd yells, "HOKIES."
Wednesday night, frontman James Hetfield, before the final tune in the set, yelled out, "LET'S GO," and the crowd yelled, "HOKIES." And then Metallica broke into the song that's been streamed now over 1.7 billion times.
Whereupon the earth moved.
You may have noticed that recently rockin the joint has become a thing.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour did it first in recent memory. In July of 2023, her two-night stay at Seattle’s Lumen Field triggered what scientists tagged the “Swift Quake,” registering what would have been a 2.3-magnitude earthquake.
Swifties did it again the next month at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. A detailed study confirmed the localized tremor, a 0.851 magnitude event hit during her first non-country banger, “Shake It Off.”
In June 2024, her Eras Tour jumped the pond to Edinburgh, where her trio of gigs at Murrayfield Stadium were so thunderous, seismic waves were detected up six kilometers away. CNN said the culprits were "…Ready For It?" "Cruel Summer" and "Champagne Problems."
You might also remember when Travis Scott caused a commotion with his concert at Rome’s historic Circus Maximus in August, 2023. A surprise appearance by Kanye West sent the audience into such a frenzy that it caused a 1.3-magnitude earthquake, which freaked out archaeologists concerned for the ancient site’s stability.
Then in September 2024, Scott’s performance in São Paulo generated tremors reportedly as 46,000 fans danced in tandem to what is now known as his signature hit, "FEIN."
Travis' Circus Maximus 2025 goes to Qatar this week. He'll also be at Leeds and Reading in August. Tickets available on Travis Scott's website.
Metallica’s M72 World Tour rolls on with stops in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field (home of the NFL's Eagles); Landover, Maryland, at Northwest Stadium (home of the Commanders), Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium (home of the Panthers), Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (home of the Falcons), Tampa at Raymond James Stadium (home of the Buccaneers), and Houston at NRG Stadium (home of the Texans).
Get your tix on Metallica's website.
