Metallica returned home to the Bay Area last weekend, delivering a pair of powerful concerts at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as the North American leg of their 2025 M72 World Tour is winding down.
The quartet played Friday (6/20) with Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills opening, and Sunday (6/22) with Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies doing the honors. The gigs were part of their “No Repeat Weekend” format, so both sets were unique.
The San Francisco Chronicle called the sold-out shows at the home of the 49ers “a reminder that Metallica remains one of the most electrifying live acts of any era,” while declaring that they are "still the soundtrack to our apocalypse."
Despite the enormous stadium having been built back in 2014, Metallica had never played there before even though they pack stadiums of that size (and larger) all around the world.
Our records show that since 2014, the metal gods have rocked a pier, a park, a baseball stadium, a club, a theatre, and an NBA arena while in the Bay, but never the football palace.
Venues Metallica rocked since Levi's Stadium was built in 2014:
Pier 48, SF – 2015
Oracle Park, SF – 2015
Fox Theater, Oakland – 2016
Oracle Park, SF – 2017
Oracle Park, SF – 2018
Civic Center Plaza, SF – 2018
Oracle Park, SF – 2019
Chase Center, SF – 2019
Chase Center, SF – 2019
The Independent, SF – 2021
Chase Center, SF – 2021
Chase Center, SF – 2021
Oracle Park, SF – 2022
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara – 2025
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara – 2025
Despite forming in LA in 1981, Metallica considers themselves a Bay Area band even though their first taste of performing happened in Anaheim, California and subsequent shows that followed were mostly behind the Orange Curtain.
This of course was the OG lineup of vocalist and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and bassist Ron McGovney.
But when they decided to ditch McGovney for Trauma's Cliff Burton, the bassist said he'd join the group under one condition: they move up to the Bay Area where he was, and where the thrash scene was thriving.
We're talking Exodus led by its founding shredder Kirk Hammett; Possessed, who are often credited with helping define death metal from within the thrash scene; Death Angel, made up of Filipino American teens from Daly City; and Blind Illusion who just happened to have included some future Primus members.
Even though LA in '82, had Slayer in Huntington Park, Dark Angel in Downey, and Leatherwolf's three-guitar-attack in Huntington Beach, the band was right to head north not only to upgrade to Cliff, but to immerse themselves in the primordial ooze of hella heavy thrash erupting in No Cal.
Just watch Cliff (on the far right) in '83 react when Donna Davis introduced them as an LA band, a "faux pas" that would rarely repeat again.
Looking at the list above you might ask, "where the heck were Metallica in 2023 and 2024 that they couldn't appear at Levi's Stadium then?"
Beavis's favorite rockers played four shows in California those years, but they were all in Southern California.
In 2023, Metallica played three shows in the Golden State: two nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood as part of the M72 World Tour, and one at the Power Trip festival where Coachella is held.
In 2024, their only California appearance was the Helping Hands Benefit Concert in Inglewood's YouTube Theater that December.
While on Friday a young headbanger got to start off "Seek and Destroy" on the drums, on Sunday Hammett and Robert Trujillo covered both Dionne Warwick's “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and the Dead Kennedys' “California Über Alles” during their "Kirk and Rob Doodle" segment.
The former needs to become a single because even though Kirk had issues at the beginning, he and Rob had something there. Weirdly the fans didn't seem to recognize either of the hits.
Warwick’s won a Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Female Grammy for her smash in 1969 that sold over 3.5 million worldwide copies and peaking at #10 on Billboard's Hot 100.
The way to San Jose lies southeast of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara about 8-9 miles depending on how you go.
If you're at the stadium and take Great America Parkway south into Santa Clara and continue on the 101, just head southeast for about 15 minutes and you'll be at the home of Adobe, PayPal, the NHL's Sharks, and the Winchester Mystery House.
A decade after Dionne won her first Grammy, “California Über Alles,” introduced the world to the Dead Kennedys as it was their debut single that first came out in June 1979 and was later re‑recorded for their 1980 debut LP Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.
Metallica only have two more US dates for the M72 2025 tour and those are this weekend at the home of the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. In July they will be part of Ozzy's last show with Black Sabbath.
Then they take the rest of the summer off to practice some of Dionne's other bangers: “Walk On By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” and the 1985 Grammy-winning jam “That’s What Friends Are For.” In November they head down unda for a series of shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Grab your tickets on Metallica's website.
Metallica M72 World Tour 2025 remaining dates
June 27 – Denver, CO – Empower Field at Mile High
June 29 – Denver, CO – Empower Field at Mile High
July 5 – Birmingham, UK – Villa Park
November 1 – Perth, Australia – Optus Stadium
November 5 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Oval
November 8 – Melbourne, Australia – Marvel Stadium
November 12 – Brisbane, Australia – Suncorp Stadium
November 15 – Sydney, Australia – Accor Stadium
November 19 – Auckland, New Zealand – Eden Park
December 3 – Sakhir, Bahrain – Al Dana Amphitheatre
December 6 – Abu Dhabi, UAE – Yas Island (F1 After-Race Show)
