Review by Paddy Gallagher for MPM
The Summer Solstice dawns and we board our noble metal steed to head back to Dublin for the 2nd night of 2 stadium filling dates on Metallica’s M72 “No Repeat Weekend” Tour 2026.
“And the road becomes my bride…..”
There were many who braved the over inflated prices that Dublin is famous for when a big event rolls into town and made a 3 night stay of it, but many opted to travel home both nights and, although missing the various events scheduled for the Saturday between gigs, in our bus at least, mighty fun was enjoyed as we got the craic going both days!
The venue is located on Dublin’s south side in the midst of a residential area that entails a 30min walk from the designated coach park in the Ringsend area. Swarms of the earth’s finest people, Metalheads, make their way to the modern football / rugby stadium to bask in the presence of true legends of Metal.
As witnessed worldwide at Metallica gigs, the age profile of attendees spans the generations, young and young at heart members of the Metallica Family are in attendance from all over the globe, singing every lyric and throwing horns in the air as the band revel in the adulation and bask our ears in the soundtrack of our lives.
But first, at an early 17:30, opening act Knocked Loose pummelled the surroundings with their Kentucky born Hardcore Punk. Formed in 2013 they have three full length albums and a number of EP’s and splits to their name. Being on so early, the stadium wasn’t even ¼ full as they prowled the circular stage but plenty present down front were familiar with their music and got some movement pulsing in time to their frantic beat.
Obviously a fan of the band, Papa Het scanned the scene in the city tonight, surveying the opening act from the entrance to the “backstage” area under the west stand.
The standing area on the pitch looks well packed and the seated blocks in the stands are half full as the change-over between Knocked Loose and the special guests is carried out by industrious roadies. As with any production of this scale every aspect of the meticulously planned day was carried out bang on schedule, and as such, the mighty Gojira took to the stage at the advertised time of 18:30 to a stunning reception.
The stadium has filled up nicely as the distinctive riff of “Born for One Thing” from 2021’s “Fortitude” album pulsates throughout the leafy Dublin 4 area and well beyond. “Backbone” from the “From Mars to Sirius” album continues the sonic shockwaves with astounding musicianship abounding not least from drummer Mario Duplantier who’s complex drumming is such an important component of the band’s sound.
Drawing tracks from 5 of their 7 studio albums including their 2001 debut, “Terra Incognita” we are treated to a broad selection of their discography over the course of the set including their Grammy winning “Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” first played during their historic performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, thus becoming the first metal band to do so.
A powerful performance from the Frenchmen so deserving of their status as standard bearers for the future of heavy music. “Where’s the craic?” asks Mario’s message board? It’s all around you as we are yet again blown away by Gojira in the live setting.
This leads us nicely to Metallica. After the acclaimed future due for Gojira recognised, we now are treated to 2 hours of music from perhaps the most influential band of our life time. Make no mistake, being in the same locale as the four musicians of Metallica, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo is a heart-warming experience. Knowing that you stand, some for the first time, many for the umpteenth time, and breath the same air as the band that wrote and performs the music that shaped your life, brings a bonding sense of togetherness and emotional feel good therapy. As Papa Het says, it doesn’t matter if it’s your first Metallica show or if you are a veteran, everyone here is part of Metallica, part of the Metallica family.
Having played an astounding 2 hour set on Friday night, as part of the no repeat ethos of this weekend, tonight we wouldn’t be hearing “Master of Puppets”, “Creeping Death” or “Nothing Else Matters” again. But with a discography of 11 studio albums of original music and 1 album of covers that were truly metallified we are not short of alternatives.
One main stream media review was negative relating to the 2 night, no repeat concept and not all the “hits” being played both nights, failing to realise that Metalheads aren’t here just for the “hits” (indeed sometimes there aren’t any “hits”), we attend for the deep cuts and would expect nothing less than a thorough trawl through any band’s discography, no matter how obscure.
Any Metallica show starts with a two song intro that induces a heart rate increase and generates a surge of endorphins. The sounds of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” signals the entry of the band to the arena taking their places at various locations below stage floor level and getting psyched up along with the crowd as they perform last minute checks / adjustments with their techs before the first few notes of the most goosebump educing, motivating piece of music to be used as an intro emanates from the speakers. Accompanied by the classic video clip from “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, the use of Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold”, as they have been doing for decades, is pure genius.
And go forth the 4 horsemen of the riff went as the opening riffs of “Whiplash” set the tone for the night with 7 of the 14 original songs on the setlist coming from their studio albums released in the 1980’s. The opener is swiftly followed by a one-two double punch of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” followed by the title track of 1984’s “Ride The Lightning” album delighting the old school among us as well as the not so old school as fists pumped the air, heads swung, and cheesy smiles of delight radiated through the stadium as everyone revelled in these classics and sung along with Papa Het.
The good vibes from the crowd reaches the band and is noted by James who is relishing his role as figurehead of the Metallica Family.
The tempo is slowed slightly as the band launches into “Until it Sleeps” from the occasionally maligned 1996 release “Load”. Make no mistake, “Load” is a superb album of heavy music, perhaps not Thrash Metal, but progressive and worthy of inclusion on any setlist as the band displays the depth to their discography. It is warmly received by the crowd as is the double hit of newer material, “Lux Æterna” and “Screaming Suicide” from latest studio album “72 Seasons”, which is already 3 years old!! Maybe we will get new studio material sometime in the next few years after the band’s “Life Burns Faster” 24 show residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas and after a well-earned break to recharge the, ahem, battery. The 2 newer songs are played on Drum Kit 2 as Lars rotates through the circular stage in an anti-clockwise direction every 4th song to a new kit.
As is the norm in a 2 hour set, Lars and James now vacate the stage to leave Rob and Kirk to doodle, and tonight we are treated to their rendition of Ewan MacColl’s “Dirty Old Town”.
To the delight of the crowd we are now treated to the magnificent “Fade to Black” and “Wherever I May Roam” before Drum Kit 3 appears from beneath the stage and the customary nightly tribute is paid to the always present spirit of their fallen brother, Cliff Burton, tonight, with the instrumental “The Call of Ktulu” leaning heavily on Rob’s skill on the bass guitar to reproduce the timeless work of the much missed legend.
A beautiful piece of music that is part of a trilogy, “The Unforgiven” sees James swap between acoustic and electric guitars as the lightly picked verses give way to a crescendo of heavy chorus accompanied by 60000ish voices. James now acknowledges they would never get safely out of Dublin if they didn’t play this next song and after a teasing “…And Justice for All” false start we get “Whiskey in the Jar” dedicated to the memory of Mr Phillip Parris Lynott.
Drumkit 4 appears as Drumkit 3 follows Drum Kits 1 & 2 by descending into the bowels of the stage and Lars is now ¾ way around the stage’s circumference, we get the unexpected but joyously received treat of “Blackened” from the “…And Justice for All” album and “Moth Into Flame” from 2016’s “Hardwired … to Self-Destruct”.
A quietness now descends as lights dim, dry ice billows and the sound of warfare accompanied by exploding pyrotechnics and flashes of light can mean only one thing….”One”. A superb piece of music telling the story of World War 1 soldier severely wounded by a landmine. The roar of the crowd pulsates through Dublin 4 as air guitars and drums are played with gusto.
With only one song left, and, it having not yet been played over the two night stint, what else could we finish with but “Enter Sandman”; and enter beach balls, bouncing around a crowd deep in sing a long mode squeezing one last joyous moment from a weekend that will live long in the memories of many.
This was an unforgettable weekend full of good vibes and happy times and friendships old and new. The music of our lives, music that shaped who we are, we celebrate with the band who created it, having grown older together, developing in tandem with them; the relationship Metallica has with the fanbase must be the envy of many as James has often said “we are all Metallica”. An we are all proud to be The Metallica Family.
Photography by MPM
