METALLICA: LIVE IN CARDIFF 2026

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR JAMES NEESON REVIEWS METALLICA'S M72 WORLD TOUR SHOW AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM

Metallica are special to people like us. In an age where monoculture is dead and everyone can binge on really specific niche interests that their fellow music fans have never even heard of, there is something powerful about a band who unites as many people as Metallica do.

Yes, for some people they are just another rock band, like U2 or The Killers, who you happen to spend an evening with if your partner is going. But for fans, they are something closer to a religious experience, their concerts looked forward to with the same reverence and anticipation as a wedding, funeral, or graduation.

Metallica concerts aren’t just another show on the calendar, they are significant life milestones by which we measure the rest of our lives. When I look back to the partner I was with or the job I was doing, I tend to think of it as around the time St. Anger or Death Magnetic came out, or the time I saw the band live in Dublin, rather than by other measurements of time.

So it was with great sadness that, when I tried to buy tickets to Metallica playing in Cardiff (on 28 June 2026) for the first time in 30 years, I learned they had sold out. The only other show I had on the books for that time was an (excellent) Acid Reign show the same weekend. My calendar had a large Metallica-shaped hole in it. As I watched them on social media in lots of different cities across Europe, I seethed with envy as my high school friends back in Ireland managed to get tickets to the Dublin dates.

By a stroke of luck, I was taking my kids to a café, and the barista noticed my Judas Priest necklace and asked if I was going to the Metallica show. Our conversation about how the event had sold out, prompted me to check again when I got home. Luckily, some people had cancelled and a resale ticket or two were available, which I gratefully snapped up like a thirsty traveller discovering water at a desert oasis. 

While I was thrashing in the front row at Acid Reign that weekend, and the singer asked, “Who's going to Metallica on Sunday?” I was happily able to raise my hand. I was going.

METALLICA MERCH AND MORE

Cardiff can be a bit of a nightmare for parking on stadium days. I once went to see Rammstein at the same venue and the roads were so clogged and the carparks so full that I spent two hours trying to find a space. Determined not to let that happen again, I tried to book parking in advance, but the website kept glitching and eventually charged me four times without giving me a ticket, resulting in lengthy calls to the bank to get a refund.

With no parking ticket and a high level of anticipation for the opening acts, I resolved to drive into the city at 9am rather than risk road delays closer to showtime. This decision enabled me to park right by the exit of the best parking lot for my route, saving at least half an hour getting out of the building on the return trip.

With a lot of time to kill before the show, I made my way through the city to the Metallica pop-up store for some exclusive merch, fun photos, and the chance to win snakepit entry (unsuccessful this time, but such a cool idea on behalf of the band).

I heard some people complaining that the merch prices were very high. To be fair, the band donated £20,000 to a Cardiff food bank and £20,000 to a Welsh homelessness charity, as well as donating hundreds of t-shirts to local blood banks to increase blood donations, so one can scarcely accuse Metallica of screwing fans out of money.

After a few hours enjoying the city being absolutely full of metal fans (some reports said it was the highest attended concert in Welsh history) and handing out flyers for my book Mental Health For Metalheads, it was time to go to the stadium.

KNOCKED LOOSE: THE OPENING SALVO

After a nice mix of NWOBHM and Black Sabbath songs playing over the speakers as the crowd filed in, the opening act Knocked Loose took to the stage. They had a surprisingly long time slot (able to play more than a dozen songs from a range of their releases) and had been given a lot of consideration by the lighting and video department for an opening act.

They were high-energy, started multiple mosh pits and performed valiantly, even if some of the crowd were hearing them for the first time. A very enjoyable performance all-round and if you have the chance, make sure you catch them live. One more reason to get to shows as early as you can and to always see the support band if practicable given your other life commitments.

GOJIRA: PRECISION AND FURY

Next came the mighty Gojira, the tech/prog/death/groove/other metal icons from France, once again supporting Metallica on a huge tour. Gojira’s most recent record, Fortitude, was my album of the year when it came out. When I caught them on the tour for it they blew me away.

This was only my second time seeing the band, and I wondered how they would translate to a larger venue and a less aware audience. I was not disappointed. While the sound was not kind to them, their performance was terrific. They even chose a setlist that spanned their career and included some of their earlier, much heavier work, rather than just picking their most casual-friendly tunes for the big crowd.

Their energy was off the charts and I had a (flying) whale of a time. Truly one of the best acts in the genre. After a set that good, you’d be forgiven for thinking you already saw the headliner, but no, there was more.

METALLICA: THE MAIN EVENT

When the familiar opening sounds of “The Ecstasy Of Gold” played over the speakers I was utterly electrified. It was a feeling akin to my wedding day or the birth of my children, a feeling of true and pure happiness and contentment, a visceral satisfaction and a knowing that this was right and good.

Metallica ripped through some of human history’s finest songs. The likes of “Creeping Death,” “Master Of Puppets,” “Seek & Destroy” and “One” — which I have been listening to since boyhood — ignite something inside me that feels almost spiritual.

As well as those ‘80s classics, there were two songs from Death Magnetic (sadly, no “Judas Kiss” or “Broken Beaten Scarred”), one from the new album (the best song, the title track), and then the rest of the setlist came from their ‘90s era, which on paper might not have seemed like the ideal setlist for a thrash-obsessive like myself, but in practice results in stadium sing-along vibes that make the show unforgettable in the live environment.

The majority of the setlist came from the Black Album and there was “Fuel” and “The Memory Remains” from Load/Reload thrown in for good measure. The only bit of the evening I could live without was a cover of Tom Jones’ “Delilah” with just Kirk and Rob; but hey, they had fun and it got arguably the biggest crowd reaction.

Metallica’s sound was perfect, notably better than Gojira’s mix, and the stage show, lighting, etc., were spectacular whilst still a bit understated (well, compared to the likes of Rammstein anyway). The performances were largely excellent. There were a few flubbed notes here and there, Kirk seemed to struggle on a few occasions, but the vocals were much better than the previous times I had seen Metallica live.

Lars brought his A-game to the drums (much better than on the St. Anger or Death Magnetic tour cycles) and Rob is masterful as always on bass. I think everyone in attendance went away happy. I did not hear anyone have a bad word to say about the evening, other than to comment that Kirk flubbed some notes or that “Cyanide” could have been replaced with a different song.

THE AFTERGLOW

I was delighted with the show and it will remain a core life memory for me.

Sure, other bands (Parkway Drive, Slayer) have done better stage shows; sure other bands have had thrashier setlists (Acid Reign, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel); sure other bands have had more comprehensive discography-spanning setlists (Smashing Pumpkins, Saxon, Slipknot); sure some bands have more impressive musicianship (Tool, Mastodon, Gojira) and some have more on-stage energy (Killswitch Engage, Kreator, Protest The Hero), but of all the excellent concerts I’ve seen over the years, Metallica do something specific to your soul that validates your lifelong metal obsession in a really profound way.

Even with everything that my favourite bands have offered, it is hard to argue that this was one of my favourite concerts of my life so far; they just have a magic and a je ne sais quoi about them that fills every fibre of your being with satisfaction.

Long live Metallica. See them live. Treat getting tickets to their next show like your life depends on it.

 ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

James Neeson is a metal fan, writer, and the author of Mental Health For Metalheads: Rock Your Way To Wellbeing. Passionate about live music and mental wellbeing, he regularly attends concerts across the UK and writes about the experiences that shape the heavy music community.