METALLICA officially kicked off their 2026 European tour in powerful fashion on Saturday night, delivering a career-spanning, hit-heavy performance at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.
The show marked the band’s first live appearance since their December 5, 2025 set at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and it immediately set the tone for what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated legs of their ongoing touring cycle. Unlike many stops on the long-running M72 World Tour, the Athens concert was a single-night event, giving fans a condensed but high-impact set focused entirely on the band’s biggest and most enduring songs.
Across a 16-song set, METALLICA leaned heavily into their classic material while still making room for newer cuts. From the explosive opener “Creeping Death” to the closing eruption of “Enter Sandman,” the band delivered a tightly paced performance that left little breathing room between fan favorites.
Midway through the show, the spotlight shifted to bassist Robert Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett, who continued their tradition of honoring local culture during instrumental interludes. In Athens, that tribute came in the form of a rendition of “Zorba’s Dance” from the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, paired with “De Horas Pouthena” by the Greek experimental metal band TRYPES — a nod that was met with enthusiastic approval from the crowd.
The setlist also featured staples such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Fade to Black,” “One,” and “Master of Puppets,” alongside more recent tracks like “Moth Into Flame” and “Lux Aeterna.” As expected, “Nothing Else Matters” provided a brief emotional pause before the band surged back into heavier territory.
Setlist – Athens, Greece:
- “Creeping Death”
- “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
- “Moth Into Flame”
- “King Nothing”
- “Lux Aeterna”
- “The Unforgiven”
- “Fuel”
- “Zorba’s Dance” / “De Horas Pouthena” (Kirk Hammett & Robert Trujillo)
- “Fade to Black”
- “Wherever I May Roam”
- “Nothing Else Matters”
- “Sad But True”
- “One”
- “Seek & Destroy”
- “Master of Puppets”
- “Enter Sandman”
With the opening night now complete, METALLICA are set to continue their European run throughout May and June, alternating between one-night and two-night stadium engagements across the continent and the UK. The routing includes stops in Romania, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, with multiple cities hosting repeat performances featuring rotating support acts.
The full 2026 European schedule includes major stadium appearances in Bucharest, Chorzów, Frankfurt, Zürich, Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff, and London, with special guest support from acts including GOJIRA, KNOCKED LOOSE, PANTERA, and AVATAR. You can find all dates here.
After wrapping up their European dates, METALLICA will shift focus back to North America, where they are scheduled to take over Las Vegas’ Sphere on October 1 for a 24-date run of already sold-out shows.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.