Hamden Park, Glasgow, 25, June, 2026

If the sea of vintage tour t-shirts marching towards the national stadium hadn’t already tipped you off, then the sound of a lone bagpiper putting a Caledonian spin on ‘Enter Sandman’ should give it away – the mighty Metallica have returned to Scotland.

As the now traditional fan photo montage leads into the introductory sounds of Ennio Morricone, the latter of which is almost drowned out by the customary regional chants of “Here we fucking go”, the four-piece make their grand entrance with a pulsating ‘Creeping Death’. “Are you ready, Glasgow?” asks James Hetfield, a question that immediately becomes redundant as they rip into ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ to roars of approval from the record-breaking 58,000-strong Hampden crowd.

‘Hit The Lights’, and a pyro-friendly ‘Fuel’ more than deliver before Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo bring a local flavour to their nightly jam session, mashing together Nazareth’s ‘Hair Of The Dog’ with The Proclaimer’s legendary ‘500 Miles (I’m Gonna Be’)’, sparking yet another hearty sing-along.

‘Nothing Else Matters’, ‘Sad But True’ and a poignant ‘One’ are met with such a rapturous reception as to allow Hetfield to declare he has, “The best fucking job in the world”, before a ludicrous number of inflatable balls are bounced around the crowd for ‘Seek & Destroy’, the ticket stubs from years of previous Glasgow shows adorning the giant video towers, celebrating the breadth of the journey this band and this city have embarked upon together.

That ‘Kill ‘Em All’ cut in particular serves as a reminder of why, some 50 years on, Metallica remain fully at home in cavernous spaces such as this, always putting their ‘Family’ of devoted fans at the centre of everything. Whether it’s as Lars Ulrich banters casually with the front row during a changeover or as Trujillo high-fives and greets fans like old friends along the 360-degree barrier, the bells and whistles of the (admittedly very impressive) production are never a distraction from the real star of the show – the honest, human connection.

“We like to feel like everywhere we go is where we belong,” Hetfield summarises.

Based on the form displayed here tonight, Metallica still very much belong on any stage they dare to grace.