Metallica review – metal legends break out the pyrotechnics … and a Proclaimers cover

Metallica are welcomed to the stage in Glasgow by relentless heatwave sun and a blast of Ennio Morricone’s The Ecstasy of Gold. It’s a striking start to the closing leg of a three year-plus world tour, which started with the release of the metal legends’ solid 2023 album 72 Seasons. Much of the tour has comprised mini-residencies, with back-to-back “no repeats” shows offering the promise of deep cuts while betting on completists’ deep wallets. This stop in Glasgow is for one night only, meaning a guarantee of both hits and lesser played gems.

The 15-strong setlist showcases the range of the band’s catalogue, from the heavy, pyrotechnics-laden Fuel and Kill ’Em All’s incredible opener Hit the Lights to the moodiness of The Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters (“I see people crowd surfing,” says singer James Hetfield, bemused. “Whatever it takes, man”). The title track from 72 Seasons is the only song from the band’s newest album to make the setlist, but it still gets two mini circle pits going in the standing area. There’s even a moment of light entertainment during the regular spot for a cover of a local song, courtesy of bassist Rob Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett; tonight, it’s an arguably too easy pick of The Proclaimers’ 500 Miles.

‘The most vigour’ … drummer Lars Ulrich. Photograph: Brett Murray

The band play in the round, which proves conducive to both audience sightlines and the band’s dynamism. As each member moves around the ring-shaped stage – even drummer Lars Ulrich moves between four separate kits – they are constantly buoyed up by the fans up close in the central circular “snake pit”, lending this stadium show some of the reciprocal energy of an intimate venue. All four members flit between runs, kneels and statuesque poses, but Ulrich arguably has the most vigour. He leaps off his stool to play standing up during several intros, and even leans into a back bend at the end of Creeping Death, to the delight of the crowd behind him. By the final run of Seek & Destroy, Master of Puppets and Enter Sandman, the whole stadium is infused with the energy of the fans in the middle – a 50,000-strong snake pit for a band who remain vital and dramatic in their fifth decade.