Metallica Brings Apocalyptic Thrash-Metal Spectacle to Zurich’s Letzigrund

The setlist drew from eight albums, ranging from early thrash anthems to later ballads. ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘The Unforgiven’ provided slower, singalong moments, while ‘One’, ‘Seek & Destroy’, and ‘Master of Puppets’ closed the main set with a barrage of pyrotechnics.

A Swiss Surprise

A local highlight came during the ‘Doodle Jam’ segment when Trujillo sang ‘Alperose’ by the late Swiss musician Polo Hofer, a nod to the host country that delighted the Zurich crowd. The only track from the band’s most recent album, 2023’s ‘72 Seasons’, was ‘Lux Aeterna’.

The encore featured ‘Enter Sandman’, sending the stadium into a final frenzy. The band had entered the stage at 8:20 PM to intro music by Ennio Morricone, following a support set by French metal band Gojira that began at 6:30 PM.

The production’s scale was immense: a total of 87 trucks are reportedly in use for the European leg of the tour, with approximately 45 trucks transporting technical equipment, instruments, and sound technology, and another 42 trucks needed for lighting, towers, and the massive stage construction.

From Trashed Dressing Rooms to a Billion-Dollar Empire

Beer at the venue cost 7 Swiss francs per cup, and exclusive Snakepit tickets were priced at 435 Swiss francs. The concert underscored Metallica’s enduring commercial power; as of 2025, the band is estimated to be worth 1.76 billion dollars.

The Zurich show carried historical weight. Metallica’s first European concert took place in 1984 at the Volkshaus in Zurich. After that early gig, the band’s record label had to pay 200 Swiss francs because the musicians had trashed the dressing room and the local promoter refused to let them leave until the cleaning bill was settled.

Forty-two years later, the band’s return was a polished, arena-sized celebration. Hetfield’s stage banter and the communal atmosphere turned the apocalyptic imagery of thrash metal into what observers described as a Volksfest—a people’s festival.

The lyric “Take a look to the Sky, just before you die!” from ‘Creeping Death’ rang out across the stadium, a reminder of the band’s uncompromising roots even as they command a global touring operation.

The M72 World Tour continues across Europe, with the Zurich date standing out for its blend of metal intensity and local homage. Fans left the stadium having witnessed a band that, 45 years after its founding, still shapes the genre it helped create.