Metallica Made Concert History at First Show of 2026

Metallica made concert history at their first show of 2026 in Athens, Greece.

The metal giants played at the city's Olympic Stadium on Saturday (May 9). They shared on social media Monday that they set a new attendance record for the venue as more than 90,000 fans went to the show.

"Over 90,000 of you packed in and trust us... we could feel it! We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off this leg of the M72 World Tour," Metallica wrote in the caption.

They played 16 tracks during the performance, kicking the show off with "Creeping Death" and wrapping up with "Enter Sandman."

See a photo of the view from inside the stadium during the show below.

How Did Metallica Break Olympic Stadium's Attendance Record?

The typical seating capacity for Athens' Olympic Stadium is 75,000. However, the circular, in-the-round stage Metallica have been using throughout the entirety of their M72 World Tour is likely what allowed them to break the attendance record since there isn't a large stage blocking off a section of seats.

READ MORE: 'I Was Gonna Die' - Why Jason Newsted Really Left Metallica

Metallica's M72 World Tour has taken the band to several new heights. Back in August 2023, they beat Taylor Swift's concert attendance at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium after approximately 78,000 fans attended each of the two shows they played at the venue during the same weekend.

This leg of the band's M72 World Tour continues Wednesday (May 13) in Bucharest, Romania. Later this year, they'll play their first-ever concert residency at the iconic Sphere venue in Las Vegas. The set of shows begins in October and wraps up in March 2027.

See all of Metallica's upcoming tour dates on their website.

See more wild accomplishments Metallica have achieved throughout their career in the gallery below.