Metallica Play Song That’s Actually Banned at U.K. Stadium

Metallica may have raised a few eyebrows Sunday (June 28) when the band's Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo ignored a ban and performed a bit of the Tom Jones classic "Delilah" during their appearance in Cardiff, Wales.

The song, which had often been played in the stadium during rugby matches and had become a fan favorite, was banned by stadium officials in 2023 after previously removing it from their playlists over its problematic subject matter back in 2015.

But coming eight songs into their set at Principality Stadium, Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo likely left officials seeing "fire" after performing the song as their nightly "doodle" following the performance of the hit "Fuel."

Footage of the performance was shared by YouTube account @thesquirrel6950 as seen below.

Metallica Perform "Delilah" at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales

Why Is "Delilah" Banned at Principality Stadium?

The decision was made in 2015 to remove the classic Tom Jones song "Delilah" from playlists at Principality Stadium during intermissions of sports matches. The track was deemed problematic over its depiction of a woman murdered by her jealous partner, with one of the offending lines being, “She stood there laughing / I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more."

Up until that point, there had even been choirs performing the song at rugby matches in the stadium and it had loosely been adopted by fans of the national rugby team with Jones himself even turning up to perform the track ahead of one of the matches.

READ MORE: Metallica Respond to Fans Concerning Their Social Media Update

But the final straw came in 2023 when stadium officials issued a ban on "Delilah." According to The BBC, the decision came during a period where there was intense public scrutiny on the Welsh Rugby Union with the chief executive forced to resign amid allegations of "sexism, misogyny and racism within the organization."

In a statement at the time, a Principality Stadium spokesperson noted, "'Delilah' will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium. Guest choirs have also more recently been requested not to feature the song during their pre-match performances and throughout games. The WRU (Welsh Rugby Union) condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter."

Metallica on Tour in 2026

Metallica have been in the midst of a massive tour in Europe, setting attendance records at several venues along their routing. The current leg of touring wraps up this coming week with July 1 and 3 performances at London Stadium.

Outside of that, Metallica will play a residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas in October and November and a two-night stand at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville in November to finish out their 2026 touring.

There are also more Sphere residency tour dates scheduled for February and March of 2027.

For all touring and ticketing info, visit the Metallica website.

Below, see 13 unexpected musicians who have filled in for Metallica during their concerts.