Metallica Finally Playing 'Enter Sandman' at Virginia Tech Was Instantly Iconic

Say your prayers, Hokies fans.

Metallica performs in Arizona in 2023. / Alex Gould / USA TODAY NETWORK

They are an odd couple to the uninitiated—Metallica, long a Bay Area institution, and Virginia Tech, an unassuming school in the rural South.

In the minds of college football fans, however, the two are inexorably intertwined. That's because the Hokies have played Metallica's 1991 hit "Enter Sandman" before their team takes the field for every home game since 2000.

Despite the association—which the band has long been aware of and played into—the metal icons had never made the trip to Blacksburg, Va. to play Lane Stadium. Until Wednesday evening.

The result appears to have been pure mayhem as the band gave the Virginia Tech community an unforgettable show.

Lane like you’ve never seen it before 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BJmb4k1351

— HokieSports (@hokiesports) May 8, 2025

Per Setlist.fm, the band played the song last, closing out a killer trio that also included "Seek & Destroy" and "Master of Puppets."

The band also met with Hokies coach Brent Pry before the big concert; Pry told Virginia Tech beat writer Andy Bitter he intended to watch the concert from his suite.

Pry said he's going to watch the concert tonight from his suite, noting: "I've never been up there before!" #Hokies https://t.co/rGZqBYr0qX

— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) May 7, 2025

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