The metal icons performed at the Soundstorm festival in Riyadh on Thursday (December 14) in their final show of 2023, running through a 16-song setlist including hits such as ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Master Of Puppets’ and ‘Enter Sandman’.
When it was announced on November 27, Metallica’s performance was billed as the first ever show from a major international heavy metal act in the country, but technical death metal band Cryptopsy got there first when they played in Riyadh on December 1.
Check out fan-filmed footage and view the setlist below:
A spokesperson for Heavy Arab Entertainment commented (as reported by Metal Injection): “We take immense pride in pioneering the organization of the first-ever international metal band in Saudi Arabia, and we are incredibly honored to have Cryptopsy, alongside [support bands] Creative Waste and Necrosin, marking a significant milestone in the history of the Saudi metal scene.
“Our commitment to promise and deliver, even in the face of imperfections, has truly been the driving force behind this milestone for the scene. Above all, our personal biggest achievement is finally providing a platform for our local metal bands to share the stage with their idols and major influences right here in their homeland. Every one of our bands has played an integral role as participants, co-creators, and enablers in realizing our collective vision to firmly establish Saudi Arabia on the global metal music map.”
Metallica will be back on the road in May 2024 for another leg of their M72 World Tour, in which they are playing two nights in each city with two unique “no repeats” setlist and different support acts. The tour will wrap in Mexico in September 2024.
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