Metallica Triggers Earthquake During ‘Enter Sandman’ Performance at Virginia Tech
By Website Content Manager
For more than two decades, the Virginia Tech Hokies have used the 1991 hit as their entrance anthem at football games.
Metallica is still making waves globally.
During their M72 World Tour performance on Wednesday, May 7, the legendary heavy metal band triggered a minor earthquake while playing their iconic hit “Enter Sandman.” The concert at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium, which drew over 60,000 fans, according to ABC 13 News, became an unforgettable experience.
As the band—James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo—began the encore with the 1991 classic, the crowd erupted in excitement, jumping up and down. The powerful energy from the fans caused a microseismic event.
A mile away, Virginia Tech’s Seismological Observatory detected the seismic activity during Metallica’s concert. However, despite the ground shaking at the show, the vibrations didn’t even reach a 1 on the Richter scale.
The low-intensity but sustained “Metallica Quake” posed no danger to the crowd, according to the local Fox News station, and it made for a truly unforgettable encore experience.
“Metallica saved ‘Enter Sandman’ for the final song of the night. It did not disappoint, shaking Lane Stadium so hard it registered on the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory’s helicorder,” reported the Virginia Tech news site.
While nothing beats the experience of witnessing it live, the band shared a multi-camera video that comes pretty close to capturing the excitement.
For over two decades, the Virginia Tech Hokies football team has used “Enter Sandman” as their entrance song, adding an extra layer of epicness to the Metallica Quake.
The band’s ongoing tour is in support of their first album in seven years, 72 Seasons. Metallica is joined by Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies, and Ice Nine Kills, with U.S. shows continuing through May and June, culminating in Denver, Colorado.
This isn’t the first time concertgoers have triggered seismic activity. During Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour show at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, the 70,000 fans in attendance dancing and jumping created notable seismic vibrations. The excitement from songs like “Shake It Off” and “Love Story” led to significant movement, further proving the power of enthusiastic crowds.