On May 7, 2025, METALLICA headlined Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA, and it was a wild ride.
The highly hyped concert was more than just a show; it was a seismic event, according to Chris Oberholtz of FOX Weather. Who knew METALLICA’s riffs could shake the earth?
For Hokies fans, the opening chords of “Enter Sandman” have long been the ultimate football game soundtrack, getting everyone on their feet and jumping. This tradition reached new heights (or should we say, new magnitudes?) on Wednesday night, as the crowd of around 60,000 strong created a collective energy that was actually picked up by seismographs.
The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory (VTSO) recorded some serious ground tremors generated by the concert, with the peak happening right when METALLICA launched into their iconic “Enter Sandman”. Talk about making an impact! VTSO Director Martin Chapman told FOX Weather that their seismograph, about a mile from Lane Stadium, was like, “Hey, what’s going on here?” and registered the enthusiastic audience’s energy.
The mini-earthquake, quickly dubbed the “METALLICA Quake” online (because, of course, it was), wasn’t strong enough to register on the Richter scale, but it was still a fun anomaly. By the way, the legendary drummer LARS ULRICH must’ve been thrilled to see his band’s beat literally shaking the ground.
