Metallica’s Bay-Area Homecoming: Day 2 at Levi’s Stadium, June 22 2025
The second night of Metallica’s “No Repeat Weekend” began with the customary one-two punch of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” and Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold,” but the real fireworks started when the band slammed into “Whiplash.” Fifty thousand fans in Santa Clara exploded as James Hetfield barked the first verse, instantly setting a fevered pace that never let up.
If Friday’s opener had been a celebration of Metallica’s early thrash roots, Sunday was a panoramic survey of their whole career. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Ride the Lightning” pulled the crowd straight back to 1984, before shifting gears into the ’90s with “The Memory Remains,” complete with the audience’s ghostly “na-na-na” chorus echoing off the stadium rafters.
New material held its own. “Lux Æterna” and “Screaming Suicide” from 72 Seasons tore across the field with surprising bite, confirming that the band’s recent studio work can trade blows with the classics. Between those songs, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo delivered their nightly doodle, cheekily weaving “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” into a thrash-punk mash-up that had locals roaring.
Mid-set, the mood darkened for “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),” Hetfield squeezing every ounce of anguish from the slow-burn verses. The tension snapped with “Wherever I May Roam,” its serpentine intro ringing over the circular stage while eight video pylons bathed the players in desert-gold light.
A rare treat followed: the instrumental “The Call of Ktulu,” performed in full with swirling blue LEDs that mimicked deep-sea darkness. It served as a contemplative palate cleanser before “The Unforgiven,” where Hetfield’s weathered baritone added fresh gravitas to the song’s theme of lifelong regret.
Surprises kept coming. “Whiskey in the Jar,” complete with a playful Lars-and-Rob jam, morphed the stadium into a Celtic pub sing-along—proof that a 17th-century folk tune can still light up a 21st-century metal crowd. Moments later, “Blackened” reignited the thrash furnace, its apocalyptic lyrics feeling eerily current in an age of climate anxiety.
“Moth Into Flame” almost derailed when the band hit a false start, but Hetfield’s quick grin and Ulrich’s booming count-in turned the flub into a crowd-pleaser. Then came the emotional gut punch of “One,” strobe lights simulating artillery as Hammett’s solo screamed like shrapnel across the night sky.
The grand finale, of course, was “Enter Sandman.” Phones lit up like constellations during the whispered prayer, and when the chorus hit, the entire stadium became a single roaring voice. Fire cannons traced arcs overhead, punctuating each downbeat while the stage rotated so every section got a head-on view of Hetfield’s final “Off to never-never land!”
Throughout the night, the band’s philanthropic side was on display; limited posters supporting wildfire relief sold out before the encore, earning six-figure donations through the All Within My Hands Foundation. It was a reminder that Metallica’s Bay-Area roots extend beyond riffs into real-world impact.
As fireworks faded and the crowd spilled onto Highway 101, car stereos blared the very songs just witnessed live. Parents told wide-eyed kids about seeing Metallica at Day on the Green; teens compared favorite riffs; and somewhere in the distance, the echo of that final E-chord hung over Silicon Valley like phantom feedback.
Day 2 proved why Metallica’s “No Repeat Weekend” concept works: by refusing to clone Friday’s set, the band delivered a fresh, emotionally varied journey that honored every era of their catalog. Old hits felt reborn, new tracks earned their stripes, and the Bay Area once again claimed its hometown heroes as conquering kings of metal.
