Metallica at Stade de France
METALLICA'S PREVIOUS CONCERTS AT STADE DE FRANCE
Metallica at Stade de France
BIOGRAPHY OF METALLICA
Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by singer and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. Regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of metal, Metallica played a major role in popularising thrash metal before going on to become one of the world’s best-selling rock bands.
In their early days, in 1981, the band’s line-up was completed by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney. Mustaine was replaced in 1983 by Kirk Hammett, whilst Cliff Burton joined the band on bass. This line-up recorded their seminal albums: *Kill ’Em All* (1983), *Ride the Lightning* (1984) and *Master of Puppets* (1986). These albums are now regarded as major landmarks of thrash metal. In September 1986, Cliff Burton died tragically in a coach crash whilst on tour in Sweden.
Following the arrival of bassist Jason Newsted, Metallica continued their rise to fame with: ... And Justice for All (1988) and Metallica (1991), nicknamed the ‘Black Album’. The latter marked a musical turning point with tracks that have since become iconic, such as ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’, ‘The Unforgiven’ and ‘Sad but True’. The album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
The 1990s also saw the release of *Load* (1996), *Reload* (1997), *Garage Inc.* (1998) and the symphonic recording *S&M* with the San Francisco Symphony (1999).
In the early 2000s, the band went through a difficult period marked by the departure of Jason Newsted and the internal tensions documented in the film *Some Kind of Monster*. Bassist Robert Trujillo then joined Metallica in 2003. The band went on to release *St. Anger* (2003), *Death Magnetic* (2008), *Lulu* (2011), in collaboration with Lou Reed, and the concert film *Metallica Through the Never* (2013).
Metallica returned to their roots with *Hardwired… to Self-Destruct* (2016) and *72 Seasons* (2023), which received favourable critical acclaim and confirmed the band’s longevity more than forty years after their formation.
Between 2023 and 2026, Metallica continued their M72 World Tour, one of the most ambitious of their career, characterised by a central circular stage and a concept involving two concerts in the same city with no repeated tracks.
With over 125 million albums sold worldwide, Metallica is one of the most popular bands in rock history. It is counted amongst the ‘Big Four’ of thrash metal alongside Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
