Metallica to the rescue! Just days before Tomorrowland was scheduled to get underway, a massive fire destroyed the festival’s stage, putting the Belgian weekend in jeopardy.
Videos by American Songwriter
According to USA Today, police and firefighters responded to the fire at 7:30 pm local time on Wednesday, July 16. Per an official statement, the fire did not injure any individuals.
Afterwards, organizers scrambled to come up with a solution. They eventually found one in Metallica. According to The Latest News, an Antwerp-based newspaper, the band lent part of their stage to the festival.
In the wake of Metallica’s European festival, some of the elements of their stage were being stored in nearby Austria, the outlet reported. Those pieces were quickly transported to Belgium, where crews managed to construct a new stage in days, according to the outlet.
Debby Wilmsen, the festival’s spokesperson, confirmed the band’s kind gesture the outlet.
“It was a race against time,” Wilmsen said of constructing a new stage. “We built a new main stage in 36 hours.”
The feat was a massive one, the outlet noted, given that the festival’s original stage took two weeks to construct.
“It’s impossible to put into words what we’re feeling,” a post to the festival’s Instagram read in part. “The Orbyz Mainstage of Tomorrowland Belgium 2025, a creation born from pure passion, imagination, and dedication, is no more.”
“This wasn’t just a stage. It was a living, breathing world,” the post continued. “From the very first sketch on a blank page, to countless hours of conceptual design, artistic collaboration, engineering, crafting, building, every single piece of Orbyz carried part of our soul.”
Given that, Wilmsen told DJ Mag, “It is a miracle and we are beyond happy to be opening. Two hours ago we were still demolishing the old stage.”
DJ Thanks Metallica for Saving the Day
In the wake of Metallica’s nice move, DJ Martin Garrix thanked the band on Instagram.
“I can not believe I’m actually typing this… but my set at Tomorrowland is still happening!” Garrix wrote. “Massive love and a big shoutout to the incredible Tomorrowland team for pulling off miracles — and to Metallica for coming through with the new stage part.”
The EDM festival opened as planned on Friday, July 18.
After the initial scare, the festival went off without a hitch. Garrix closed out the opening night’s show with an epic set.
“Tomorrowland we won’t burn out.. ❤️❤️❤️,” he wrote on Instagram. “WE UNITE.”
Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.