Metallica Breaks Attendance Record at New York Concert, Close Out Show With “Enter Sandman”

Metallica just set a new record. The heavy metal band performed April 19 at the JMA Wireless Dome on the Syracuse University campus and had a record number of people in attendance, a university official told Syracuse.com.

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Until Metallica’s performance, the attendance record at the former Carrier Dome was held by The Who. In 1982, the rock band packed the venue with 47,319 people.

While official numbers for Metallica’s concert have yet to be released, the official confirmed to the outlet that enough people were there to notch a new entry in the record books.

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo were able to accomplish the feat thanks to their stage set up at the venue.

Per the outlet, the group placed their stage on the 50-yard line of the field. That allowed fans to pack all the stadium’s seats, as well as fill the standing room area around the stage.

Pulling off the set up was not easy. In fact, it required nearly 80 trucks to carry all the video, sound, and lighting equipment, the outlet reported.

The record-breaking show, which featured opening acts Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies, was Metallica’s first ever at the venue. They last performed in Syracuse at Lollapalooza in 1996, the outlet reported.

During their set, Metallica performed their hits including “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “Master of Puppets.” They closed out the show with their 1991 hit, “Enter Sandman.”

“You make us feel so good and so proud,” Hetfield told the crowd at one point, per the outlet. “We are grateful for what we get to do.”

Metallica’s Years-Long Tour

The Syracuse concert was the first of the new leg of the band’s M72 World Tour, which is in support of their 2023 album, 72 Seasons.

The tour first launched in April 2023 in the Netherlands. It played throughout the summer and fall of 2023 and 2024, stopping in locations all over Europe, the U.S., Canada, and more.

Syracuse marked the band’s first stop of 2025. They’re next set to head to Toronto, before playing venues across the U.S. and Europe. The years-long tour will wrap on Nov. 19 in Auckland, New Zealand.

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