Metallica’s 2026 Return To Ireland Will Be Remembered For Ages

Metallica’s Setlist At Their 2026 Ireland Shows

As any hardcore Metallica fan knows, a huge part of what makes or breaks a Metallica show is the setlist. It’s a nearly impossible task to satisfy every fan’s demands, but the sets Metallica has crafted for their double header shows are flawless. For both nights, the band’s first three songs were an ode to the die-hards, with Friday’s show opening with “Creeping Death,” “Harvester Of Sorrow,” and “Leper Messiah,” and Sunday’s going straight into “Whiplash,” “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” and “Ride The Lightning.”

The biggest achievement from Metallica’s sets was the value they packed in for each night. Friday saw the band play four songs off of Master Of Puppets, Sunday featured four more songs off Ride the Lightning, and combined both nights saw a five songs off The Black Album and three off of …And Justice for All. Additionally each nights featured two songs off 72 Seasons and at least one song off Load or Reload, though the highlight from the post-black album era had to be when the band kicked into “Whiskey in the Jar” – James Hetfield teased the Dublin crowd before starting the song saying “we won’t make it out of this town alive if we don’t play this next song,” and based off the adrenalized crowd reaction for the renown Irish folk tune, he wasn’t lying.

Metallica’s Production Was Immaculate But Flawed

The production for Metallica’s 360 stage continues to outdo any other rock or metal show I’ve seen. Each song gets its own theme on the spiral towers with the proper lighting, effects and sometimes pyro to go with it. The camera work is great to help fans in seated areas, like myself, catch the band up close as they make their way around different parts of the stage. However, the only issue with the production was the sound, specifically for myself and those in the seated section in the middle bowl. Metallica’s sound on Friday was only half-decent. Hetfield’s vocals were clear enough, but guitars riffs were often muddy and solos barely managed to cut through the mix. However, Metallica’s show on Sunday was a noticeable step up in sound quality, with instruments on the whole coming through the speakers much louder and clearer.

For the opening acts it was an entirely different story. Unfortunately Pantera and Gojira had incredibly muddy audio to the point where not a single word could made out when the band performed or were speaking between songs. This sentiment was echoed from a number of concert goers in my section and on reddit forums, and it’s a shame because all of the opening acts performed incredibly well – drummer Mario Duplantier was the talk of the town as he put on a drumming masterclass during Gojira’s set.

Metallica’s Performance In Ireland Was Next Level

The biggest aspect that stood out from Metallica’s Ireland shows was the band’s overall performance. I’ve seen a fair share of Metallica shows, some where the band is operating on high and others where they’re not as locked in as they could be. These shows were different and that was not the expectation for a band that’s been around for over 40 years. It’s not often the case that James Hetfield’s vocal style can adapt to every era of the band, but somehow he managed to execute classics like “Ride The Lightning,” “Whiplash,” and “Master of Puppets” to a more than satisfying degree.

While valid criticism is warranted, Lars Ulrich’s musicianship has routinely been a punching bag within the metal and rock community. However, these shows showcased Ulrich putting much of these criticism to rest. The 62-year old drummer was constantly locked in the pocket, nailing technical thrash tunes, and bringing his signature enthusiasm to every song. The latter is what makes Ulrich such an integral part to the band’s live shows, and without his personality on and off the kit, Metallica shows wouldn’t be the same.

Kirk Hammett on the other hand was probably the biggest surprise. Blazing through some of his monstrously challenging solos like “Creeping Death,” and “Blackened,” Hammett amalgamated motifs from these challenging solos with bits of improvisation flawlessly, which hasn’t always been the case. Of course there are iconic solos like “The Unforgiven,” “Enter Sandman,” and technical gauntlets like “Master Of Puppets” that Hammett plays note for note. However, Hammett’s off-the-cuff soloing seems to have aged gracefully the more the band plays through the 72 Seasons tour.

Bottom Line

It’s just a matter of fact that there are very few legacy rock or metal bands left that have the same core lineup that continue to sell out stadiums and perform at the level that Metallica is right now. It’s bittersweet seeing Metallica on this tour. The band still has their ‘mojo’ and they’re able to rile crowds like it’s 1991, but everyone is constantly wondering how much gas the band has left in the tank. Regardless of that, fans should rejoice knowing that the greatest metal band on earth is still around and doing what they do best, and if there’s ever a time to see them, it’s now.