Metallica electrify Athens’ OAKA Stadium after 16 years

The news in Greek

1. θαυμαστής  (m.)
   άτομο που αγαπά πολύ και εκτιμά κάποιον καλλιτέχνη, ομάδα ή έργο ↩︎
2. συναυλία  (f.)
   μουσική εκδήλωση που γίνεται συνήθως μπροστά σε κοινό ↩︎
3. συγκρότημα  (n.)
   ομάδα μουσικών που παίζουν μαζί σύγχρονη μουσική ↩︎
4. τραγούδι  (n.)
   μουσικά κομμάτια με μελωδία και λόγια που τα τραγουδάμε ↩︎
5. κομμάτι  (n.)
   ξεχωριστές ενότητες ή μέρη από κάτι μεγαλύτερο, όπως μουσικές συνθέσεις ↩︎
6. κοινό  (n.)
   οι άνθρωποι που παρακολουθούν μια παράσταση, συναυλία ή εκδήλωση ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: When did Metallica play at the OAKA stadium in Athens?

Question 2: What special things did the band do for the Greek audience during the concert?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
θαυμαστής  (m.)	fan
συναυλία  (f.)	concert
συγκρότημα  (n.)	band
τραγούδι  (n.)	song
κομμάτι  (n.)	piece
κοινό  (n.)	audience

Read the full story

The heavy metal band Metallica returned to Athens on Saturday 9 May 2026, playing to an estimated 85,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium (OAKA). It was their first concert in Greece in 16 years and was widely described in local media as one of the biggest rock events of the decade.

Hours before the show, the area around the stadium turned into a large meeting point for fans. Supporters arrived from all over Greece and from several European countries, wearing old tour T‑shirts, leather jackets and waving flags. Many had been waiting for this night for years, creating what reporters called an “explosive atmosphere” long before the band appeared.

For some visitors from abroad, simply entering the stadium became a kind of ticket hunt. According to Greek news reports, small groups of fans without tickets gathered outside OAKA, hoping to buy a last‑minute seat. A couple from Germany, a fan from Finland and several Italian visitors searched for hours after several failed attempts online. In the end, the German couple found tickets at around €150 each and one Italian fan secured entry for about €140, highlighting both the strong demand and the high prices on the resale market.

Inside the stadium, the event also attracted many Greek public figures. Local entertainment media noted the presence of television hosts, singers, actors and businesspeople in the crowd, underlining how the concert functioned as a high‑profile social occasion as well as a music event. Well‑known personalities from Greek TV and theatre shared videos and photos from the stands on social media, giving the concert additional visibility.

The show itself followed a carefully designed structure. Metallica performed on a 360‑degree stage in the centre of the stadium, with a special inner area known as the “Snake Pit” where some fans stood surrounded by the band. The group entered to Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold”, a traditional opening for their tours, and launched into the classic “Creeping Death” from the 1984 album “Ride the Lightning”.

Throughout the evening, the setlist mixed older hits and newer material. Greek reports mention an energetic sequence that included “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Enter Sandman” and “Master of Puppets”, alongside songs from the more recent album “72 Seasons”. Local commentators described the sound and visuals as intense, although detailed technical reviews of the acoustics varied between outlets and were not always the focus of the coverage.

Singer and guitarist James Hetfield repeatedly addressed the audience, expressing gratitude for the reception in Athens. He referred warmly to the band’s “Greek family” of fans and, according to multiple reports, remarked that he was moved by the enthusiasm in the stadium. At one point he greeted the crowd with “Good evening Athens, you are perfect,” and said the band felt thankful to perform in the city.

The concert also included several Greek cultural references that attracted attention in the press. Metallica played the famous piece “Zorbas” (“Zorba the Greek”), a musical theme strongly associated with Greek popular culture. They then surprised the audience again with “De horás pouthená” (“You Don’t Fit Anywhere”) by the Greek rock band Trypes. For many local fans, this combination of an international metal set with Greek melodies was one of the most memorable parts of the night.

Hetfield also made a brief reference to ancient Greek heritage, telling the audience that when he picked up a guitar he sometimes thought about Pythagoras and “your ancestors who created music,” according to Greek media accounts. Reporters highlighted this comment as an example of how the band connected their performance to wider ideas about Greek culture and history.

The evening had started several hours earlier with international support acts. At around 6 p.m., the American hardcore band Knocked Loose opened the programme. They were followed at about 7 p.m. by the French metal group Gojira, who had previously toured with Metallica and became more widely known outside the metal scene after appearing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony. These performances warmed up the crowd before Metallica took the stage just before 9 p.m.

Greek media from different outlets largely presented the concert as a major cultural event for Athens, focusing on slightly different angles. Some emphasised the emotional reactions of fans, including those who travelled long distances or paid high prices to attend. Others concentrated on the presence of celebrities or on the detailed setlist and staging. Taken together, the reports describe a night in which an internationally known band not only performed its classic songs but also made deliberate efforts to engage with Greek audiences and symbols, reinforcing Greece’s position as a destination for large‑scale live music events.

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