Metallica fans cause small earthquake at Virginia show

(Image credit: Tim Saccenti)

Metallica fans bouncing in unison at the thrash heroes' recent show in Virginia, USA, caused a small earthquake recorded by local scientists.

Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory measured tremors, particularly during the band's performance of Enter Sandman at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Lane Stadium on Wednesday, 7 May.

Synchronised jumping by the 60,000 fans in attendance was responsible for the readings captured by the observatory.

Enter Sandman is played as a tradition at home games of the Virginia Tech Hokies (American) football team.

Virginia Tech Athletics wrote in a social media post: "Thanks for jumping with us, Metallica! Come back anytime."

Metallica are currently on a 21-date North American tour will run from April to June next year, with support at various stops coming from Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies and Ice Nine Kills.

The dates are a continuation of Metallica’s M72 world tour, which started in 2023 after the release of the their latest album, 72 Seasons.

The tour continues the "No Repeat Weekends" model, where multiple stops will include two shows at the same venue, with no song getting played twice across the two nights.

Metallica 2025 remaining North American tour dates

May 11: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 23: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA
May 25: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA
May 28: Landover Northwest Stadium, MD
May 31: Charlotte Bank Of America Stadium, NC
Jun 3: Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA
Jun 6: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL
Jun 8: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL
Jun 14: Houston NRG Stadium, TX
Jun 20: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA
Jun 22: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA
Jun 27: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO
Jun 29: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.