Metallica will be stopping at the Olympic Stadium tomorrow and Sunday for their world tour M72. Eight years after hosting One Direction and AC/DC, Montreal’s iconic building is gearing up to host the beloved American heavy metal band, hoping to reclaim its place on the list of facilities capable of delivering high-profile shows .
Metallica all weekend
Fans of the artists behind the hits Nothing Else Matters, One and Enter Sandman are known to always want more. Ticket holders can therefore attend the pre-Tallica party on the Esplanade of the Olympic Stadium from 1 p.m. (food, drinks, merchandise sale and free musical performances by the groups Sword on August 11 and Anonymus on August 13 from 2:30 to 15 :30 p.m.). On August 12, the Banque Scotia Cinema (in downtown Montreal) will present three Metallica films and tribute shows will be shown at the Fairmount and Beanfield theaters.
Photo Martin Alarie
Two shows, two separate evenings
It’s a weekend of celebration for fans of the metal band. The shows on August 11th and 13th are two different concerts presented on a central stage (putting Metallica’s famous Snake Pit in the middle of the stage) with different song lists. On Friday the groups Pantera and Mammoth WVH open the evening and on Sunday the groups Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills provide the first part. As for the stadium layout, fans can take a look at Metallica’s latest Instagram story; a short video filmed by one of the members introducing Empty Stadium 48 hours before the first concert in Montreal.
Instagram screenshot Metallica
Photo Martin Alarie
More tickets available
Tickets for both shows are still available. Patient Metallica fans may be able to pay less for their tickets than those they bought in advance. On the evenko official website, prices for a pair of tickets vary from $114.24 to $1190 on Friday night and from $79 to $295 on Sunday night. Tickets are sold even cheaper on resale sites. A few hours before the shows, the resellers have to get rid of their over-bought tickets.
Photo Martin Alarie
A bad reputation
The Olympic Stadium, inaugurated in 1976, was the scene of an impressive number of internationally renowned stars, especially in its heyday from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The last major concerts that took place there date back to late 2015. With One Direction and AC/DC, the bad reputation of the concrete Olympic Hall’s acoustics and famous removable roof would be to blame.
Photo Martin Alarie
“The stadium’s reputation was that it was very difficult to produce shows there and people wouldn’t come because of the sound. The artists didn’t want to play there,” explained Nick Farkas, vice president of programming, concerts and events at Evenko this week, who is addressing Metallica’s arrival at the Olympic Stadium.
This bad reputation would have put off both viewers and artists. Metallica’s doubles concert this weekend thus represents high hopes for Evenko and Olympiapark, who, if all goes well, may want to try again to seduce the entertainment industry greats.
Photo Martin Alarie
“It’s important for us that it’s a success. And even more important for the stadium. If it’s not a success, it will be very difficult to convince artists to go back there,” Nick Farkas told Le Devoir newspaper earlier this week.
Plan your Metallica show well
120,000 people are expected to attend the Metallica shows on August 11th and 13th (60,000 every night). Spectators are asked to arrive very early at the site, which will open at 1pm, as roads and public transport will be congested (rue Viau will remain closed). STM offers a special Week-end Unlimited Metallica pass (*get your round-trip tickets Before on the day of the concert). Expect a mandatory search, no re-entry after entering the Pre-Tallica Party Grounds, and no lockers or changing rooms. Bags larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″ (including handbags, backpacks and fanny packs) are prohibited. It is imperative that you download your ticket to your phone Before to get there (no screenshots or printouts). Stadium opening: 4 p.m. Start of the concert: 6 p.m.
Metallica at the Olympic Stadium in a few numbers
Photo Martin Alarie
- 24 big trucks (*one of them had a serious traffic accident a few days ago en route between New York and Montreal, but evenko assures that this will not affect this week’s shows in any way)
- 40 trucks for production
- 3 days to set up the huge stage (pre-setup started last Sunday)
- 2 days to install all the production team
- 160 local technicians
- 100 Travel Technicians
- The only 2 dates in Canada in 2023
- 2017: Year of Metallica’s last appearance in Montreal (Jean-Drapeau Park)
Cult concerts in the Olympic Stadium
- The group Pink Floyd gave three grandiose concerts there in 1977 (with 80,000 spectators), 1988 and 1994.
- Sting and the police went there in 1983.
- On August 16, 1984, Diane Dufresne became the first Quebecer to perform (and fill) the Olympic Stadium during her Pink Magic tour.
Archive photo
- The group The Jackson performed there that same year, 1984, and the show is said to have been a sound fiasco.
- Giants David Bowie and George Michael made a stop at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal in 1987.
- Metallica and Guns N’ Roses’ failed performance at the stadium on August 8, 1992 will be remembered for a long time – and not for the right reasons. to interrupt his show. After several hours of waiting, Guns N’ Roses delivered a few songs before the concert was canceled due to technical problems and a problem with singer Axl Rose’s voice. A legendary uprising ensued.
Archive photo
- In 1993 Madonna presented her girlie show there. The Queen of Pop was upset about the many sound problems.
- The Rolling Stones attracted 82,000 fans on December 5th and 6th, 1994.
- Irish rock band U2 performed there in 1987, 1992 and 1997.
- Genesis traveled there in September 2007 during their Turn It On Again tour.
- The last major concerts at the Olympic Stadium were in 2015 with One Direction on September 5th and AC/DC on August 31st. The latter group also played there in August 2009.
The 5 musical shows that attracted the most people to the Olympic Stadium
- Pink FloydJuly 6, 1977, In the Flesh tour, 78,322 viewers
Archive photo
- Emerson, Lake and Palmer, August 26, 1977, factory tour, 73,898 spectators
- the rolling stones, December 14, 1989, Steel Wheels, 64,664 spectators
- U2October 1, 1987, Joshua Tree, 63,504 viewers
- pink floyd, 22, 23 & 24 May 1994, Bell Division, 62,689 spectators (187,302 total)