BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – Things are getting a little more electric in Blacksburg Thursday morning after the announcement that Metallica will play Lane Stadium in May.

But before the recording of the song “Enter Sandman” blared from the speakers as the Hokies hosted Radford on Saturday afternoon, members of the athletic administration spoke about the concert for the first time since it was announced.

As it turned out, the school had been in contact with the band and their management for two years and was working on bringing a live version of “Enter Sandman” to Lane Stadium.

“Sometimes you have to reach for the stars, right?” begins Brad Wurthman, Executive Associate AD/External Affairs and Advancement at Virginia Tech. “We had a few people on the team who believed we could do it, which is nice. When people believe in a crazy idea that sounds pretty ridiculous to most people, that’s enough to keep going with it.”

The band will play at Lane on May 7 as part of their 2025 M72 tour.

Whit Babcock, Virginia Tech’s athletic director, provided further details on the agreement, saying Metallica will keep a percentage of tickets and merchandise sold that night, while the school will keep funds from concessions, parking fees and a percentage of ticket costs.

Babcock also said there will be 6,000 reserved tickets for Virginia Tech students in the North End Zone. He explains that the chance to get a student ticket will likely be awarded through a lottery system where selected students can purchase a ticket for $49.

In conclusion, Babcock added that the post-concert field exchange was part of Metallica’s contractual obligations.

“In my 11 years here, we’ve started and stopped with Metallica a few times,” Babcock explained. “It always seemed like Metallica was friendly and recognized Blacksburg. So they wanted to come, but they were always touring.”

Tech’s athletic director praised Hokies fans for their passion for the athletic programs and how much that helped bring Metallica to Lane.

“It’s an incredible, passionate fan base that has kept (Enter Sandman) alive and then some. They’ve played a huge part in that. Bringing the concert to (Blacksburg) and also winning football games are both really important to us.”

Ticket sales are expected to begin on Friday, September 27th.

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