Metallica performed their headlining set at Glastonbury on Saturday (June 28) night, closing the second full day of the festival.
The US metal group were met with a warm reception by the Pyramid Stage crowd, despite controversy surrounding their booking for the festival.
After arriving on stage 20 minutes late, the band opened with 'Creeping Death', before moving on to perform staples such as 'The Memory Remains' and 'Sad but True'.
They also invited a group of fans on stage to watch their set, with those chosen remaining at the back of the Pyramid for the 100-minute duration.
During the set, lead singer James Hetfield said that the band were proud to be representing heavy metal at the festival.
"Metallica [are] grateful to be invited to such an event as the Glastonbury Festival," he said. "We are proud to be invited and be representing, shall we say, heavier music. It's about time."
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The band then dedicated 'Sad But True' to British metal bands who dream of playing Glastonbury.
The band closed the main set with 'Enter Sandman', but returned to the stage moments later to play a cover of traditional song 'Whiskey in the Jar'.
"This one's going to be fun," Hetfield said before launching into the song, which was also covered famously by Irish hard rock group Thin Lizzy in the early 1970s.
The singer bellowed before the set-closing 'Seek & Destroy': "Sadly we've come to the last song... If you're a fan of Metallica or not, this is a song you can get behind."
Kasabian will headline the third and final day of Glastonbury tomorrow (June 29).
Metallica's full Glastonbury set list:
'Creeping Death'
'For Whom The Bell Tolls'
'Wherever I May Roam'
'Sad But True'
'Fade To Black'
'Cyanide'
'The Unforgiven'
'The Memory Remains'
'One'
'Master of Puppets'
'Nothing Else Matters'
'Enter Sandman'
'Whiskey in the Jar'
'Seek & Destroy'
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Gallery: Saturday at Glastonbury
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
