Metallica Become The Ultimate Living End Covers Band In Melbourne
Metallica transformed Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium into a massive celebration during their 2025 Australian tour, surprising fans with a cover of The Living End’s Prisoner of Society and an explosive setlist packed with fan favorites.
The band continued their unique tradition of performing a local classic at each stop on the tour. For Melbourne, they honored hometown icons The Living End, while in previous shows they tackled John Butler’s Zebra in Perth and The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again in Adelaide. Attentive listeners even caught a touch of INXS’ Don’t Change woven into the Melbourne performance.
These tributes—featuring Kirk Hammett on guitar and Rob Trujillo covering bass and vocals—have become a signature and much-loved part of the band’s Australian shows.
It has been twelve years since Metallica last played in Australia. When James Hetfield asked the crowd who was seeing them for the first time, countless hands went up, though the majority of Marvel Stadium’s 40,000-plus attendees were devoted fans returning once more to see their heroes live.
“An image of a 1989 Festival Hall ticket flashed across the screens, nodding to Metallica’s first-ever Melbourne show on May 4, 1989.”
Back then, Festival Hall could hold just over 5,000 people—making the Marvel Stadium crowd nearly ten times larger, marking Metallica’s biggest single-night audience ever in Melbourne.
Author’s Summary
Metallica electrified Melbourne with a tribute to The Living End and a record-breaking show that honored both local music and the band’s enduring bond with Australian fans.