LIVE REVIEW: METALLICA + EVANESCENCE + SUICIDAL TENDENCIES @ SUNCORP STADIUM 12/11/25

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

It has been twelve years since Metallica last toured Australia. It was back in 2013 when they were the final band of the final date of the Soundwave Festival. Metallica closed the show and brought down the curtain on a decade-defining festival circuit. Many of us were at the last gig of Soundwave and it is great to welcome Metallica back to Brisbane for a huge concert with two amazing support bands in Evanescence and Suicidal Tendencies. It was a dream bill.

The Suncorp Stadium was the site for 50,000 fans to get merch and line up for hours to get that spot on the barrier. There had been pop-up shops in the city and many visitors in town and the sense of anticipation across the city was nothing short of electric. You could feel it building all week even from jaded music press. The train journey into the venue was awesome with everyone in mostly black Metallica shirts, there were a few 2013 white shirts, and the train got christened the Metallica train as their music blared down the carriages. Even the long walk into Suncorp seemed to go fast as the place was buzzing.

The band to kick off the night, with a burst of unfiltered psycho energy, was Suicidal Tendencies. They had blitzed the Tivoli the night before and now it was the huge Suncorp stage that they had to fill. And Suicidal Tendencies did an amazing job and their set was great. They set the tone with a furious mix of punk attitude and metallic nu-metal groove.

The band, Suicidal Tendencies, comprises of Dean Pleasants, Ben Weinman, Tye Trujillo, Jay Weinberg with frontman Mike Muir. He brought his best Cyco Miko personality as he bounded across the stage like a man possessed, leading the charge through the band’s classic songs like ‘You Can’t Bring Me Down’ and ‘Pledge Your Allegiance’. The band delivered more than just a greatest hits set. Suicidal Tendencies brought local singer Nisha Star along and delivered the new song ‘Adrenaline Addict’.

The band delivered a great 7 song set that included ‘Join the Army’, the fun ‘Send Me Your Money’, ‘Subliminal’ and ‘Cyco Vision’. The jumps off the drumkit by Ben Weinman were astonishing. The spins and the crowd engagement from the band were amazing. The bassist Tye Trujillo put on a masterclass in how to drive the rhythm. The drummer Jay Weinberg was the hard-working engine room.

The band’s youthful ferocity belied their veteran status as a band formed in the 1990s. It was an amazing way to start a major concert. The crowd fed off every guitar riff, bassline groove and every shout. It was chaos in the best possible way - the perfect ignition before the storm that was to come as Mike Muir dived into the mosh with the crowd and chanted “ST”. Suicidal Tendencies were so impressive!

Then, the anticipation built and exploded when Evanescence came out onto the stage. The young girls around me screamed and burst into tears. Evanescence was the band of the night. Their 13-song setlist was beautifully curated and they delivered a masterclass in heavy rock blended with light and shade. Amy Lee’s voice was magnificent as it soared effortlessly across the stadium. Her voice was haunting, powerful, and emotional all at once.

The set opened with the fan favourite ‘Going Under’ that started with its ethereal opening. It signalled what was coming, cinematic and commanding sound. The strong start was cemented with ‘Made Of Stone’, then ‘Take Cover’ and ‘The Game Is Over’ followed. The tone was established as the band laid their authority down.

The song ‘Lithium’ was the first track to bring in the piano. The interplay between piano-led delicacy and towering guitars created waves of tension and release that captivated the crowd.

If Suicidal Tendencies brought the raw fire, Evanescence countered with dark gothic elegance.

The second part of the set followed the template of the first half with the big rocker ‘Wasted On You’ with its bite and bile. Then, the songs ‘Better Without You’, the huge single ‘Call Me When You're Sober’, ‘Imaginary’ and the political ‘Use My Voice’ followed as the crowd was pulled into Evanescence’s world. It was so good!

Amy Lee’s voice echoed like a prayer under the stage lights during ‘My Immortal’. Then, the twinkling piano keys melody signalled the end, and the crowd went off, as ‘Bring Me To Life’ exploded and the crowd broke into song with the whole stadium singing in unison. The contrast of feminine fragile beauty giving way to full-blown catharsis in the instrumentation demonstrated the high skill level of the band to completely command the dynamics and emotion of the song and the crowd.

Evanescence’s set was dramatic, immersive, and perfectly suited to the scale of the night. It was operatic and huge. The performance proved that Evanescence are not the young band anymore. They have moved into master status. The band occupy a rare space between nu-metal and gothic grace with loaded arena power. They had the power to drive the melodies of light and the forces of darkness. Evanescence were the best!

There was a bit of a wait for Metallica as they waited for the crowd to calm down after Evanescence. Videos played and artwork for the tour went up on the screens. The sound started with ‘It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)’ by AC/DC and the crowd were in full voice singing out loud and proud. Then, a film clip of Clint Eastwood and the song ‘The Ecstasy of Gold’ by composer Ennio Morricone entertained the crowd and said quite a lot about the band’s age.

Then, the lights finally dimmed, and the roar that greeted Metallica felt like a tsunami of emotion flowing out of Suncorp Stadium. The opening strains of ‘Creeping Death’ was a statement. The song and Metallica’s delivery cut through the air and unleashed the crowd’s energy. The crowd erupted in unison. Fists were raised in the air. Devil horns were held high. For many in the crowd it was reliving their youth and for the young people it was the first time to see the legends live. The genre defining guitar riff of ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ followed, as the thunderous opening bells rang out like a call to arms as the stadium moved together.

Then, flame cannons burst skyward for ‘Fuel’ and the heat, and the stadium quite literally ignited. The hit songs followed with ‘Ride the Lightning’, the terrific ‘The Unforgiven’ where the tempo eased into a moment of reflection and gold lights washed over the crowd. The sway of ‘Wherever I May Roam’ was delivered with skill and blew the crowd away. Then, the band had the first break of the set. It was over to Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.

At mid-set Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo usually break out a surprise cover of a local band. They took a playful detour, jamming through The Chats’ cult classic ‘Smoko’. It was so good and so Brisbane!

We were now at the second half of the set where the heart of Metallica was exposed. The emotional musical heartbeat came with ‘The Day That Never Comes’. Its haunting melody shimmered across the stadium. Then, the lights and flames erupted. It was cinematic: tension and release, melody and mayhem in perfect balance. Then ‘Moth Into Flame’ sent more sparks and flames, literal and metaphorical, into the night.

The song ‘Sad But True’ was greeted with stomping feet and a low-end bassline rumble that shook the stadium. Then, the crowd erupted in joy and song as the ballad ‘Nothing Else Matters’ started. That opening guitar melody line drew the entire crowd into a single, collective sigh, the stadium lights twinkling like stars as 50,000 voices joined James Hetfield’s.

Then, the huge ‘Seek & Destroy’ would have torn the roof off, if the stadium had one. Black and yellow beach balls bounced across the crowd. James Hetfield was yelling: “Searching… Seek and Destroy!”. It was party time chaos. Then, the newer song ‘Lux Æterna’ was played with the heavier metal keeping up the brutal pace. Metallica were making a point that they are not a legacy band and that their songwriting still has fire and burns bright.

And then the encore commenced. The masterful ‘Master of Puppets’ was monumental with every guitar riff hitting with force. The crowd was so loud they nearly drowned out the band. Even Lars Ulrich seemed to feed off it, hammering the second kit that was out in the middle of the stage set up closer to the crowd, pushing everything into the red.

The visuals reached new heights as the band unleashed the war imagery laden ‘One’. The images of soldiers flickered across the screens as the gunfire, explosions, silhouettes of soldiers were timed to fireworks to drive home the song’s message as the music exploded around it. Flames cannons roared, the crowd’s roar grew louder, and even the stage seemed to pulse with the rhythm of battle.

Then came the inevitable song, the huge hit, ‘Enter Sandman’. The opening guitar riff hit like a sledgehammer and the Brisbane crowd lost its collective mind. James Hetfield called out, “Are you still out there? Sing it, Brisbane!”. And the crowd did. When the final notes rang out, he smiled, looked across the sea of faces and said, “Metallica loves Brisbane. We have been away too long. We won’t do it again”. It felt genuine and the crowd loved it.

As the noise subsided, the band came forward to the edge of the stage. James Hetfield took a breath and grinned, “You are beautiful, Brisbane.” He reminded the crowd, “If you’ve been drinking, hand your keys to a friend,” before thanking everyone with quiet sincerity: “Thank you so much — we’re so grateful to be back.” Then Lars Ulrich took the mic, adding, “It’s been 12 long years since we were last here. Thank you for your patience. We will be back sooner - there’s no better place to be than here, and the Gold Coast!” I guess we know where they were staying. The four members took their bows, exhausted but grinning, the crowd roared, and it was deafening.

Metallica had delivered a concert that will go down in history as the fireworks went off. It was more than a concert: it was a communion between the bands and their fans. It was also a reminder that heavy music is about unity and power shared between the musicians and their fans.