Two days before Belgium's Tomorrowland 2025 was set to light up, a fire broke out at the festival’s colossal main stage—sending organisers into crisis mode. But in a move no one saw coming, Metallica stepped in and saved the show.
View this post on Instagram
The fire, which erupted on 17 July, reduced much of the Orbyz main stage to ashes. That’s when Metallica, offered up their M72 World Tour stage that was stored in Austria. In the spirit of 'the show must go on,' the stage was quickly airlifted to help salvage the main stage.
Many shared their sentiments that the festival was saved by Metallica. “They weren’t on the lineup, but they were absolutely the headliners behind the scenes.” said a rep for Tomorrowland via Rolling Stone.
In just 36 hours, a brand-new stage rose accompanied by speakers that Metallica used on their own shows—Intimate, minimal, and backed by a towering LED screen. In a show of resilience, organisers left the charred skeleton of the old structure visible behind the new setup, symbolising triumph over disaster.
Martin Garrix, Axwell, and Steve Aoki were among the first to perform on the new stage, with Garrix even sharing a picture on his social media thanking Metallica for their help with contributing stage parts with the caption saying, "and to Metellica for coming through with the new stage parts 🤘❤️"
View this post on Instagram
Tomorrowland continues through 28 July, stronger than ever—thanks to a band of rock legends who proved that metal and EDM can be more than just festival neighbours.
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
-