Metallica release pro-shot ‘Master of Puppets’ footage with lightning in Munich

The moment went viral during the band’s ongoing ‘72 Seasons’ tour

Metallica performing in Munich, Germany on May 24, 2024. CREDIT: Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

Metallica have released pro-shoot footage of their ‘Master of Puppets’ performance in Munich, Germany, which took place on May 24. Watch the clip below.

The performance went viral last month due to the weather that took place above the open-air Olympiastadion stadium – amidst heavy rain, as the band ripped into the song’s iconic opening riff, a bolt of lightning appeared in the sky.

A fan filmed the incident and tweeted about it: “Went to the Metallica concert in München today, a thunderstorm happened and it made for the coolest fucking intro of all time”.

NME spoke with the band last year, where drummer Lars Ulrich opened up about the impact of Stranger Things using ‘Master of Puppets’ during a key scene in the show’s season four finale.

“We see a lot of 13 to 14-year-olds coming for the first time,” said Ulrich. “There’s always been a coming-of-age element to our shows, and just look at the Stranger Things phenomena of last summer.

“That came out of nowhere and all of a sudden introduced Metallica to a whole other set of younger people.”

Metallica are currently embarking on a tour supporting their latest album, 2023’s ‘72 Seasons’. As part of the itinerary, the band performs two sets in every city with different setlists and opening acts.

On the band’s second performance in Munich (May 26), they debuted ‘Inamorata’, a ‘72 Seasons’ track that’s also the longest recording of an original Metallica song in their discography – at just over 11 minutes.

The honour of Metallica’s longest recording overall goes to ‘Mercyful Fate’. A medley of covers paying tribute to the work of the titular Danish heavy metal band, its runtime of 11:11 edges out ‘Inamorata’ by a second. ‘Mercyful Fate’ is included in the band’s 1998 compilation album ‘Garage Inc’.

As for the album ’72 Seasons’ itself, NME’s Kevin EG Perry called it “a ragged beast that explodes out of the traps and never lets up” in a four-star review.