LAS VEGAS—Metallica and Sin City are a match made in heaven! Armed with bone crushing riffs, enthusiastic rage and rows of pyrotechnics that put the 60,000 fans on the edges of their seat. On February 25 you could feel the fire as Metallica played their first concert at Allegiant stadium.

From the opening riff of “Whiplash,” Metallica had the entire audience in the palm of their hands for a two-hour show. The floor was a sea of fans moshing with such force it might have registered on the Richter scale.

It was Metallica’s first show of 2022, since last playing in Vegas in November 2018. Front-man and guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo have great chemistry onstage.

“It feels great to do this again. This is what the four of us were made to do,” Hetfield told the crowd. Trujillo and Hammett bonded onstage by crawling on their knees to feel the primal rumble.

Metallica brought fireworks, the aforementioned pyrotechnic sprinklers and a 3D wall that projected images related to the symbolism of the lyrics.

“One” felt particularly eerie this night, as images of war and suffering were difficult to watch as world events mimicked the onstage spectacle. Other highlights included: “Fuel” “Wherever I May Roam,” “Seek and Destroy” and “Moth Into Flame.”

Hetfield delivered a heartfelt plea from his vintage SHURE 55 microphone during the bridge of “Fade to Black” proclaiming with a raised hand, “This song goes out too all who struggle because we all do. We all struggle, and if you think you’re the only one that’s a lie. You can talk to your friends talk to somebody, because you are not alone.”

The sound was excellent, the Bay area band did not mind playing in the Raiders new home. Opening acts Ice Nine Kills and Great Van Fleet got a warm reception, which is not an easy task with a Metallica crowd. Greta van Fleet were amazing, at times, it felt like a double bill. The Kizka brothers are reviving 70s rock, as lead singer Josh Kizka has a high-pitched wail that soared across the stadium.

Metallica played a triumphant show jam packed with hits and will only play two more dates in North America this year.