The song “Enter Sandman” has become a major part of the Virginia Tech football program, and this next week, the band, Metallica, will play it live as part of a national concert series.
The band’s announcement said, “In a new twist, M72 2025 will also include several single shows with the full production, including the in-the-round stage and Snake Pit. Among them are two college football stadiums: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, and our first-ever visit to Blacksburg, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies. The show at Lane Stadium will mark the culmination of 20-plus years of ‘Enter Sandman’ playing as the Hokies take the field.”
Lane Stadium will be one of six stadium concerts, including Charlotte, slated for this year.
Each stadium show will a variety of Enhanced Experiences, ranging from access to a meet and greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the “Black Box” lounge to early entry into the venue and the aforementioned Snake Pit.
For the last three decades, Metallica has included a “snake pit” section at every show they play. The snake pit in a standing-room only section literally in the middle of the stage, giving fans a 360-degree view of the band as they play.
Tickets have skyrocketed, hitting a high of $3,000. The event is expected to be a sellout of a different kind for the football stadium.
The concert is expected to affect almost everything in Blacksburg, especially parking and traffic.
Here is the latest from VT Parking Services:
Stadium Lot (Lot 2) will close on Wednesday, April 30, in preparation for the Metallica concert and will remain closed through Friday, May 9.
To accommodate event preparations and ensure safety, Stadium Road will also be closed to all through traffic during this time.
Stadium Lot (Lot 2) will be restricted to no new parking beginning at 5 p.m., and all vehicles must be removed from this lot by 7 p.m. to avoid being ticketed and towed.
Resident student permit holders must relocate their vehicles to the resident side of the Duck Pond Road Lot (the Cage) or to Oak Lane.
The following lots will be restricted to no new parking beginning at 5 p.m. on May 5 and all vehicles must be removed from these lots by 6 p.m. to avoid being ticketed and towed. These lots will remain closed until the conclusion of the concert on May 7: Hahn Hurst Lot, Basketball Extension Lot, Duck Pond Overflow Lot, Smithfield Lot (located off Smithfield Road), Engel Lot, Food Science Lot and Field House Lot (behind Rector Field House).
The following lots will be restricted to no new parking beginning at 6 p.m., and all vehicles must be removed from these lots by 7 p.m. to avoid being ticketed and towed. These lots will remain closed until the conclusion of the concert on May 7: Litton–Reaves/Wallace Hall Lots (located off Washington Street and Duck Pond Drive), Maintenance Lot (located off Southgate Drive), Rec Field Lot (off Beamer Way), Health and Safety Lot (located off Beamer Way), Parking Services Lot and Washington Street.
The following lots will be restricted to no new parking beginning at 7 p.m., and all vehicles must be removed from these lots by 8 p.m. to avoid being ticketed and towed. These lots will remain closed until the conclusion of the concert on May 7: Track/Field House Lot (Lot 4), Chicken Hill Lot (Lot 5, remote permits will still be able to park in this lot until noon on Wed, May 7), Coliseum Lot (Lot 1), Vet Med Lot (client spaces will still be available for Vet Med customers only Tuesday May 6/Wednesday May 7) and Student Remote Lot (located at the intersection of Innovation and Smoot Drive).
The North End Center Garage Turner Street entrance will be closed, and no parking will be available on levels 2-7 on Wednesday, May 7. The Gilbert Street entrance will be open for retail/Carilion parking only on level 1.
Faculty, staff, and students that need to be on campus before noon on Wednesday, May 7, will be allowed to park in any of the public parking listed below or in the Duck Pond Road Lot (the Cage) with a valid university parking permit. Remote permit holders that must be in person will also be allowed to park in Chicken Hill until noon.
The following lots will be used as public parking for the Metallica concert. The ParkMobile rate will switch from the daily use rate to the event parking rate of $50 at noon. Any vehicles remaining in these lots after noon must pay the event parking rate on ParkMobile or have a valid university parking permit (excluding daily, remote, and evening only permits). All other vehicles must be removed to avoid being ticketed or towed. Public Lots: Perry Street Garage, Data and Decision Sciences Lot, Upper and Lower Stanger Lots, Holtzman Alumni Center Lot, USLB Lot, Drillfield, Alumni Mall, Davidson Lot, Wright House Lot, Price Hall Lot, Aggie Quad Lot, Squires Lot, Architectural Annex Lot, GLC Circle, Bookstore Lot (to include the meter spaces), Visitor Center Lot, Moss Arts Lot, Clay Street Lot and Center for One Health Research Lot (COHR, off of Prices Fork Road)
All parking on campus that is not designated as a reserve lot is considered public parking for the Metallica concert and requires either payment of the event parking rate on ParkMobile or a valid university permit to avoid being ticketed and towed. Parking is prohibited in fire lanes, roadways, service drives, loading docks, and on grass. Violations will be strictly enforced. There will be no RV parking allowed on campus between May 5 and May 9.
All concert parking must depart immediately following the conclusion of the concert. Virginia Tech will have normal operations on Thursday, May 8, and all parking rules and regulations will be in effect.
For a detailed overview of parking accommodations for the Metallica concert, including reserved and public parking, ADA parking, road closures, student parking, rideshare pick-up and drop-off, and Blacksburg Transit stops.
Blacksburg Transit will run an expanded schedule starting at 1:30 pm on May 7 to accommodate anticipated demand for the concert. BT fare is free to all riders.
All BT routes (except Two Town Trolley) will drop off at Cassell Coliseum near the concert venue, Lane Stadium. Remember the 3-letter code of the bus you rode to the concert, the same route will take you home.
After servicing the Cassell Coliseum bus stop, buses will service the Transit Center Loops before leaving campus. Buses will not stop at the Loops before servicing Cassell, riders wishing to transfer to other routes as the bus enters campus should exit the bus at the Wright House stop.
Buses will continue servicing Cassell Coliseum after the concert. To board a bus after the show, return to the sidewalk in front of Cassell Coliseum. Buses are designated by a three-letter code. Plan to ride the same route home that you took to the concert. BT staff in safety vests will be on site to help direct you to the correct route.
Regarded as college football’s greatest entrance, ‘Enter Sandman’ dates back to Aug. 27, 2000, when Virginia Tech installed the first videoboard in Lane Stadium. A new videoboard means a new walkout song, and ‘Enter Sandman’ won out over ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns N’ Roses and ‘Sirius’ by The Alan Parsons Project.
However, the first time the team actually used it in a game was against Georgia Tech, and the game itself was delayed then canceled due to thunderstorms. In fact, ESPN analyst Lee Corso’s rental car was struck by lightning as the announcer was preparing for the game.
‘Enter Sandman’ eventually carried over to both the men’s and women’s Virginia Tech basketball teams, and even some graduations. The excitement behind the movement took a turn when the Hokies hosted the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Cassell Coliseum in 2023.
The concert, which is part of Metallica’s M72 World Tour, will include the sale of alcohol and will feature special guests, Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies.
