You did not have to be at the gigs to witness Metallica’s unfolding relationship with Gulf audiences.
The band have been studiously keeping track of regional performances as part of an extensive YouTube archive of more than 2,300 videos, the majority chronicling their live tours since 2011.
That long-running catalogue continues this week with two videos of songs from the band's Abu Dhabi performance as part of the F1 after-race concert series at Etihad Park.
Creeping Death and Master of Puppets is part of a string of official videos of Metallica's time in the Gulf from their regional debut in Abu Dhabi in 2011 to later visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain over 14 years.
We trace the journey of how the Gulf became an integral part of Metallica’s global fan base.
October 2011: Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi
It takes a lot for Metallica to be excited about an upcoming gig, but as bassist Robert Trujillo noted in an exclusive backstage interview with The National in 2011, the band were already pumped for their Middle Eastern debut after guitarist Kirk Hammett showed them an aerial map of Etihad Park before taking off to the UAE.
“We were amazed by it,” he said. “And coming here and seeing it, it is surprising because the architecture, the colours, the whole place looks pretty futuristic.”
As The National noted in its review, more than 25,000 fans from across the region crammed into the outdoor venue to see the group tear into an 18-song set list featuring hits and the now rarely played track Motorbreath from 1983 debut album Kill ’Em All.
The occasion was deemed so momentous that Metallica released a 20-minute video of the Abu Dhabi show, including a performance of Ride the Lightning, jamming in the backstage rehearsal room and meeting fans.
April 2013: Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi
Not even the rising evening temperatures kept fans away when the band returned with another unrelenting set featuring pummeling back-to-back takes of The Shortest Straw and Harvester of Sorrow.
Glaring omissions from the 2011 show, such as Nothing Else Matters, were also addressed as well as a rendition of instrumental epic Orion, dedicated to fallen bandmate and bassist Cliff Burton.
Metallica marked the performance by uploading a video of Master of Puppets.
December 2023: Soundstorm, Riyadh
It took a decade for Metallica to return to the region, but they made up for it with the sheer scale of their performance as headliners of the Soundstorm Festival in Riyadh, marking their debut in Saudi Arabia.
A lot of that was due to the colossal size of the Big Beast Stage, which was featured one of the world’s largest LED screens, at 43 metres high.
The National was there, describing how the band “came, saw and conquered”, praising the power and production values of the show and thunderous versions of Where I May Roam and the thrashy energy of Lux Æterna and Too Far Gone? from 2023 album 72 Seasons.
The whole set made for rich material to pick from, with Metallica adding Riyadh performances of The Unforgiven and Master of Puppets to their video archive.
November, 2025: Lusail International Circuit, Doha
What began as one-off trips to the region has now developed into a full-blown Gulf run, with Metallica kicking off a three-country tour with their maiden visit to Qatar.
Performing as part of Doha's Formula One Grand Prix festivities, the group presented a set fans had been waiting for, drawing on their catalogue beginning with Creeping Death and ending with Enter Sandman.
Doha renditions of Fade to Black and Fuel were uploaded online soon after.
December 2025: Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre, Bahrain
A case of another milestone for Metallica, the band set an attendance record with 10,000 people at their Bahrain debut at Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre.
According to Billboard magazine, fans from 30 nationalities were in attendance to see the group deliver a more extended set including tracks Moth Into the Flame and King Nothing.
Footage of that relatively intimate performance is available online with versions of The Day That Never Comes and One.
December 2025: Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi
Metallica ended their Gulf run this year where their relationship with the region started, performing as part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend. While the set list – identical to Doha – didn't surprise, it was a masterful display of their enduring precision.
As The National noted, Fuel was “a cyclonic hit of guitars and frenetic pyro”, while the bone-crunching riffs of Sad But True answered Hetfield’s introductory declaration: “Do you want heavy? Well, Metallica gives you heavy, baby.”
While the performance was suitably powerful, as displayed in video uploads of Creeping Death and Master of Puppets, what resonated was how the show in Abu Dhabi – and, in turn, others in the region – have transformed Metallica forays to the Gulf from being quixotic adventures to the fervour of hometown shows.
Metallica left the stage to a blaze of fireworks and with confirmation – not that any more is needed – of the Gulf's important place in the global “Metallica family”.
