Who Is Opening for Metallica 2026? Pantera, Gojira, Knocked Loose & Avatar
Metallica is back on the road in 2026 for another year of the M72 World Tour, and the support lineup is exactly the kind of stacked metal bill the band has built the M72 era around. The European stadium leg pairs Pantera with Avatar on one night and Gojira with Knocked Loose on the other, with Metallica playing a different setlist each evening. Suicidal Tendencies and Spiritbox split the two-night Mohegan Sun stand. The Las Vegas Sphere residency is a no-opener immersive run. Here's exactly who you'll see and on which night.
The M72 Two-Night Format
If you're new to the M72 era, here's the trick: when Metallica plays a city for two nights, they bring different openers and a different setlist for each show. No song is repeated across the two nights. That's why a "two-day pass" exists for almost every M72 city, and why dedicated fans buy both. The 2026 European leg keeps that structure intact.
Two pairings of openers rotate across the European leg:
- Night One: Pantera + Avatar
- Night Two: Gojira + Knocked Loose
In single-night cities, it's still one of those two pairings. Below is the full breakdown.
Pantera: The M72 Era Headliner-Sized Opener
Pantera (in their post-2022 reunion lineup with Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, Zakk Wylde, and Charlie Benante) returns to the M72 stage for another run after their 2023-2024 dates with Metallica. They are arguably the highest-profile support act in modern Metallica history; this is a band that headlined Wacken and arenas in their own right. On 2026 dates they share the bill with Swedish theatrical metallers Avatar.
Gojira: French Progressive Metal Heavyweights
Gojira have spent the last decade ascending from cult favorites to genuine festival headliners, and their 2024 Olympics opening ceremony performance only widened that audience. They return as M72 night-two support, paired with Knocked Loose.
Knocked Loose: Hardcore's Crossover Moment
The Kentucky hardcore band has been on one of the most explosive trajectories in heavy music: a Coachella Sahara tent slot in 2024, a Grammy nomination, and now opening Metallica stadiums in Europe. Their inclusion is a signal of the M72 booking philosophy — Metallica is using these slots to platform the heaviest bands working in 2026.
Avatar: Theatrical Swedish Metal
Avatar's circus-meets-metal stagecraft makes them a natural fit alongside Pantera, providing visual contrast to Pantera's straight-ahead groove metal attack. Expect face paint, ringmaster narration, and one of the more visually distinctive opening sets in metal.
Mohegan Sun: Suicidal Tendencies and Spiritbox
The two-night Mohegan Sun Arena run in Uncasville, Connecticut (November 19-22) brings a different set of openers, with each night featuring a single support band rather than the European two-band format:
- November 20 — Suicidal Tendencies
- November 22 — Spiritbox
Mike Muir's Suicidal Tendencies represents the L.A. crossover thrash/hardcore scene that birthed Robert Trujillo (S.T. is essentially Trujillo's alma mater). Spiritbox, the Vancouver-based progressive metalcore breakout, gives the second night a more modern, post-djent sound. The pairing is a smart microcosm of M72's "old school plus new school" approach.
Sphere Las Vegas Residency: No Opener, Two Setlists
Metallica's October-November 2026 Sphere Las Vegas residency is a different beast entirely. There's no opening act. Sphere shows are immersive headlining residencies, with the band taking the full evening to leverage the venue's wraparound 16K LED screen and spatial audio. The Sphere run alternates between two distinct setlists:
- "Metallica" — the standard M72 set
- "Metallica: Life Burns Faster" — a separate setlist that emphasizes different eras of the catalog, with bespoke Sphere visuals
Like the European leg, the residency rewards two-night attendance: the experience is built around seeing both setlists. Two-day passes are sold for each weekly pair.
Full 2026 Tour Dates and Lineups
European Stadium Leg
| Date | City | Venue | Openers |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9 | Athens, Greece | Olympic Stadium | Gojira, Knocked Loose |
| May 13 | Bucharest, Romania | Arena Națională | TBA |
| May 19 | Chorzów, Poland | Stadion Śląski | TBA |
| May 22 | Frankfurt, Germany | Deutsche Bank Park | TBA |
| May 24 | Frankfurt, Germany | Deutsche Bank Park | Pantera, Avatar |
| May 27 | Zürich, Switzerland | Stadion Letzigrund | Gojira, Knocked Loose |
| May 30 | Berlin, Germany | Olympiastadion | TBA |
| June 3 | Bologna, Italy | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara | TBA |
| June 11 | Budapest, Hungary | Puskás Aréna | Pantera, Avatar |
| June 13 | Budapest, Hungary | Puskás Aréna | Gojira, Knocked Loose |
| June 19 | Dublin, Ireland | Aviva Stadium | Pantera, Avatar |
| June 21 | Dublin, Ireland | Aviva Stadium | Gojira, Knocked Loose |
| June 25 | Glasgow, Scotland | Hampden Park | TBA |
| June 28 | Cardiff, Wales | Principality Stadium | TBA |
| July 3 | London, England | London Stadium | TBA |
| July 5 | London, England | London Stadium | Pantera, Avatar |
Sphere Las Vegas Residency (No Openers)
| Weekend | Dates | Setlist Format |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Oct 1, 3 | Life Burns Faster / Metallica |
| Week 2 | Oct 4, 8, 10 | Metallica / Life Burns Faster |
| Week 3 | Oct 11, 15, 17 | Metallica / Life Burns Faster |
| Week 4 | Oct 18, 22, 24 | Metallica / Life Burns Faster |
| Week 5 | Oct 25, 29, 31 | Metallica / Life Burns Faster |
| Week 6 | Nov 1, 5, 7 | Metallica / Life Burns Faster |
| Week 7 | Nov 6, 8 | Metallica |
Mohegan Sun Arena (Uncasville, CT)
| Date | Opener |
|---|---|
| November 20 | Suicidal Tendencies |
| November 22 | Spiritbox |
Why This Tour Matters
The M72 World Tour has now stretched across four years (2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026), making it the longest-running tour cycle of Metallica's career. The 2026 leg is essentially the victory lap, and the booking decisions reflect that. There's no need to bet on unknown openers anymore. Pantera, Gojira, Knocked Loose, and Avatar are all the right size and pedigree to play stadiums on their own merits.
The Sphere residency is the splash. Metallica becomes the first metal band to take a full residency at the venue, and the two-setlist format gives die-hards a real reason to make multiple trips to Vegas. That kind of commitment from an artist of Metallica's stature is rare; the last time they did anything similar was the Lou Reed-era weirdness or the WorldWired Tour stops at S&M2.
For European fans, the two-night format remains the M72 calling card. If you're going to one show, pick your night based on the openers. If you're going to two, you're getting four bands and zero repeat songs from Metallica.
Check the Metallica page on TourWax for direct ticket links and updated show details as more openers are confirmed for the TBA dates.
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