Metallica turned the closing night of their M72 World Tour in London into a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. On July 5, 2026 at London Stadium, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo worked Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral” into their “Kirk and Rob Doodle,” making the moment a direct salute to Ozzy on the anniversary of Black Sabbath’s farewell show at Villa Park the previous year. Trujillo made the dedication explicit from the stage, telling the crowd, “A year ago today, there was a very important event. Back to the Beginning, Black Sabbath and so many other incredible people,” before adding, “Ozzy we love you and we miss you brother.”
The timing gave the tribute extra weight. Ozzy’s final live performance at Villa Park was a hometown farewell in Birmingham, and Metallica were part of the heavy metal circle that helped honor him that night. When Metallica closed their own London run exactly one year later, the Sabbath nod felt less like a cover and more like a memorial. Setlist.fm also marks the July 5 show as the last show of the M72 World Tour.
The London Stadium date was not just a tribute moment; it was a full Metallica stadium show with Avatar and Pantera on the bill as openers. Metallica came on at 7:45 p.m. and played an 18-song set that mixed early thrash, late-era staples, and the Sabbath salute in the middle.
Full setlist from London Stadium, July 5, 2026
- It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll) — tape intro, AC/DC cover.
- The Ecstasy of Gold — tape intro, Ennio Morricone.
- Whiplash.
- For Whom the Bell Tolls.
- Ride the Lightning.
- The Memory Remains.
- 72 Seasons.
- Screaming Suicide.
- Kirk and Rob Doodle — featuring Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral” and Sex Pistols’ “Holidays in the Sun.”
- The Day That Never Comes.
- Wherever I May Roam.
- The Call of Ktulu.
- The Unforgiven.
- Whiskey in the Jar — traditional cover, preceded by an “…And Justice for All” tease.
- Blackened.
- Moth Into Flame.
- One.
- Enter Sandman.
That setlist says a lot about how Metallica chose to end the tour. The band balanced the classics fans expect — “Whiplash,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Fade to Black”-era emotional weight through songs like “The Day That Never Comes,” and the closer “Enter Sandman” — with the newer material from 72 Seasons and a nod to their heavier roots. The Sabbath insert in the doodle section was the emotional centerpiece, but the show as a whole was built like a statement about legacy.
The night also sat inside a bigger Metallica London takeover. Louder reported that the band’s two-night stadium run drew huge crowds and featured the usual mixture of deep cuts, arena staples, and newer songs, reinforcing that Metallica are still treating the M72 era like a serious live campaign rather than a nostalgia exercise.
Metallica’s connection to Ozzy has always been personal. The band previously described the Birmingham farewell at “Back to the Beginning” as “hard rock and heavy metal’s ultimate tribute to Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne,” and the group has long counted Sabbath among its foundational influences. That is why the London tribute landed so naturally: it felt like one band of lifers saluting another.
The biggest emotional beat was Trujillo’s dedication and the “Do it for Ozzy” sign, followed by the Sabbath riff in the doodle section. The other standout was the placement of “Whiskey in the Jar” after an “…And Justice for All” tease, which gave the show a classic Metallica twist before the final sprint through “Blackened,” “Moth Into Flame,” “One,” and “Enter Sandman.”
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