22.05.2026 Knocked Loose

Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt (Germany)

Metallica continued their M72 Tour, which began in 2024, and the first stop in Germany was set to be Deutsche Bank Park at Frankfurt. Not just with a simple show, but as a so‑called No‑Repeat Weekend. Besides Frankfurt, this only happened in three other locations on the tour, and right on time for Friday, the weather improved significantly. So much, in fact, that it became extremely hot and sweaty.
Knocked Loose were given the honor of opening the first day. The five guys from Oldham County in the USA are currently riding a wave of success and were even nominated for a Grammy in 2025 for the song “Suffocate,” which they performed together with Poppy, in the category Best Metal Performance. One challenge for every artist this weekend was the 360° stage. While many musicians tend to get lost on such a setup, and with them the audience in the infield, Knocked Loose made use of the circular layout by constantly moving around it (except for their drummer Pac Sun, who of course had to stay in one place). Bryan Garris immediately hit the crowd with his hardcore screams in the opener “Blinding Faith” from their latest record “You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To”. Aside from him, however, only Pac Sun’s drums were clearly audible. The string section Nicko Calderon and Isaac Hale on guitars and Kevin Otten on bass were visibly playing their instruments, but through the stadium PA they were barely, if at all, to be heard. Unfortunately, this issue persisted throughout the entire set, making the musical experience more than lacking.
The stadium was only about one‑third full, and very likely due to the poor acoustics, the spark just didn’t catch. The crowd’s reaction remained rather subdued. Arms were occasionally raised, and there were a few small attempts of pits, but overall nothing particularly impressive. Garris didn’t let that discourage him and repeatedly urged the crowd to join in or sing along. The band worked their way through a setlist heavily dominated by the new album. They made full use of the 40 minutes they were given and closed with “Everything Is Quiet Now.”
I didn’t know the band beforehand and had never heard anything from them. Their stage presence and energy were great, but the acoustics were an absolute disaster which is something the band can’t be blamed for. Because of that, the atmosphere simply never took off. As sorry as I am for the guys, this was unfortunately the absolute low point (but thankfully the only one) of the weekend. From here on out, things could only get better.