Metallica attracts new, long time fans at Lollapalooza
Photo: Frankie Perez, La DePaulia Multimedia Editor
Fans Brandon Munoz and Bianca Munroy wore matching Metallica shirts on Thursday. Both longtime and new fans of the metal band attended Lollapalooza.
Fans’ classic black t-shirts with Metallica’s logo stood out against the sunny day walking through Grant Park as thousands of Metallica fans rushed to Lollapalooza on Thursday for the headliner.
Metallica formed in 1981 and recently gained mainstream popularity after their song “Master of Puppets” was featured on Netflix’s original “Stranger Things.”
“Master of Puppets” rose on the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after being featured on “Stranger Things.” They currently have the 50th spot.
The recent favor has longtime fans conflicted over whether news fans are genuine.
“I’ve been a Metallica fan for a while,” fan Courtney Fraley said. “I don’t know if they’re really listening to more than just the one [song.]”
Katya Flores is a young fan who is hesitant but enthusiastic about the new fame.
“They’ve already had their fan base,” Flores said. “There’s people that really know their hits.”
Metallica last went on tour in the U.S. in 2019, but have headlined several festivals this year, such as Hellfest.
“They had small pop up shows recently… like a year ago,” Flores said. “I really wanted to go, it sold out really quick. Then I saw that they were headlining here. That’s probably one of the main reasons why I came.”
“Master of Puppets” rose on the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after being featured on “Stranger Things.” They currently have the 50th spot.
“I love it and I hate it,” fan Brandon Munoz said. “They’re getting recognition. I kind of hate it because everybody’s gonna just be like ‘oh, it’s that TikTok song from Stranger Things.’”
Lollapalooza announced their lineup back in March on their website and social media. Metallica was listed as a headliner before “Stranger Things” dropped their fourth season.
“It’s good to see people see Metallica as a good band,” fan Bianca Monroy. “It’s a good thing that they’re getting more recognition and getting more fans from it.”
Metallica will perform Thursday at 8:15 p.m. at the T-Mobile stage.
“It’s one of those bands where you might not see them ever again in the future,” Flores said.
