Metallica to ‘Take Over’ Seminole Hard Rock Tampa in June

^{James Hetfield, from left, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo of Metallica, seen here earlier this month in Columbus, Ohio, will be bringing their brand of rock to the biggest casino on Florida’s Gulf Coast. (Photo: Amy Harris / Invision / AP)}

One of the venerable acts in rock and roll history, the California band Metallica, is now into its THIRD year of a massive world tour. The “M72 No Repeat Weekend” (more on this in a minute) will stop in Tampa, Florida, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will be a big part of the party. Between the two concert nights in Cigar City, the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa will host the “Metallica Takeover” of the property on the off day between shows. 

Trio of Events to Celebrate Metallica’s Impact

On June 7 (between the Metallica shows at Raymond James Stadium on June 6 and June 8), the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s Event Center will be abuzz with fans of the legendary hard rock/metal act. 

Starting at 3:30 PM, artist Tony Squindo, known for designing the iconic ‘Metallica’ lightning bolt and other Metallica-inspired artistry, will host “The Art of Squindo.” 

In this session, Squindo will discuss his work with the band for more than a quarter of a century. According to Squindo, it will be “an hour-plus as I ramble on about design challenges, inspiration, process, style … and maybe even a little blood and gore … in creating art for the biggest, baddest band in the world!”

After a bit of a break, The Metal Militia will be back in the Event Center for the next feature at 7 PM. None other than lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, who joined the band after original lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was booted in 1983, will appear to talk about the various instruments he has used in his career with Metallica. 

A Conversation with Kirk Hammett and Mark Agnesi from Gibson Guitars will span the 40+ years that Hammett has been with the metal masters and introduce his new book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett. 

The evening will wrap up with an earth-shattering thunder delivered by Tampa-based Hardwired, dubbed by Metallica as its unofficial tribute band. They’ll take the stage of the 2,000-seat Event Center at 10 PM, replete with customized Metallica instruments in their hands, stage props to back up the show and, of course, the lengthy catalog of Metallica songs for the Metalheads in the crowd.

Hardwired was hand-picked by Metallica to perform before the “Tribute to Jonny Z” (a man who was integral to Metallica’s success, Megaforce Records founder Jon Zazula) show in 2022 and maintains a remarkably close relationship with the originators they pay tribute to. 

Tickets for each session are only $20 and are available through the SHRT Event Center. 

From a Want-Ad to Rock & Roll Immortality

Metallica’s lengthy career in the world of music can be traced back to a simple want-ad. In 1981, drummer Lars Ulrich was looking to put together a band that, according to the ad, would sound like “Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head, and Iron Maiden.” 

Guitarist James Hetfield came along after that, then (after another bassist didn’t pan out) bassist Cliff Burton and Mustaine would join. After recording an initial song with Metal Blade Records, the label couldn’t step up to fund a full album; enter Zazula, who had seen the power and promise in Metallica, and their debut album Kill ‘Em All (originally titled Metal Up Your Ass) was released through Megaforce Records in 1983. 

Two more classic metal albums, Ride the Lightning (1984) and Master of Puppets (1986), would only fuel the fires of the band, but tragedy waited around the corner. A bus crash while on tour in Sweden would result in the death of Burton, and the band seriously considered ending the group. Burton’s family would encourage the band to continue onward, though, and with new bassist Jason Newsted in the fold, Metallica would reach new levels of success.

The critically acclaimed … And Justice for All (1988) and an eponymously titled record (1991, also known as “The Black Album”) catapulted the band into the stratosphere, with the self-titled record reaching Diamond (10 million or more in sales) status. Over the 30 years since then (and after replacing Newsted with current bassist Robert Trujillo), the band has continued to crank out – and crank up – a litany of legendary work, with the current album 72 Seasons leading to this tour. 

Metallica has been on tour now for over two years, starting the M72 No Repeat Weekend Tour back in April 2023. 

Also featuring such opening acts as Mammoth WVH, Ice Nine Kills, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Pantera, Evanescence, and Gojira, the main feature has been that Metallica performs two shows and does not repeat the set list for either show. In 2024, the M72 No Repeat Weekend was named the Rock Tour of the Year by Pollstar and was the ninth-highest-grossing tour for the year, earning nearly $180 million from a 24-show tour. 

Ed. Note: Casinos.com entertainment reporter Earl Burton is the author of the recently published, “For Those About to Rock: My Journey Through Rock Journalism,” available on Amazon.