Marty Gordon
A top news story for 2025 in the New River Valley is of the unorthodox kind.
Metallica’s appearance at Lane Stadium in the spring made national attention with a crowd estimated at 75,000 people.
The song “Enter Sandman” has become a major part of the Virginia Tech football program, and in April the band played it live as part of a national concert series.
Officials at Virginia Tech say the Metallica concert was successful for everyone involved. Following the concert, Mark Owczarski, Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications, said the event went well. After the field was replaced, the university made about just a bit over $1 million.
“It was new territory for us and given all the ‘firsts’ involved and the fact we started with an event with many parts to it, we were pleased with the outcome,” he said.
The replacement of the football stadium’s turf was a big part of preparing for a concert that sat almost at the 50-yard line.
Metallica kept money from a percentage of the tickets and merchandise sold, while the school received funds from concessions, parking, and percentage of ticket costs.
A big part of the concert also included partnering with the band on souvenirs and t-shirt sales. The university’s licensing and trademarks team earned the 2025 Collegiate Licensing Company Best Product Partnership Award for its co-branded work with Metallica.
“These awards mark the second consecutive year Virginia Tech has been nationally recognized for its brand licensing work,” said Heather Ducote, senior director of marketing and brand management.” Our team finds unique, innovative ways to tell the university’s brand story through product partnerships.”
The initial lineup of merchandise co-branded with Metallica features designs inspired by the band’s logo and original sketches by Virginia Tech doodle artist Steven White.
“This partnership makes a dream of nearly 24 years come true,” said Ducote. “We’re excited to formalize our partnership with Metallica, since one of their most popular hits is already embraced at Virginia Tech athletics events as a beloved Hokie tradition. And it’s a partnership that mobilized many university departments; the Virginia Tech Athletics Department, the marketing team, the Office of Licensing and Trademarks, and artist and doodle expert Steven White are all involved in formalizing the partnership and creating the merchandise.”
Regarded as college football’s greatest entrance, ’Enter Sandman’ dates back to Aug. 27, 2000, when Virginia Tech installed the first videoboard in Lane Stadium. A new videoboard means a new walkout song, and ‘Enter Sandman’ won out over ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns N’ Roses and ‘Sirius’ by The Alan Parsons Project.
However, the first time the team actually used it in a game was against Georgia Tech, and the game itself was delayed then canceled due to thunderstorms. In fact, ESPN analyst Lee Corso’s rental car was struck by lightning as the announcer was preparing for the game.
‘Enter Sandman’ eventually carried over to both the men’s and women’s Virginia Tech basketball teams, and even some graduations. The excitement behind the movement took a turn when the Hokies hosted the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Cassell Coliseum in 2023.
For now, the 2025 date will go down in history as Metallica finally played “Enter Sandman” in person.
