Metallica stepped in to save the day at Tomorrowland after a fire destroyed the main stage of the Belgian electronic music festival.
This year’s Tomorrowland, which runs from July 18 to 27 and will draw 400,000 attendees to Boom in Belgium’s Antwerp province, faced uncertainty when the main stage caught fire on Wednesday.
Metallica offered parts of the stage from their European tour, stored in Austria, to replace the damaged equipment, according to Antwerp-based newspaper The Latest News. The rig, which features a massive wall of screens, was airlifted to the festival site overnight, allowing Tomorrowland to open as scheduled at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Tomorrowland headliners and staff expressed gratitude to Metallica for their support.
“It is a miracle and we are beyond happy to be opening,” Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told DJ Mag. “Two hours ago we were still demolishing the old stage.”
Dutch DJ Martin Garrix, one of the festival’s headliners, thanked Metallica in an Instagram post, featuring a photo with drummer Lars Ulrich.
“I can not believe I’m actually typing this … but my set at Tomorrowland is still happening!” Garrix wrote. “Massive love and a big shoutout to the incredible Tomorrowland team for pulling off miracles — and to Metallica for coming through with the new stage parts. Beyond excited to close the main stage tonight. And this will hands down be the most unique Tomorrowland ever.”
Metallica’s M72 world tour will resume in November in Australia, with a return to Europe scheduled for May 2026.