BLACKSBURG 鈥 The heavy metal band Metallica has been rocking since the 1980s but had never performed at Lane Stadium until Wednesday night.
So the Lane stop of the band鈥檚 tour drew fans of all ages.
Jean Crenshaw, 85, was among them.
鈥淚 am heavy metal,鈥 Crenshaw, who lives in Richmond and Christiansburg, said as she walked from a Cassell Coliseum parking lot toward the stadium. 鈥淚 play their records.
鈥淚 just like heavy metal music. And of course I鈥檓 hard rock and roll (too). 鈥 I like it all.鈥
Metallica鈥檚 song 鈥淓nter Sandman鈥 has been synonymous with Virginia Tech football for almost a quarter of a century. The song is the entrance music for the Tech football team as the Hokies enter the stadium for their home games.
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Crenshaw is a Tech fan, so she said 鈥渋t鈥檚 going to mean the world鈥 to her to see Metallica perform 鈥淓nter Sandman鈥 at Lane Stadium.
Colton Ware, a 10-year-old from Virginia Beach, is also a Metallica fan. He said he likes hard rock.
鈥淚 listened to their songs in the car and I was like, 鈥榃ho is this?鈥欌 he said while tailgating with his father and others in the Cassell parking lot.
Earl Ware of Virginia Beach holds up his son Colton Ware, 10, in the Cassell Coliseum parking lot while tailgating before Wednesday鈥檚 Metallica concert at Lane Stadium.
Wednesday night was going to be Colton鈥檚 first Metallica concert.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to feel like a dream,鈥 said Colton, who plays the guitar.
Wednesday marked the seventh or eighth Metallica concert that Colton鈥檚 father, Earl Ware, has attended. The elder Ware has been a Metallica fan since 1994.
Earl Ware was the one who introduced Colton to Metallica鈥檚 music.
鈥淚n December he was like, 鈥楧ad, can we go (to the Lane concert)?鈥欌 Earl Ware said. 鈥淚 kind of struggled whether I should bring a 10-year-old or not. And then my brother-in-law was like, 鈥榊ou better bring him before he doesn鈥檛 want to go with you anymore.鈥欌
Metallica and Tech fan Jason Tuggle of 麻花视频 County brought his 15-year-old son Witt to the concert.
鈥淚鈥檝e been a fan since the 鈥80s and my son has now become a fan,鈥 Jason Tuggle said while tailgating in the Cassell lot. 鈥淭here鈥檚 only so much you can share with teenagers and I enjoy that we share that in common.鈥
鈥淢y dad kind of brought me into it,鈥 said Witt Tuggle, a Cave Spring High School student. 鈥淵ou feel the emotion in it.鈥
Wednesday was the elder Tuggle鈥檚 first Metallica concert since 1992.
鈥淢etallica is the only four-piece band that I鈥檝e heard 鈥 that can make it sound like war is on the horizon,鈥 he said.
Virginia Tech fans love to jump up and down to 鈥淓nter Sandman鈥 at Tech football games.
So Tech student and North Cross graduate Nathan Carey wanted to attend the concert, even though he said 鈥淓nter Sandman鈥 is probably the only Metallica song he has heard.
鈥淭he atmosphere of Lane Stadium, there鈥檚 nothing like it for a football game,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o I thought it鈥檇 be cool with them actually here.鈥
Virginia Tech students purchased posters commemorating Metallica鈥檚 concert at Lane Stadium before the concert began Wednesday.
He said he came to the concert 鈥渇or the vibes.鈥
鈥淓xcited to jump,鈥 he said.
Wednesday was the first Metallica concert that Metallica fan Emily Reynolds of Danville has attended since 1999. She is also a Tech fan.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Metallica in Lane,鈥 she said while tailgating in the Cassell lot. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all been jumping to 鈥楨nter Sandman鈥 for gosh, over 20 years now, and this is just a great experience to be able to say we were here and got to witness it. We鈥檙e going to register (on) the Richter scale tonight.鈥
Virginia Tech fans usually tailgate before football games at Lane Stadium, but on Wednesday they tailgated before the Metallica concert at Lane.
Reynolds, who paid less than $100 for her ticket, said she will be in the 鈥渘osebleed鈥 seats. But she did not care.
鈥淭o be able to be here and experience it is all that matters,鈥 she said.
Metallica fan Todd Gerbers of Smith Mountain Lake was attending his first Metallica concert since 1986.
鈥淚鈥檓 still rocking at the age of 55,鈥 he said while tailgating in the Cassell lot. 鈥淭hose guys are six, seven years older than me 鈥 and they鈥檙e going to put on a hell of a show and rock it. That鈥檚 just amazing to me.鈥
He is also a Tech football season-ticket holder.
鈥淲hen they do 鈥楽andman鈥 at the stadium, 鈥 I鈥檝e got to hide my eyes because I want to cry every time, it鈥檚 so motivating,鈥 he said.
Virginia Tech freshmen Henry Tragle, left, and Anthony Semak attempt to start a 鈥淟ets Go Hokies!鈥 cheer outside Lane Stadium prior to the start of the Metallica concert Wednesday.
鈥淭o know that Metallica鈥檚 going to do it live tonight, I鈥檓 getting chills right now.鈥
Tech graduate and Metallica fan Gordon Boyes, 54, came all the way from Colorado to see Wednesday鈥檚 concert.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a combination of two great things 鈥 Virginia Tech and Metallica,鈥 he said while tailgating in the Cassell lot. 鈥淚 wanted to see it here at Lane Stadium. It鈥檚 a good partnership between the band and the Hokies.鈥
He spent $500 on his ticket. He was joined by his son, who attends Clemson.
鈥淭he energy鈥檚 going to be insane. I just can鈥檛 wait to see the crowd getting into it,鈥 Boyes said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure we鈥檒l be able to hear the (鈥楨nter Sandman鈥) song, the fans will be so loud.鈥
It was Boyes鈥 first Metallica concert in 15-20 years.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like the perfect blend of rock and metal,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not an over-the-top metal fan, but I love Metallica. It鈥檚 a great sound, refined sound.鈥
Tech and Metallica fan David Smith of Greenville, Tennessee, was also on hand.
鈥淚 could have gone to Nashville (to see Metallica), but I felt like Virginia Tech was a much more unique opportunity,鈥 he said while tailgating in the Cassell lot.
鈥淭o see them here at Lane Stadium, who would miss that?鈥
This was the Gate City native鈥檚 third Metallica concert.
鈥淚鈥檝e liked Metallica since 1986, when I was a high school kid and still had a head full of hair,鈥 Smith said.
