Music

WATCH: Metallica Covers El Tri & La Sonora Santanera in Mexico City

Lead Photo: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 01: (L-R) James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo of Metallica perform onstage at Lumen Field on September 01, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 01: (L-R) James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo of Metallica perform onstage at Lumen Field on September 01, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
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Metallica made their concerts in Mexico City extra special. During the weekend, the heavy metal band continued to cover iconic Mexican ensembles. This time, they performed renditions of songs by La Sonora Santanera and El Tri as part of their final M72 World Tour stops at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on Sept. 27 and Sept. 29.

Last night (Sept. 29), Metallica’s Robert Trujillo (who has Mexican roots) and Kirk Hammett covered  La Sonora Santanera’s “Los Luchadores” during their final concert in Mexico City. Luchadores accompanied the two band members on stage as Trujillo sang the popular track. Fans echoed the song’s popular lyrics like, “La arena estaba de bote en bote la gente loca de la emoción / En el ring luchaban los cuatro rudos, idolos de la afición.” 

Following their unique tributes to popular Mexican groups like Caifanes and Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Metallica also covered  El Tri’s “A.D.O.” on Friday (Sept. 27). El Tri replied to the gesture by sharing the cover online and writing: “El Tri Somos Todos..gracias #metallica #robtrujilo #kirkhammet Fuimos felices!! [We Are All El Tri..thank you #metallica #robtrujilo #kirkhammet We were happy!!” He also posted a video thanking the metal band for making his classic song theirs.

Fans are excited about both tributes. A social media user wrote: “Metallica’s surprise #Metallica song at #M72 was Los luchadores by La sonora santanera. 🤣🤣🤣🤣.” Another social media user commented: “METALLICA PLAYING EL ADO DE EL TRI, QUEEEE.”

These four stops in Mexico City conclude the band’s current tour. Next year, they’ll return to the U.S. for 21 shows from April to June 2025. The band will perform in cities like Las Vegas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Houston. For more information, check out the band’s tour dates and information on their website. After the U.S., the band will perform in Australia and New Zealand.