Metallica finally visits Lane Stadium on tour 25 years after 'Enter Sandman' became Virginia Tech tradition

There are many great entrances in college football, but few are as electric or as loud as Virginia Tech running out to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" for a big game (especially at night).

What started as a fan's choice between three songs -- "Enter Sandman," "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sirius" -- when Virginia Tech debuted its new video board in 2000 became an iconic tradition at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia. Eventually, fans started jumping up and down in unison as the thunderous intro kicks in, with 60,000-plus (most of whom weren't born when this song came out) belting out the lyrics as the Hokies run onto the field. The stadium's bounce has registered on local seismographs on multiple occasions.

Despite calls for Metallica to play a live intro or make its way to Blacksburg, the closest they've ever gotten to having the legendary band on site was a pre-recorded video before a 2011 game against Miami. That is until Wednesday night, when Metallica finally makes its first appearance at Lane Stadium for a stop on their M72 World Tour.

It is going to be an incredible atmosphere for Metallica live in Blacksburg, particularly when that opening rift for "Enter Sandman" kicks in and the stadium gets to jumping. We don't often see stadium tours hit college towns outside major metropolitan areas -- places like Blacksburg aren't exactly the easiest trip to make -- but Metallica's visit to Lane Stadium sold out quickly. For a long time, resale tickets were extremely pricey for what figures to be the most unique stop on their tour.