Hokie Nation on Top After Epic Metallica Concert

It has been a week since Metallica made its long-awaited debut in Lane Stadium.  Social media is still pumping our feeds with videos and posts and reactions from that magical night in Blacksburg.  It is a memory that will live forever in the hearts of Hokie Nation.

We have consumed so much media in the past week about this epic occasion, so do I really want to throw my hat into an already crowded ring?  Do you want to read another article about that concert?

Some of us might, because that is how we Hokies are.  But this isn’t just about the night the earth shook in Blacksburg (literally…the local seismographs registered the same numbers as an actual earthquake that hit the region a week prior!).  This is about the glory that exists throughout Hokie Nation right now.

Hokie fans have a history of being a long-suffering lot.  We are snakebitten for sure.  Heartache is in our DNA.  The devastating loss is our spouse.  ‘Til death do us part.

I have, on numerous occasion, yearned to pen an article about this constant bad luck.  How we are the living embodiment of Charlie Brown, thinking that we will kick the football on the next attempt. Yet fate is Lucy, there to pull the ball away just as we are ready to launch ourselves into national relevance.

Hokie Nation knows that pain.  I’m sure I just struck a nerve that brings back memories of Danny Coale, of the recently reversed call in Miami, of the two diamond teams being one home game away from a College World Series trip, of Liz Kitley’s injury.  The list is unfortunately way too long.

While that pain cuts deep, and while those insufferable moments are copious in our athletic history, Hokie Nation still walks tall, proud to be who we are, and rightfully so.  

We are one of the tightest fan bases around. We are an amazing group, bound together by an indescribable spirit, one that every Hokie fan knows.  We feel it, we live it, we breathe it.

Don’t ask us to define it though.  It is just part of the fiber of being a Hokie.

And what is a Hokie, you ask?  Don’t bother, because it’s hard to put it into words for an outsider. 

The answer is more than just a nonsense word from O.M. Stull’s 1890’s cheer.  It is beyond the turkey mascot that may have originated from the way the football team apparently “gobbled” up its food between classes and practice.

The real answer lies in how we love Blacksburg, how we adore Lane Stadium, how we show up and show out.  It is the Lunchpail, it is Ut Prosim, it is Nikki Giovanni saying “We will prevail.”  

And now more than ever, it is “Enter Sandman.”  

A Hokie cannot just be defined. It is a spirit that dwells deep within the being of every member of this proud and passionate fan base.

It is aided by our uniqueness - no other school has our color combo, no other school has our nickname or mascot, no other campus is built on Hokie Stone.  We are an exclusive fan base - If you ever see people wearing a Virginia Tech shirt or hat, you can bet they either went to Tech or somebody close to them did, like a sibling or a parent or a child.  

We are distinct, and we are one.  We have passion, fervor, and Hokie Pride.  And we not-so-quietly have let everyone know it through the years.

The hype of Hokie Nation has been on display for decades. Virginia Tech has been part of some significant moments on national stages, and our Hokie spirit has beamed through.  

In the 1990’s, our fan base helped put ESPN’s Thursday Night Football on the map.  The network started airing the late week broadcasts in 1991, but Virginia Tech’s success on Thursday nights, which began in 1994 and included iconic moments such as Corey Moore’s “Welcome to the Terror Dome” warning, really elevated the allure of Blacksburg and showed the country what Hokie Nation is about.

Then came GameDay.  Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit visited campus and quickly grew to love us.  The show began on-location broadcasts in 1993, and they made their first trip to Blacksburg in October of 1999.  It went so well that they came back one month later, then year after year.  Fowler later admitted that because of Hokie Nation, GameDay would never be the same again.

(Author’s note:  College Gameday and SportsCenter have set up in Blacksburg nine times.  They hosted an additional eight football games that featured Virginia Tech but away from campus.  And let’s not forget their recent visit for women’s basketball!) 

Beamerball became a household term.  ESPN’s Mike Patrick flattered us by saying “These people are losing their minds.”  The success on the football field may have ebbed, but the passion of Hokie Nation has not.  And “Enter Sandman” evolved, becoming one of the nation's best entrances.

We made history when we helped pack Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016, as 157,000 people gathered, the largest crowd ever to see a college football game.

After the 2020 COVID season, Virginia Tech kicked off the 2021 season with a nationally iconic scene as 66,000 jumped and screamed to “Enter Sandman” in the opener against North Carolina, an image that was repeated throughout that fall.  Hokie Nation emphatically told the world that COVID was over.

And now we add Metallica to our list of ultra-proud, defining moments in our history. This show made national headlines, and it was way more than just a concert.  

A world famous rock band, one that has been making music and touring the globe for almost half a century, came to southwest Virginia and played a full concert in the football stadium.  It was likely the largest crowd ever in Lane Stadium, full of both Hokie fans and Metallica fans.

Hokie Nation was chomping at the bit for this one.  For 25 years, the Virginia Tech football team has come out of the tunnel to “Enter Sandman,” and rumors of Metallica coming to Blacksburg always found their way onto message boards and social media.

Only now, it finally happened.  

Obviously, the live version of “Enter Sandman” was the highlight of the evening, and it was surreal, like an outer-body experience.  But the reaction of the band members was powerfully poignant. They were visually moved by the entire show.  They were touched, they were awed, they were thankful. They recognized the symbiotic relationship between Virginia Tech and Metallica.

James Hetfield jumped during “Sandman,” now an indelible image of that night.  He joked that he wanted to stay in Blacksburg and become the Lane Stadium house band.  He was clearly in the moment, acknowledging the magnitude of their presence and our reaction.  

All of the band members clearly understood the impact of their performance. They were appreciative, not just to be there, but to be part of our culture. 

They didn’t seem to want to leave the stage after “Sandman.” Every band member said thank you after the music ended.  Drummer Lars Ulrich expressed how grateful, proud, and honored he was to play in Lane Stadium, then he thanked Hokie Nation for letting Metallica be part of our vibe and aesthetic.  

So yes, Hokie Nation has had our fair share of heartache. There will be more coulda-woulda-shoulda moments for sure. But this concert is an instant all-timer in terms of greatest Virginia Tech events ever, and it reminds us that maybe we aren’t snakebitten, and perhaps we forget that we do have much to celebrate.

In addition to the great moments already mentioned, we do have numerous Big East and ACC football championships. We have the 1999 team and a national championship appearance. Our eight consecutive 10-win season streak has only been equaled or bettered by six other schools.

We will always remember, "Give it to me, Roscoe," "Tyrod did it, Mikey!" and the Miracle in Morgantown.

We celebrated recent ACC championships in both men’s and women’s basketball, and the women reached the Final Four. We have multiple national champions in wrestling and track.

And now we have Metallica, one of the greatest rock bands still playing, still touring. 

And they didn’t just play a concert. They connected with us, they sang our song with us. 

We made James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo FEEL the power of Hokie Nation.  These international stars were one with us, and they were just as awe-struck as we were.

Hetfield said, “You are officially in the Metallica family now.”

You know what James?  You are now officially part of Hokie Nation!

Eventually we will come down from this high.  Time will move on, life will return to normal, and undoubtedly our fans will suffer letdown again.  

When it does, though, think about how great we are as a fan base, and how we have left our stamp on so many amazing moments in history.  Then think about how Hokie Nation’s passion blew away the members of Metallica.  Revel in how everyone across the nation was talking about us.

Then smile and enjoy, for in that moment, “Nothing Else Matters.”