Rock legends Metallica shock fans by playing banned song at Principality Stadium show
Amelia Jones
Metallica stunned fans at the Principality Stadium by performing a song that has been banned at the home of Welsh rugby for more than a decade.
The Enter Sandman performers took to the stage at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Sunday night as part of their M72 World Tour.
During their usual mid-set improvisation, bassist Robert Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett led the 75,000-strong crowd in a singalong of the Welsh classic ‘Delilah’ by Tom Jones.
For years the song was an unofficial Welsh anthem. However, in 2023 it was removed from the Principality Stadium choirs’ song list
This came after the WRU removed the song from its half-time entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015.
The controversy surrounding the song centres around its lyrics. They tell a story of a man who tracks down his unfaithful partner and murders her in a jealous rage, featuring lyrics like “I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.”
It came after statements from domestic abuse charities to ban the song. In 2014, Eleri Butler, CEO of Welsh Women’s Aid and Polly Neate, CEO of Women’s Aid Federation of Engand said: “We ask the Welsh Rugby Union not to actively promote singing the song ‘Delilah’ as many people sing this song and don’t realise what it’s about – it is a man singing about killing his female partner, and in England and Wales this happens to two real women every week. It’s a well known and popular song, but its message is nothing to celebrate.”
When choirs were banned from performing the song in 2023, a spokesperson told The Guardian they banned the song to show they don’t support domestic violence of any kind.
A Principality Stadium spokesperson said: “Delilah will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium.
“The WRU removed the song from its half-time entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015. Guest choirs have also more recently been requested not to feature the song during their pre-match performances and throughout games.
“The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter.”
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It’s become customary for Metallica to play a song by a local artist where they play and when they chose ‘Delilah,’ it reportedly got ‘one of the loudest cheers of the night.’
Videos of fans singing along and cheering surfaced on social media from the night.
One featured the resident Principality DJ who filmed her shocked reaction to hearing the song played in the stadium after all these years. She captioned it: “Me: the resident DJ of the Principality Stadium watching Metallica play the forbidden Tom Jones track like 👁️👄👁️.”
Ahead of their sold out concert, the band also donated £20,000 to the Cardiff Foodbank. The donation was provided through the band’s charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, and was used to purchase 9,000 meals to help replenish the charity’s nearly empty warehouse.
The band also partnered with the Welsh Blood Service ahead of the gig to encourage fans to donate blood and plasma.
You can watch the video of Metallica performing ‘Delilah’ on social media here.
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