The Metallica show I saw they were touring with Five Loser Death Punch. FFDP made plenty of right wing dog whistle comments through their set, and there’s no secret about how they want to be percieved.

I have never been to a tour where the main band doesn’t choose supporting bands that generally align with their views. Sometimes the less-popular band gets to say what the main one doesn’t want to themselves.

The atendees flew trump flags, thin blue line flags, amd Gadsden flags in the parking lot. They wore militia-style shirts and hats (crossed rifles, “freedom” slogans, raggedy flag shirts, etc). They were everywhere.

Metallica’s public image is highly curated, but everything I found about them points toward “highly conservative rich white dudes with few consequences” beliefs. The attendee’s display of thier politics just seals it.

I was a very long time Metallica fan, from the RtL, MoP, and AJfA days. I thought they were way out of line when it came to threatening fans over the whole Napster thing, but the right wing BS I saw at the concert ensures I’ll never listen to them again.