Metallica’s Australian tour rolled into Brisbane last night, and the band kept their streak of local tributes alive with Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo breaking out a surprise cover of The Chats’ cult classic Smoko.
It’s become the highlight of every show on this leg of the M72 World Tour, a short mid-set jam that gives each city its own moment. Perth got John Butler Trio’s Zebra, Adelaide turned into a pub choir with INXS’s Need You Tonight and The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, and Melbourne erupted for The Living End’s Prisoner of Society. Brisbane’s turn was pure chaos and comedy in equal measure, with Trujillo handling vocals while Hammett grinned his way through the three-chord riff that’s become an anthem for modern Aussie punk.
Smoko might be a tongue-in-cheek anthem, but the crowd at Suncorp Stadium took it seriously with 50,000 fans chanting “leave me alone” back at Metallica mid-show is a moment that’ll stick.
Watch: Metallica Cover ‘Smoko’ By The Chats
The band kept their core structure intact for the Brisbane set, opening with Creeping Death and For Whom the Bell Tolls, and closing with the unstoppable trio of Master of Puppets, One and Enter Sandman. Between those, they mixed in a few song rotations from previous nights, including Ride the Lightning in place of The Memory Remains.
Brisbane’s doodle continues a now unmistakable pattern that’s turned this tour into more than just a run of stadium shows. Each city has had its own Australian touch, and it’s become one of the most talked-about features of Metallica’s 2025 return down under.
Earlier in the week, James Hetfield stopped by AC/DC Lane in Melbourne to visit a new mural of Cliff Burton and pay his respects to Bon Scott, further tying the tour to Australia’s deep rock lineage.
You can relive the previous stops here:
Metallica Brisbane Setlist – November 12, 2025
- Creeping Death
- For Whom the Bell Tolls (extended outro)
- Fuel
- Ride the Lightning
- The Unforgiven
- Wherever I May Roam
- Kirk and Rob Doodle (The Chats – ‘Smoko’)
- The Day That Never Comes (extended intro)
- Moth Into Flame
- Sad But True
- Nothing Else Matters (extended intro)
- Seek & Destroy (performed twice, partial reprise)
- Lux Æterna (Lars on B-kit)
- Master of Puppets (Lars on B-kit)
- One (Lars on B-kit)
- Enter Sandman (Lars on B-kit)
With just Sydney left to close out the Australian leg, this run has already proven why Metallica remain the biggest live band on the planet. Four cities, four local tributes, and one tour that’s managed to feel uniquely Australian every night.
For more coverage from the M72 World Tour across Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane, visit the Metallica tag archive.
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