Metallica made Australian rock history in Adelaide last night when they delivered a surprise performance of The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, igniting an eruption from the crowd as thousands of voices roared back with the legendary Australian chant.
Kirk Hammitt and Robert Trujillo only needed to start the opening line. The rest belonged to Adelaide.
“No way, get fucked, fuck off,” boomed from every corner of the stadium as Metallica paid tribute to one of the most culturally iconic songs Australia has ever produced. The reaction was instant, thunderous, and proudly Australian, a moment where heavy metal titans embraced local rock mythology and honoured it with reverence.
Leith Forrest from Adelaide’s 5AA captured the moment:
The performance comes just one week after Jelly Roll delivered the same Angels classic at his debut Melbourne show, proving the staying power and cultural gravity of a song now being saluted by global touring artists across genres.
For Australian crowds, the chant is instinct. For international acts, it is now becoming a rite of passage.
Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again was written by Doc Neeson, John Brewster and Rick Brewster and first recorded in 1976 as an emotional acoustic reflection on loss and life after death. Inspired by a real tragedy, a fatal motorcycle accident involving a friend’s partner, Neeson channelled grief into what would become an Australian rock anthem.
The track evolved into a harder rock song on release and later, through live performance, became woven into the fabric of Australian pub culture thanks to the now-legendary audience call-and-response:
Band: Am I ever gonna see your face again?
Audience: No way, get fucked, fuck off!
The chant began organically at a Sydney blue light disco, spread through word-of-mouth, and became so embedded that The Angels themselves considered it no longer theirs, but the people’s.
Last night, Metallica ensured its legend continued on a global stage in The Angels home town on Adelaide.
Metallica’s Adelaide Setlist
. Creeping Death (Ride The Lightning, 1984)
. For Whom The Bell Tolls (Ride The Lightning, 1984)
. Leper Messiah (Master Of Puppets, 1986)
. King Nothing (Load, 1996)
. Fade To Black (Ride The Lightning, 1984)
. Fuel (Reload, 1997)
. Kirk And Rob Doodle (Live jam, improvisation)
. The Day That Never Comes (Death Magnetic, 2008)
. Moth Into Flame (Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, 2016)
. Sad But True (Metallica, 1991)
. Nothing Else Matters (Metallica, 1991)
. Seek & Destroy (Kill ‘Em All, 1983)
. Lux Æterna (72 Seasons, 2023)
. Master Of Puppets (Master Of Puppets, 1986)
. One (…And Justice For All, 1988)
. Enter Sandman (Metallica, 1991)
METALLICA M72 WORLD TOUR
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND 2025
Nov 1 Perth, WA – Optus Stadium
Nov 5 Adelaide, SA – Adelaide Oval
Nov 8 Melbourne, VIC – Marvel Stadium
Nov 12 Brisbane, QLD – Suncorp Stadium
Nov 15 Sydney, NSW – Accor Stadium
Nov 19 Auckland, NZ – Eden Park
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