Metallica’s Cardiff concert came with a surprise gift away from the stage: a £20,000 donation to a local foodbank that had warned its shelves were running dangerously low.
The band made the donation to Cardiff Foodbank through its charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, ahead of its Sunday, June 28 show at Principality Stadium.
Louder reported that the money is expected to pay for about 9,000 meals for people in need.
The first message from Metallica’s foundation did not sound like a normal day at the office for Cardiff Foodbank. Rachel Biggs, the charity’s CEO, told the BBC that the email began by reassuring them it was real.
Cardiff Foodbank Got a Surprise Email From Metallica
Biggs said the first email from the foundation told the foodbank, “This isn’t a scam, please get in touch with the foundation.” The follow-up was even more direct: Metallica wanted to donate £20,000.
She told the BBC the money would make a major difference and help replenish empty shelves, according to Louder. The timing was important for the charity, which had recently appealed for donations on social media after seeing its warehouse reach a low point.
Cardiff Foodbank supports about 20,000 people a year through eight centres across the city. The BBC estimated that Metallica’s donation would buy 9,000 meals for people in need.
The Donation Came Before Metallica’s Cardiff Stadium Show
Metallica played Principality Stadium on Sunday as part of its M72 World Tour. The stadium’s event page listed the June 28 Cardiff show with support from Gojira and Knocked Loose.
Principality Stadium said the M72 World Tour had opened in Amsterdam in April 2023 and continued into 2026 with European and UK dates. The Cardiff show was part of the tour’s final European leg before Metallica’s two London Stadium dates on July 3 and July 5.
Louder reported that Metallica played a 16-song set in Cardiff. The show also included a local moment when guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo covered Tom Jones’ “Delilah.”
Cardiff Foodbank Called It Its Largest Celebrity Donation
Cardiff Foodbank said Metallica’s £20,000 gift was the largest celebrity donation it had received, according to Louder.
The same foodbank previously received support from Taylor Swift during her 2024 Eras Tour stop at Principality Stadium. Louder reported that Swift’s donation allowed the charity to buy one-and-a-half articulated lorries of food.
Biggs told the BBC that food donations to Cardiff Foodbank have fallen 27 percent year-on-year, while the charity’s running costs this year are expected to reach £700,000. She said the Metallica money would go toward a bulk order to rebuild stock.
Metallica Is Also Pushing Fans to Give Blood
🤘 METALLICA WEEK IS HERE 🤘 Donate blood, platelets, or plasma 26 June–3 July and get exclusive @Metallica merch: 🎸 T-shirt or guitar pick. Nothing Else Matters like saving lives. #MetallicaWeek #M72 #GiveBlood #bleedingme 🩸🤘 pic.twitter.com/GongKaR856
— NHS Blood Donation 🩸🩹 (@GiveBloodNHS) June 26, 2026
The Cardiff donation is not the only community campaign attached to Metallica’s UK run. The band has also teamed with NHS Blood and Transplant, the Welsh Blood Service and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to encourage blood, plasma and platelet donation around its UK tour dates.
NHS Blood Donation said blood stocks had dropped because of recent hot weather and that there was a particular need for O negative, B negative and Ro subtype donors. From June 26 to July 3, people attending booked donation appointments in England may receive a T-shirt at donor centres or a guitar pick at mobile donation sessions, while supplies last.
Mark Chambers, director of donor experience for NHS Blood and Transplant, said Metallica’s global reach gives the service a chance to connect with new audiences. The campaign says one blood donation can help save up to three lives.