Metallica and Tool Close Out Historic Power Trip Festival

October 9, 2023 | 12:14pm ET

Tens of thousands of music fans braved the desert heat for three days at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California to witness six of the biggest hard rock and metal bands of all time perform at the inaugural Power Trip festival. On Sunday (October 8th), Metallica and Tool had the honor of closing out the festivities.

As previously reported, Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden kicked off the festival on Friday (October 6th), while AC/DC (playing their first show in seven years) and Judas Priest rocked the middle day on Saturday (October 7th).

Tool took the stage first on Sunday at Empire Polo Club, having previously played the first-ever Coachella festival there in 1999 and Coachella again in 2006.

Kicking things off with “Jambi” from 10,000 Days, Tool performed a career-spanning 12-song set that included songs from their debut full-length album, Undertow, through their latest effort, 2019’s Fear Inoculum. Of all their albums, 1996’s Ænima was best represented, with four songs making the setlist: “Pushit,” “Forty-Six & 2,” “Stinkfist” and the set-closing “Ænima.”

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Prior to Metallica’s usual “Ecstasy of Gold” intro music, AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” blared from the speakers before the band took the stage — serving as an homage to the rock legends who played Power Trip the previous evening.

Metallica closed out the festival with a fiery performance that included 16 songs from nine of their 11 albums. Unlike their ongoing “M72 World Tour,” where they are spreading out their songs between two unique sets over two nights in each city, the Power Trip gig saw the metal legends pack their biggest tunes into one show.

The set launched with “Whiplash” off Metallica’s debut album, Kill ‘Em All, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. From there, three more classics followed: “Creeping Death,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “Enter Sandman.”

As they’ve been doing at recent gigs, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo treated the crowd to an original jam that they worked out in the dressing room before the show. This one they dubbed “Funk in the Desert.”

A little later on, Hammett flubbed the intro to “Nothing Else Matters,” something he did earlier this year on the “M72 World Tour.” The guitarist quipped, “Sorry, guys. I did it again. I screwed it up again. I’m gonna play it again for you. … You know, it’s really hot in this fucking desert.”

In the middle of “Fade to Black,” frontman James Hetfield addressed the audience, explaining, “This song was written in 1984 about suicide — something were not supposed to talk about. If you’re feeling the darkness, talk to your friends, please. We need you here, we love you, Metallica fans.”

The night ended with “Seek & Destroy,” “One,” and the set-closing “Master of Puppets,” putting a bow on a truly historic concert event in which fans had the pleasure of seeing six legendary acts over three nights.

Metallica will continue their “M72 World Tour” in November with weekend stops in St. Louis and Detroit, followed by another North American leg in 2024. Tickets for their upcoming shows are available here.

Tool, meanwhile, recently kicked off a Fall 2023 North American tour, which continues through a two-night stand November 20th-21st in Toronto. Pick up tickets to their shows here.

See photos of Metallica and Tool at Power Trip festival by our photographer Alex Kluft below, followed by fan-filmed video footage and each of their setlists.

Photo Gallery – Metallica and Tool at Power Trip (click to expand and scroll through):