Unbelievable Shockwaves: What Really Set Off the Earthquake at Wednesday Night’s College Football Game?

What if an earthquake hits, but no tectonic plates shift? That’s exactly what happened at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, this week—and trust me, it wasn’t your everyday natural disaster. Metallica’s pulse-pounding “Enter Sandman” didn’t just shake the rafters; it moved the very ground beneath Virginia Tech’s home turf. For a quarter-century, this electrifying anthem has been a rallying cry for Hokies before kickoff. But last Wednesday night? The crowd’s fever pitch was so intense, seismographs registered their uproar as a bona fide seismic event. Now, how many concerts can claim that? With the echoes of metal and tradition shaking more than just souls, this night at Lane Stadium was one for the history books—and the geologists’ logbooks, too. So, what happens when rock legends and college football culture collide? Well, you get a stadium that quite literally rocks the house. LEARN MORE.

Seismographs detected an earthquake this week at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia. However, it wasn’t what it was made out to be. 

Metallica took its MZ2 World Tour to Virginia Tech’s stadium on Wednesday night. Fans in Blacksburg filled out the stadium to watch the iconic band perform some of their greatest hits. Unsurprisingly, there was one song in particular that had the stadium bouncing. 

For the past 25 years, Virginia Tech has played “Enter Sandman” before every home game at Lane Stadium. It’s without a doubt one of the coolest traditions in all of college football. 

Well, fans were so amped up to hear “Enter Sandman” on Wednesday night they triggered an earthquake at Lane Stadium. 

Dr. Martin Chapman, a seismologist at Virginia Tech, actually warned fans about this prior to the start of Wednesday’s concert. 

“I’m expecting to see a lot of crowd noise on there. Just like we do at the football game… They’ll be playing multiple tunes too, so they’ll probably be a lot longer record. We’ll see more crowd noise spread out over an hour or however long they play,” Chapman said, via ABC 13 News.

As you’d expect, those who attended Metallica’s concert on Wednesday had an absolute blast.  

“Experiencing that live; the actual band playing it rather than the games because we already get hyped from the games themselves, but hearing Metallica playing in the stadium live, it’s awesome, man,” a Virginia Tech student told ABC 13 News.

Virginia Tech students will get to sing “Enter Sandman” later this year when college football officially returns.

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