Virginia Tech sought a pregame home anthem. Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ became a 25-year staple

The energy builds from the first guitar notes emanating across Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium, a low and ominous riff building to a thumping heavy-metal peak.

As it does, the Hokies barrel out of the tunnel with a sea of fans jumping around and roaring along in full-throated unison:

“Ex-it liiight!”

“En-ter niiight!”

“Taaake my hand!”

“We’re off to never-never land!”

Metallica’s iconic “Enter Sandman” has been a game-day anthem in Blacksburg for over a quarter-century. The song about a child’s nightmares and things that go bump in the night has become intertwined with the school’s overall brand, even popping up during graduation ceremonies. And the band that released the track back in July 1991 has leaned into what has become an enduring connection.

“Having the courage to embrace something like that is very important,” said Columbia University lecturer Joe Favorito, a sports and entertainment marketing consultant. “Because it’s not just, ‘Let’s try this for a little while and see if this works.’

“It’s an overall identity of the school,” Favorito added. “And it’s fun. And by the way: everybody I think has forgotten that college is supposed to be fun.”

The tradition is rooted in the arrival of a new stadium scoreboard ahead of the 2000 season, following Michael Vick’s electrifying freshman year that pushed the Hokies to the national title game. The school wanted a pregame hype video to go with it.

Tim East, who oversaw sports marketing and promotions at the school, sought something building excitement and drama, pointing to how the NBA’s Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls used The Alan Parsons Project song “Sirius” during starting lineups in their 1990s peak.

The trick was finding the right song.

Among those tackling that task was intern Sarah Parsons (now Yarbrough), who asked friend and then-Hokies baseball pitcher Chip Runyon for help brainstorming ideas. Along with Parsons’ roommate Anne Dunnington (now Waters), they started churning through possibilities.

Their work – reported for the first time earlier this year by Sons of Saturday, a website covering Hokies athletics – included going through Runyon’s playlists from Napster, the peer-to-peer file-sharing application. Coincidentally, it was shuttered in the 2000s after the record industry and Metallica sued over copyright violations; Napster later relaunched as a music-streaming service.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Runyon recalled the trio sifting through options such as “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses before eventually landing on “Enter Sandman” with its dramatic opening.

“I started playing it and she was like, ‘I think that’s it, that’s perfect, that’s awesome,'” Runyon said of Parsons.

“Then we were all nervous about Tim accepting it,” Runyon added with a chuckle. “It was kind of like, she had to catch him at the right time. You know, we’re 19 years old or whatever, and it was like, ‘How is Metallica going to be received by the administration?'”

East and school officials eventually signed off.

“Enter Sandman” made its debut for the Aug. 27, 2000, opener against Georgia Tech, only to have kickoff delayed by last-second lightning followed by torrential rain that ultimately forced the game’s cancellation. Bumpy start aside, it stuck beyond that season.

“A lot of times back then, you’d kind of go in a different direction and come up with a new product and a new way of doing things,” East told the AP. “But I decided, ‘This is so good, let’s keep going with it.’ Which we did.”

The tradition took years to fully bloom. For example, East recalled a chilly night when school band members formed a lane for the Hokies to run onto the field, with a few jumping around to stay warm amid the song’s rising energy.

That jumping soon spread to the stands on the way to becoming today’s stadium-wide fixture.

“We were just trying to create a great game-day environment, an atmosphere for our fans,” said the now-retired East, who worked at Virginia Tech from 1994-2014. “But yeah, of course, I never thought it would morph into something like this.”

East held a lingering worry for years: the school never sought official permission to use the song. What if Metallica objected at some point?

Instead, the band loved it.

Metallica, which was formed and remains based in California, recorded a tribute message to longtime coach Frank Beamer for his 2015 home finale. Another pregame message came in 2018 before the Hokies hosted Notre Dame, with lead singer James Hetfield holding the program’s “Lunch Pail” – the beat-up metal box symbolizing the Hokies’ blue-collar work ethic and defensive identity under longtime coordinator Bud Foster.

“You have supported Metallica for so long,” Hetfield said. “We appreciate you, we’re here to support you.”

And in May, Metallica put on a concert at Lane, with then-coach Brent Pry presenting band members with custom Hokies jerseys beforehand.

“It’s unbelievable what you guys have done to that song,” Hetfield told Pry, adding: “I bet China can feel it when everyone’s jumping, man.”

Metallica capped its setlist with “Enter Sandman” after Hetfield playfully suggested the show was over while the crowd screamed for the obvious.

“I think we’re missing something, yes,” the frontman said.

He started the pregame call-and-response chant of “Let’s go… Hokies!” with the crowd, then struck those unmistakable opening notes. The crowd immediately belted out lyrics.

“Sing it!” Hetfield yelled, pausing to hear the response.

“En-ter niiight!” the crowd roared back.

The improbable path to that moment wasn’t lost on Runyon, now an investment adviser who attended with 8-year-old son Anderson.

“What it has become is electric,” Runyon said. “In my opinion – obviously I’m biased – it’s second to none, man. It’s just awesome.”