Metallica‘s highly anticipated return to Australia was tarnished for many attendees, as reports of “disgusting behaviour” and rampant, open drug use at their recent Perth concert at Optus Stadium have ignited a firestorm of online complaints.
Fans who attended the show have taken to social media, particularly Reddit, to describe a disturbing atmosphere where they allegedly witnessed hard drug use in the general admission area.
The discussion was reportedly sparked by one furious fan, who wrote: “Whoever was smoking shard (me******etamine) in the pit at Metallica seriously get a life.”
That post opened the floodgates, with dozens of other attendees sharing similar experiences from the band’s first Australian tour in over a decade.
“I smelt w**d, d*t and m*th… I couldn’t believe it tbh (to be honest)…” claimed one concertgoer.
Another attendee described a blatant scene: “We had a woman crouch down before Metallica in GA1 and light a pipe and it was like a beacon for all the derros to shuffle over and ask for a blow.”
The presence of families and children in the crowd made the alleged behavior particularly egregious for many. “People smoking w**d or m*th around children and other people at a concert where you can’t really avoid it, are inconsiderate f***ing a**holes,” another fan posted.
One commenter used the incident to point to a larger, regional issue: “The m*th problem in Perth is out of control and to do that at a crowded concert puts all the people around them at risk. That’s disgusting behaviour.”
Despite the numerous and detailed complaints online, venue officials stated that no formal reports of drug use were made during the event.
A spokesperson for VenuesLive, which operates Optus Stadium, provided the following statement: “Optus Stadium works closely with our security provider and WA Police to ensure a safe environment for our staff and patrons attending events. We take reports of any drug use or anti-social behaviour seriously and respond accordingly.”
WA Police were occupied with other serious incidents at the concert. In an unrelated event, two men, aged 20 and 23, were arrested and charged with trespassing after climbing the central tower inside the stadium while the show was in progress.
In another incident, police conducting “proactive edged weapons scanning” outside the venue stopped a 19-year-old in possession of a small fold-up knife. A police spokeswoman confirmed: “The item was seized and destroyed.”
