An American family’s plans to take their daughter to a Metallica show may have inadvertently saved their lives.
David and Kristin McKee say that they went to bed earlier than usual in their Goodview, Virginia home on May 6, as the next day they were going to drive their 14-year-old to a concert by metal’s biggest band at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
The early bedtime differed from the McKees’ usual evening plans of staying up late and watching TV in their living room. The change of schedule pulled them from the path of an out-of-control pickup truck, which crashed through the front of their home at about 2am the following day.
The couple believe they’d be dead had they kept their usual routine that night.
Kristin remembers in a conversation with local TV news station WDBJ7: “[I asked David,] ‘Do you wanna sit up?’ And he was like, ‘Nah, I think I just wanna go on to bed.’ I said, ‘I’ll go on to bed too.’ Then, just a few hours later, we heard a loud explosion, glass shattered. It was just madness from that point on.”
She adds: “We were so fortunate that, that night, my daughter could have walked down that hallway and found us in the rubble. I thank God every day, and Metallica, for saving us.”
The McKees’ daughter, Madeleine, had discovered Metallica’s music through her father and the inclusion of the song Master Of Puppets in the fourth season of hit Netflix TV show Stranger Things. “That was mostly when it started a lot more for me,” she says.
The McKee home is currently undergoing repairs and the family hope to move back in within six months.
Coincidentally, Metallica announced a new documentary called Metallica Saved My Life last month. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund (Lords Of Chaos), the film will celebrate the band’s worldwide fanbase and focus on their personal stories. All four of the members will appear, as will superstar actor Jason Momoa.
Metallica’s North American tour is still underway and will hit Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland on May 28. The band recently announced a leg of European shows for summer 2026. See details below.
Metallica 2026 European tour dates:
May 09: Athens Olympic Stadium, Greece*
May 13: Bucharest Arena Națională, Romania
May 19: Chorzów Stadion Śląski, Poland
May 22: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany*
May 24: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany+
May 27: Zurich Stadion Letzigrund, Switzerland*
May 30: Berlin Olympiastadion, Germany*
Jun 03: Bologna Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Italy*
Jun 11: Budapest Puskas Arena, Hungary+
Jun 13: Budapest Puskas Arena, Hungary*
Jun 19: Dublin Aviva Stadium, Ireland+
Jun 21: Dublin Aviva Stadium, Ireland*
Jun 25: Glasgow Hampden Park, UK*
Jun 28: Cardiff Principality Stadium, UK*
Jul 03: London Stadium, UK*
Jul 05: London Stadium, UK+
* Gojira and Knocked Loose support
+ Pantera and Avatar support
