Metallica commemorates mining disaster, invites fan from Soma on stage

ISTANBUL

Nilüfer from Soma introduces 'Sad But True' along with James Hetfield.

Rock legends Metallica commemorated the mining disaster in Soma that claimed the lives of 301 workers during their concert in Istanbul on June 13, inviting a fan from the working class Aegean town to the stage.

The band’s lead singer James Hetfield left the announcement of the song “Sad But True” to Nilüfer, a young woman from Soma, dedicating the song to the victims of the disaster.

Over 40,000 people attended the concert, in which two of the songs played by the band were determined by the fans through text messages.

The band played some of their biggest hits to the joy of concertgoers, including “Enter Sandman,” “Master of Puppets,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “Fade to Black.”

The crowd remained in the İTÜ stadium following the concert to follow the World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina from a giant screen set up on stage.