Metallica invites fans to donate blood ahead of UK tour

JAKARTA - Metallica invites fans in the UK to donate blood ahead of their tour in June and early July. This invitation is the first collaboration between the NHS, the UK's national health service, and a rock band.

Quoted from The Mirror, Tuesday, May 26, Metallica wants to make a real impact on the communities that welcome them in every tour city.

"Wherever we go on tour, we want to give something back to the communities that welcome us," a Metallica spokesperson said.

In the United States, Metallica's cooperation with the American Red Cross since April 2025 has resulted in more than 25 thousand blood donors. In Australia, cooperation with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has increased the number of donors to more than 40 thousand.

Metallica are scheduled to perform at Hampden Park, Glasgow, and the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, in June. They will also hold two concerts at London Stadium in early July.

"We ask fans to get involved in something bigger than just a show," a Metallica spokesperson said.

Welsh Blood Service spokesman Alan Prosser called this collaboration a unique moment for the blood donor movement in the UK. According to him, the big name of Metallica can reach a wider audience.

"Like the heavy metal music that flows in the veins of Metallica fans, the blood donated also has the power to save up to three lives in every donor," said Prosser.

NHS Blood and Transplant's director of blood supply, Gerry Gogarty, said Metallica are not just experts at turning up the volume. They can also help turn up the blood stock.

"By inviting millions of fans around the world to become regular blood donors, they are helping to increase the blood supply that saves lives," he said.

The Mirror reported that certain blood group stocks in the UK are now in the pre-amber status, which is a sign that blood availability is decreasing for the short or long term. This condition is especially true for negative O and negative B blood groups.

In March, the NHS also called for additional blood donors in London due to a shortage of stocks. In the last two weeks, the NHS has again asked for donors from the black community after cases of sickle cell disease have increased.

Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder that can make red blood cells change shape and impede blood flow.