Tickets for Metallica's May 9 concert at Athens' Olympic Stadium are fetching up to ten times their face value on the secondary market, with resellers listing premium seats at €3,460 as the band prepares for its first Greek appearance in 16 years.
Original tickets for the show — part of the band's record-breaking M72 World Tour — ranged from €86 for standard entry to €550 for the premier Snake Pit experience closest to the stage. Secondary platforms including Viagogo are now listing those same Snake Pit tickets at €3,460, while standard arena seats initially priced at €147 are regularly appearing for €300 or more.
The surge followed mid-April activation of digital ticket transfer codes, which opened the door to speculative resale on a significant scale.
Greece's tax authority has intensified enforcement across the retail sector in 2026, but the secondary ticketing market remains largely unregulated, leaving fans with little legal recourse against price gouging.
On the ground at the Olympic Athletic Center, preparations are well advanced. Trucks carrying equipment for the band's signature in-the-round 360-degree stage — positioned at the stadium's center to allow the audience to surround the band — are already on site.
Promoters have issued strict entry requirements for an event expected to draw 80,000 fans. Bags larger than A4 size are prohibited, and professional cameras, metal-studded accessories and drones will be confiscated at the gates.
Special guests Gojira and Knocked Loose will open the show.
Officials confirmed the event remains on schedule despite social media speculation about the stadium's structural readiness.
By Vassilis Goulas