The Red Cross x Metallica Blood Donation Experience took in 640 blood donations from Sept. 28 through Oct. 9, more than double its goal of 300, according to the American Red Cross. The pop-up site averaged 64 donations each day, and the daily goal was 30.
First-time donors made up nearly 61% of the total, or 389 donations. At most Red Cross blood drives, first-timers usually give 26% to 31% of the total.
Type O blood made up 218 donations, more than one-third of all gifts. The Red Cross said O-negative blood can go to patients of any blood type. O-positive is the type doctors use most often for transfusions.
“We knew Metallica fans would come out to support this, but the number of first-time donors has been incredible,” Rachel Flanigan, executive director of the American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter, said in a statement. “We’re reaching people who may never have considered donating blood before. We hope their first donation is the beginning of something they continue doing.”
The pop-up opened just before the band’s residency at Sphere. The Red Cross built it with Metallica and the band’s foundation, All Within My Hands.
Each donor receives a limited-edition T-shirt by Metallica artist Squindo, while supplies last. Every donor also gets an automatic entry to win a replica TAMA drum kit.
The teamwork began in April 2025. That month, the Red Cross and Metallica held blood drives at select stops on the U.S. leg of the M72 Tour. The effort then spread across the country through Give Where You Live, a program that urges fans to give blood in their own towns.
The partnership has brought in more than 25,000 blood donations in the United States. Metallica also carried the cause to overseas stops on the M72 World Tour, and about 40,000 donations have been collected worldwide.
Donors can book a time at RedCrossBlood.org/Metallica, in the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
