Metallica and Red Cross collect 40,000 lifesaving blood donations worldwide
Metallica and its charitable foundation All Within My Hands have joined the American Red Cross to announce the results of nearly a year of collaboration around blood donation. Since the initiative launched in April 2025, the Red Cross x Metallica campaign has collected more than 25,000 donations across the United States. With the band rallying fans at international stops on its M72 world tour, the total worldwide figure reached approximately 40,000 donations.
The campaign has also made a notable impact on first-time donors: 16% of all participants had never donated before, and nearly half of those new donors were between the ages of 16 and 24 — a figure consistent with a broader year-over-year rise in Gen Z participation in blood donation. What began as on-site blood drives at select U.S. tour stops grew into a nationwide effort, reaching fans far beyond the concert venues.
Anyone who donated blood or platelets at a Red Cross drive between July 29, 2025 and February 28, 2026 and registered the donation received a limited-edition T-shirt and was entered to win an ESP Snakebyte guitar bearing an exclusive Red Cross x Metallica design, autographed by the full band. Drummer Lars Ulrich said the response from the Metallica fan community had exceeded expectations. The All Within My Hands foundation, established in 2017, has raised over $29 million to date, with grants of $15.3 million directed to career and technical education, $8.4 million to food insecurity initiatives, and $5.6 million to disaster relief worldwide.
