RIYADH: MDLBEAST’s Soundstorm festival in Riyadh kicked off its fourth edition on Thursday with performances by superstars Travis Scott, Calvin Harris and Metallica.
Scott opened the night, performing his hits “Fe!n” and “Goosebumps,” as fans cheered and sang along.
The Thursday show was Metallica’s first performance in the Kingdom. The group sang their fan favorites “Too Far Gone?,” “The Memory Remains” and “Nothing Else Matters.”
One of the audience members, Peter Bannink, told Arab News at the event: “I have not missed an edition since the inception of MDL Beast in 2019 and it’s cool to see how it has evolved into such grand festival.”
“I wasn't sure if I should attend this year, but seeing Metallica live was something I did not want to miss. Their first appearance in Saudi Arabia in 42 years was certainly historic and did not disappoint,” he added.
Harris, a regular at Saudi festivals, has previously performed at Soundstorm and also hit the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stage in Jeddah.
Nigerian singer and songwriter Wizkid gave a upbeat performance with a mix of songs from his albums “More Love, Less Ego”, “Made in Lagos” and “Ayo.”
The afrobeats icon preformed his top hit songs “Essence” and “Smile,” which featured guest star H.E.R.
A long list of stars also performed on Thursday, including Tiesto, DJ Snake, Black Eyed Peas, Alesso and Oliver Heldens.
Arab music sensations due to perform include Amr Diab, Elissa, Majid Al-Muhandis, Omaima Taleb and Rabeh Saqr.
The festival runs until Dec. 16, and will host performances by Martin Garrix, Wiz Khalifa, Chris Brown, David Guetta, 50 Cent, Swedish House Mafia and more.
