Joice M. Figueiró was 39 weeks pregnant when she and her husband attended a Metallica concert in Brazil. They bought tickets in 2019, but unfortunately the concert was delayed twice due to the pandemic.
On Saturday May 7th, the couple went to see the band perform. Figueiró consulted with an obstetrician who cleared her to see the show. She even took extra precautions just in case. “I was in the handicap area,” she told The Washington Post. “And I was sitting down in a safe spot, without any risks of getting hurt.”
Figueiró was fine though openers Ego Kill Talent and Greta Van Fleet. But once Metallica took the stage, she started to have contractions. About 3 songs before their set ended, she flagged down the Couto Pereira stadium’s medical team.
They got her on to a stretcher. Her water broke on the way to the medical tent. By that point, it was too late, and she had to give birth at the venue, right next to a guy getting an IV for alcohol poisoning.
At 11:15 p.m., the band started classic track “Enter Sandman,” and Luan Figueiró entered the world. A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived to take the family to Hospital e Maternidade Brígida.
“It was a mix of emotions. Since it wasn’t planned, I was scared that the medical team wouldn’t be ready. But there’s also the feeling of being able to tell people that this happened because Metallica is one of the bands we love the most,” Figueiró said.
Metallica lead singer James Hetfield called the family a few days later. “Yes, this is James from Metallica. Congratulations, you guys,” you can hear in the very short video. Figueiró tearfully responds with “Oh my God, I cry!”
We wish the new parents and baby Luan all the best.
