Moscow hosted Metallica's September 28, 1991 concert at Tushino Airfield during the album's touring era.
The concert took place in the Soviet capital shortly after Metallica was released. It was part of the Monsters of Rock festival tour and became one of the most famous performances associated with the album's breakthrough period. The show was described as the first free outdoor Western rock concert in Soviet history.
Attendance estimates vary widely. Contemporary and later accounts commonly place the crowd between 150,000 and 500,000 people, while some unofficial estimates have suggested a much larger figure. Because estimates differ, the safest fixed fact is the location and date rather than one exact attendance total.
The Moscow performance reflected Metallica's growing international reach. The band had moved from underground thrash-metal prominence to stadium-scale popularity, and The Black Album's direct songwriting and polished production helped make that expansion possible.