Sydney’s Accor Stadium was heaving on Saturday night as heavy metal band Metallica took to the stage before a roaring crowd organizers described as “just shy of the attendance you’d see at a typical two-bedder rental inspection in Marrickville”.

NSW Police praised the crowd for being “surprisingly orderly compared to the average queue for a damp, 38-square-metre apartment”.

Real-estate agents were quick to congratulate the band on the turnout. “Metallica should be proud,” rental agent Toby Riley said.

“They didn’t quite match the numbers of our recent Newtown studio, which had 170,000 applicants and only one power outlet. But this is still an impressive effort for musicians not offering six-month leases with a 14% rent increase.”

Concertgoer Terese Tran said the atmosphere reminded her of her own rental search. “The pushing, the sweating, the faint smell of desperation. It felt just like lining up for an inspection. Although at least the Metallica concert didn’t come with a surprise rent hike halfway through the show,” she said.

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Headline by Anthony Bell