Pantera plans intimate First Avenue gig night before opening for Metallica..

Metallica is making its mark on the Twin Cities this weekend. The speed metal giants will play two concerts at U.S. Bank Stadium with a full day of Metallica-themed events planned for the day between shows.

But the tour’s footprint will extend to Thursday as well. First Avenue tweeted out Pantera’s CFH — Cowboys From Hell — logo on Tuesday, placed over the band’s star on the wall outside the venue.

It was a sly announcement that the band will have an intimate show at the venue on Aug. 15, the night before it opens for Metallica.

Tickets went on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. for the reasonable price of $32. The club says there will be no ticket transfers or reselling allowed.

While James Hetfield and company are the stars of the weekend, Pantera fans are relishing the chance to see the band that took a hiatus for more than two decades after guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell was shot on stage while performing with his other band, Damageplan. His brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, died from heart issues in 2018.

Metallica’s two-night stand at U.S. Bank Stadium promises a completely different show each night, with a setlist that doesn’t repeat songs from one night to the next and different openers each night.

On Friday, Pantera opens for Metallica alongside Mammoth WVH, the band of Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Sunday’s show features Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills as opening acts.