metallica m72 world tour set list

• Longest Active Touring Streaks
• Crue Album Vince Neil Hates
• Rolling Stones Tour Kickoff
• Rockers Toured in 1984 & 2024
• Wetton's Widow on New Asia

Metallica Kicks Off M72 World Tour: Set List and Videos

Metallica kicked off their M72 World Tour  at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday, beginning a sprawling road trip that will run through late 2024.

You can see the set list and videos from the performance below.

The metal giants kicked off their 16-song set with "Orion" — their first time using the  Master of Puppets instrumental as a show opener since 2011, according to setlist.fm . Other mainstays such as "Master of Puppets," "Battery," "Fade to Black," "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Sad but True" also appeared.

Several classic songs were notably omitted on opening night, including "Enter Sandman" and "One" (the band played no tracks off  ... And Justice for All ). Metallica is playing two shows in each city on this tour, changing set lists and opening acts each night to create a "No Repeat Weekend," so those songs could still appear at their next show.

Watch Metallica Play 'Lux Æterna' at M72 World Tour Kickoff

Watch Metallica Play 'Fuel' at M72 World Tour Kickoff

The band also played three songs off its new album  72 Seasons : "Lux Æterna" and the live debuts of "Screaming Suicide" and "Sleepwalk My Life Away." Metallica released their 11th album two weeks ago, marking their first full-length since 2016's  Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct . The LP debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, ending a chart-topping streak that dated back to their 1991 self-titled album .

James Hetfield described the album's concept in an official statement: "Seventy-two seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told 'who we are' by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry."

Watch Metallica Play 'Seek & Destroy' at M72 World Tour Kickoff

Watch Metallica Play 'Screaming Suicide' at M72 World Tour Kickoff

Metallica will return to the Johan Cruyff Arena on Saturday with Floor Jansen and Ice Nine Kills in place of Architects and Mammoth WVH . Other support acts on different legs of the tour include Pantera , Greta Van Fleet and Five Finger Death Punch.

Watch Metallica Play 'Sleepwalk My Life Away' at M72 World Tour Kickoff

Metallica, 4/27/23, Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam 1. "Orion" 2. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" 3. "Holier Than Thou" 4. "King Nothing" 5. "Lux Æterna" 6. "Screaming Suicide" 7. "Fade to Black" 8. "Sleepwalk My Life Away" 9. "Nothing Else Matters" 10. "Sad but True" 11. "The Day That Never Comes" 12. "Ride the Lightning" 13. "Battery" 14. "Fuel" 15. "Seek & Destroy" 16. "Master of Puppets"

Metallica Albums Ranked

More from ultimate classic rock.

• Cover Story

Here’s Metallica’s setlist from the first night of their M72 World Tour

From Sad But True to King Nothing to Lux Æterna – here’s what Metallica played in the opening night of their M72 World Tour.

Tonight, Metallica kicked off the first date of their epic M72 World Tour in Amsterdam at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. The first of two shows they're playing the Dutch capital (the second is this Saturday), where they'll be playing two completely different setlists.

Not including their turns on Howard Stern and Jimmy Kimmel , this first night of the tour also marks the debut performances of brand-new tracks from the Four Horsemen's new album 72 Seasons, including Sleepwalk My Life Away and Screaming Suicide .

In a setlist full of surprises – opening on Orion?! – the band delved into their back catalogue, even bringing out King Nothing and The Day That Never Comes.

Metallica's M72 Tour will take them throughout Europe this summer, headlining two nights in each city (including a double-headline slot at Download Festival), performing 100 per cent different sets.

Who knows what the future will bring from such an ambitious tour, and a band who love to shake things up, but we tonight's show in Amsterdam is a pretty solid indication of where their heads are at, and what we can expect down the line...

Here's the full Metallica setlist from the opening night of their M72 World Tour.

Metallica setlist

Orion For Whom The Bell Tolls Holier Than Thou King Nothing Lux Æterna Screaming Suicide Fade To Black Sleepwalk My Life Away Nothing Else Matters Sad But True The Day That Never Comes Ride The Lightning Battery Fuel Seek & Destroy Master Of Puppets

READ THIS: Metallica: “In the past every single thing had to be fought over… now the band is a safe space and everyone is very protective of it”

Check out more:

Now read these.

Represent reveal new Metallica collab collection

Represent have teamed up with Metallica for a new collaboration celebrating 40 years of Ride The Lightning and more…

Watch Metallica honour Elton John with a badass cover of Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding

See Metallica’s absolutely awesome cover of Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding at the recent Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute concert in Washington, D.C.

Metallica announce new vinyl pressings of St. Anger, Garage, Inc. and more

Metallica have revealed phase two of their album reissues, with Garage, Inc., St. Anger, Death Magnetic and Hardwired… To Self-Destruct all getting the coloured vinyl treatment.

Metallica and Paramore win best metal and rock GRAMMYs

Metallica, Paramore and Boygenius win big in the best rock, metal and alternative categories at this year's GRAMMYs

Jay Weinberg confirms first live performance since Slipknot departure

Former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg will be going down under with funk metal supergroup Infectious Grooves in April, as the band’s usual sticksman Brooks Wackerman is busy with Avenged Sevenfold…

Lucifer’s Johanna Sadonis: The 10 songs that changed my life

Lucifer singer Johanna Sadonis tells all about being turned to the dark side by Danzig, having her mind blown by Metallica, and making mixtapes for her own funeral…

The 50 best albums of 2023

The Kerrang! verdict on the 50 albums that shaped 2023.

Metallica, A7X, Machine Head and more join Foo Fighters at Hellfest 2024

Just over one month on from announcing Foo Fighters as 2024 headliners, Hellfest have added a ton more bands – including Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head, The Prodigy, Enter Shikari, Bruce Dickinson and Corey Taylor…

The best of Kerrang! delivered straight to your inbox three times a week. What are you waiting for?

Set List: Metallica’s M72 World Tour

To celebrate their latest album, 72 Seasons, Metallica is shaking up the format of its tour. Instead of performing one night at each venue, the pioneering metal band is doing two nights back-to-back, each with totally different set lists, different supporting acts, and a strict promise to not play the same song twice in each city. They've also reimagined the structure of the stage itself. Rather than playing at one end of the stadium, they're performing on a giant, donut-shaped platform amid the fans (diehards can stand in the center, an area aptly titled the Snake Pit). In other words: headbanging heaven. Whether you're prepping for an upcoming show or reminiscing about one you recently attended, explore the tour-inspired set list here and put yourself in the pit.

16 Songs, 1 hour, 34 minutes

Featured Artist

Select a country or region, africa, middle east, and india.

• Côte d’Ivoire
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• Guinea-Bissau
• Niger (English)
• Congo, Republic of
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania, United Republic Of
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia (English)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
• Malaysia (English)
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Solomon Islands
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• France (Français)
• Deutschland
• Luxembourg (English)
• Moldova, Republic Of
• North Macedonia
• Portugal (Português)
• Türkiye (English)
• United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina (Español)
• Bolivia (Español)
• Virgin Islands, British
• Cayman Islands
• Chile (Español)
• Colombia (Español)
• Costa Rica (Español)
• República Dominicana
• Ecuador (Español)
• El Salvador (Español)
• Guatemala (Español)
• Honduras (Español)
• Nicaragua (Español)
• Paraguay (Español)
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos
• Uruguay (English)
• Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

• Canada (English)
• Canada (Français)
• United States
• Estados Unidos (Español México)
• الولايات المتحدة
• États-Unis (Français France)
• Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
• 美國 (繁體中文台灣)

METALLICA in Paris Night 2: See setlist and videos from M72 Tour

Metallica 's M72 World Tour continued tonight (May 19th) in Paris, marking the band's second performance in the French capital and the third date of the massive run, which began in Amsterdam last month. For this tour, James, Kirk, Rob and Lars are playing each location twice, and have promised "no repeats" of the same setlist, so this evening's configuration of songs was significantly different than what fans heard in Amsterdam and at the first Paris show , just two days before.

Metallica opened the 16-song set with a bang in the form of Ride the Lightning' s "Creeping Death," followed by ...And Justice for All' s "Harvester of Sorrow." They then played Death Magnetic' s "Cyanide," marking the song's first appearance on the M72 tour, and first live performance since 2018.

In terms of new songs, three 72 Seasons cuts were played: "If Darkness Had a Son," "You Must Burn!" and the title track.

Check out footage from throughout the night above and below via YouTube, and check out the setlist courtesy of Setlist.fm .

Metallica 5/19/23 setlist: Creeping Death Harvester of Sorrow Cyanide (tour debut) King Nothing 72 Seasons If Darkness Had a Son Welcome Home (Sanitarium) You Must Burn! The Call of Ktulu The Unforgiven Wherever I May Roam Moth Into Flame Battery Whiskey in the Jar One Enter Sandman

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kemal Toprak Ucar (@ktoprakucar)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by IguanaSong (@iguanasong)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alex (@lilpach)

METALLICA and REPRESENT launch special...

JAMES HETFIELD uses LEMMY's ashes in new...

See pro video of METALLICA covering ELTON...

13 great albums turning 25 in 2024

STEVE-O: How SLAYER's 'Reign in Blood' changed my life

CONVERGE's Jacob Bannon breaks down favorite songs on 'Axe to Fall'

METALLICA 'Kill 'Em All': 10 wild stories behind all-time thrash classic

Staind's Mike Mushok: My 5 Favorite Songs to Play Live

STEVE-O: How FAITH NO MORE's 'Real Thing' changed my life

'JACKASS' star STEVE-O: Why DIO's 'Holy Diver' is most underrated album ever

10 greatest metal songs over 10 minutes

Setlist Guy

🤘🏽🤘🤘🏾 Changing the way people get ready for shows! 🤘🏽🤘🤘🏾

METALLICA M72 No Repeat Weekend World Tour 2023-2024 Setlist Playlist

Recent setlist playlist of all the bands, on the METALLICA M72 World Tour No Repeat Weekend with two sets of METALLICA, Pantera, Greta Van Fleet, Architects, Volbeat, Ice Nine Kills, Mammoth MVH and Five Finger Death Punch.

Playlists updated on 7/6/2023 with July shows from Mammoth MVH, Ice Nine Kills, Pantera, and both Metallica sets.

Get Your Complete Playlist Here:

Get Your U.S. Tickets Here:

METALLICA / PANTERA M72 Show Setlist Playlist

Recent setlist playlist for the Metallica / Pantera shows with sets from Mammoth WVH, Pantera, and Metallica for Friday. Then sets from Ice Nine Kills, Five Finger Death Punch and Metallica, again, for Sunday. The two Metallica sets are unique without repeats. Updated on 7/6/2023 with July shows from Mammoth MVH, Ice Nine Kills, Pantera and both Metallica sets. 🤘🏽🤘🤘🏾🤘🏻🤘🏿🤘🏼

METALLICA / GRETA VAN FLEET M72 Show Setlist Playlist

Recent setlist playlist for the Metallica / Greta Van Fleet shows with sets from Mammoth WVH, Greta Van Fleet, and Metallica for Friday. Then sets from Ice Nine Kills, Five Finger Death Punch and Metallica, again, for Sunday. The two Metallica sets are unique without repeats.

METALLICA / ARCHITECTS M72 Show Setlist Playlist

Recent setlist playlist for the Metallica / Architects shows with sets from Mammoth WVH, Architects, and Metallica for Friday. Then sets from Ice Nine Kills, Five Finger Death Punch and Metallica, again, for Sunday. The two Metallica sets are unique without repeats.

METALLICA / VOLBEAT M72 Show Setlist Playlist

Recent setlist playlist for the Metallica / Volbeat shows with sets from Mammoth WVH, Volbeat, and Metallica for Friday. Then sets from Ice Nine Kills, Five Finger Death Punch and Metallica, again, for Sunday. The two Metallica sets are unique without repeats.

• Manage Account

Metallica’s 2023 M72 Tour: The Dream Setlist

Billboard's vision for an ideal stop on the metal gods' upcoming global trek.

By Bobby Olivier

Bobby Olivier

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Pinit
• + additional share options added
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Email
• Print this article
• Share this article on Comment

“No repeat weekend.” 

That’s how Metallica has branded the setlists for its upcoming M72 stadium tour, celebrating both the band’s new album 72 Seasons (out April 14) and 40 years of thrash-metal dominance.  

Each city stop on the new roadshow — Metallica’s first full trek in four years —  includes two nights promising completely different sets, encouraging Metallica lifers to attend both gigs for a deep dive into the band’s maniacal catalog. 

As the tour kicks off in Amsterdam April 27, we’ve been fantasizing about what a given night will look like — and which songs will make the cut during which show. Surely, as James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo exit a city, there will be a consensus among fans as to which night offered the better gig. 

Of course, it’s a matter of opinion. The most devout diehards would be happy with a set more focused on deep cuts and credence given to ‘83’s seminal Kill ‘Em All debut, celebrating its 40th anniversary this summer, while the multi-generational Metallica families would be down to hear more off 2016’s explosive Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. And of course, there’s the contrarian who actually wants to hear stuff off St. Anger . 

With all of this, here’s our dream setlist for the tour; a best-case-scenario M72 set, taking into consideration the band’s past tours — and leaving enough meat on the bone for night two. The setlist below would clock in around two hours, in step with their massive Hardwired tour that ran from 2017 to 2019. 

Let’s rage!

“Fight Fire With Fire”

In this dream, Metallica saves more of the 21st Century stuff for night two and instead buckles down on the fan-beloved oldies, a commitment made apparent immediately. As the stadium fades to black (get it), an acoustic, almost baroque guitar melody begins to blare from the PA. The band takes the stage, Ulrich leads them in with some big, extended cymbal fill and boom — Hammett’s first godkiller riff gets the place moving. 

“Trapped Under Ice”

The band does not pause, does not welcome the crowd, not yet. Instead they remain in 1984 with another Ride the Lightning shredder, thrilling elder fans who attribute their hearing loss to seeing the band about 10 too many times. Some wild winter scene plays out on the Jumbotron, with an abominable snowman emerging from a frozen lake. He inexplicably breathes blue flame; no one bats an eye. 

“Disposable Heroes” 

We’ll give “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” and “Orion” to night two and here harness the maximum octane of “Disposable Heroes,” the night’s first offering from Master of Puppets, with its forever-relevant barkings of the horrors and futility of war. “Back to the front!” the crowd roars. It’s largely been Hammett’s show so far as the solo on “Heroes” is pure guitar triumph, noodling its way to hell as a warzone rages on the big screen. 

“Wherever I May Roam”  

Okay, back to the Black Album fan favorites and another titanic sing-along, as fans get the heartiest Hetfield “ yeah-yeah ”s of the night so far. It’s also a relative break for the band; less demanding parts, steadying them for what’s to come. 

“For Whom the Bell Tolls”

The stadium goes dark again, momentarily, as the band catches its breath amid the cheers of 60,000 fans. Then the monster video screen illuminates once more. It depicts an unholy black church built into a mountainside. The camera zooms in to focus on the belltower. The bell begins to ring. The crowd shrieks as Trujillo begins the famous bass melody, passed from the late Cliff Burton to Jason Newsted to him. Trujillo does his funny crabwalk thing as Hetfield hammers the mammoth vocal. If this rendition of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is anything like the beast brought to stadiums on the Hardwired Tour, the crowd bellowing “Take a look to the sky just before you die/ It’s the last time you will! ” will be enough to send fissures through the parking lot asphalt. An unlucky Kia Optima tumbles into the abyss. 

“Lux Æterna” 

Hetfield talks to the crowd for the first time and plugs the new album 72 Seasons, asking how many in the audience have bought the new album. Everyone screams in affirmation and they are indeed telling the truth — metal fans still buy records! And so the band launches into the only new track on the night, the searing and fun lead single “Lux Æterna” — which unloads its stadium-ready chorus as people sing along, without a clue of what “Lux Æterna” actually means. A few dudes who drank their Bud Light tallboys a little too fast run to the bathroom. 

“Atlas, Rise!”

The best song off their preceding LP Hardwired … To Self-Destruct (and a 2018 Grammy nominee for best rock song) comes hurtling through next, with a riff and drum crash that beats the crowd into submission. Meanwhile, a 50-foot tall Atlas — Greek mythology’s eternal shoulderer of the heavens — inflates behind the band, holding a globe large enough to be rented as an AirBnb. Yes, Atlas literally rises! Fans gawk as the song’s hard-rock-and-blues chug soldiers on. 

“Creeping Death” 

For the next 80 minutes or so, nothing released in the last 25 years is referenced. Everything is for the graying diehards, beginning with the mammoth march of “Creeping Death.” The call-and-response “die!” chants force a helicopter flying overhead to be diverted. Fans don’t yet know this is the last Ride the Lightning track of the night — “Fade to Black,” the title track and “The Call of Ktulu” are saved for night two — but that’s cool, there’s much hell-raising still to be had. So let it be written!

“Harvester of Sorrow” 

As far as … And Justice For All goes, we’re also fine giving “One” and “Blackened” to the inferior second night, and providing an underappreciated track for the real fans in “Harvester of Sorrow,” for which the bass is turned up so loudly it nearly cracks a few fans’ sternums in the front rows. The relatively simpler riff allows for steady headbanging. A few more casual fans make one last run to the beer stand to find out it’s about to close — the true harvesters of sorrow!

“The Unforgiven” 

An acoustic guitar is brought out. Everyone takes a breath. No one is willing to admit they’re thrilled to sit a spell as the Black Album power ballad kicks in. Hammett still annihilates the solos, of course. 

Hetfield schmoozes with the crowd a little, asking whoever’s drunk to throw up their devil horns. Heavy metal, man! The frontman then begins to note how the band’s seminal debut album Kill ‘Em All turns 40 in July, and to celebrate, they are going to play a mini-set. The next 15 minutes are pure speedfreak bedlam, beginning with the aptly named “Whiplash,” backed by the band’s oldest photos plastered on the big screen, surrounded by bloody hammer iconography. They were just kids! 

“The Four Horsemen” 

Onward with the galloping riffs! Around the stadium, the know-it-all friend of every group is sure to point out how Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine co-wrote the song before he was fired. Luckily no one can hear them over the solos, which signal intelligent life in nearby galaxies. Everyone is thrilled, as “Four Horsemen” has been only scantily performed over the last decade.

“Seek and Destroy”

The band ties a pretty, pulverizing bow on Kill ‘Em All with the album’s most enduring, well-known track — it feels like home for fans who’ve been with them since their mighty Megaforce Records beginnings, sleeping on floors in New Jersey. Everyone sings the repetitive hook and cheers once the big Judas Priest-y solo begins to unfurl. 

“King Nothing” (with Phil Anselmo) 

As the mini-set concludes, a jewel-studded crown appears on the screen, rotating gloriously as it descends onto the skull of a festering zombie — night two can have “Fuel,” we’ll take this killer third single from Load, with its incendiary hard-rock chorus. To boost the track, the band welcomes fellow metal god Phil Anselmo (Pantera is opening the tour) to the stage, for some extra fury. The song gives way to an extended outro with a snippet of “Walk” as the stadium’s foundation quakes. 

The band turns “Battery,” usually used as a set or encore opener, on its hurtling head, closing the main set with a final burst of pandemonium. The acoustic riff hypes the crowd and then Hetfield, under a spotlight, unleashes that famed, punishing riff. Hammett delivers the knockout blow with one of the best solos in his pantheon and band trots off. No fans dare leave, knowing what’s still to come.

ENCORE : “Master of Puppets” 

After a few moments and requisite “Metal-lica!” chants, the foursome re-emerges. Hetfield has swapped his sweat-soaked black t-shirt for an identical (albeit dry) black t-shirt. And then it hits: Dun … dun-dun-dun! The stadium erupts once more, let’s go! The cosmic “Master! MASTER!” sing-along tears a chasm into the fabric of time and space, shifting dimensions and laws of physics. Puddles of Michelob Ultra form floating helixes throughout the concourse, frightening concession workers. The Kia Optima rises from the Earth’s molten core to its rightful parking space. 

“Nothing Else Matters”

The stadium returns to this plane as Hammett strums those open strings, summoning the night’s final power ballad. Fans know the night is slowly coming to an end, but no one wants to believe it as they wail the iconic chorus: “Never cared for what they do! Never cared for what they know-ow-owwww!” 

“Enter Sandman” 

Hetfield shouts that they’ve got one more, and promises to “see you for night two!” before unloading metal’s most recognizable riff. It’s a party, a finale, a storm of thunder and bursting flames from the pyro cannons. In this moment, no one is sick of “Sandman” anymore, happily barking “exit light, enter night!” Though once Hetfield reaches the spoken prayer part, all the dads begin to file out, hoping to beat the traffic. But then they miss the extended outro, with pieces from “Frayed Ends of Sanity,” borrowing from the Hardwired Tour. 

It’s an unforgettable night of metal prowess, and a culmination of one of rock’s bar-none most untouchable acts of the last half-century. But who knows — maybe the real tour will be even better than this fan-fiction fever dream. We’ll be counting the days!

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?

Get in the know on.

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

• Billboard Hot 100™
• Billboard 200™
• Hits Of The World™
• TikTok Billboard Top 50
• Song Breaker
• Year-End Charts
• Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

• R&B/Hip-Hop

Culture Expand culture menu

Media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

• Business News
• Record Labels
• View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

• Songwriters & Producers
• Artist Index
• Royalty Calculator
• Market Watch
• Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

• Cultura y Entretenimiento

Honda Music Expand honda-music menu

• Share full article

On Aug. 4, Metallica played the first North American date of its M72 World Tour in New Jersey.

Each show is designed to be different, with its own distinct set list.

The band’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, broke down the opening night set — and explained some of the other cues, too.

Supported by

How Metallica Hard-Wires a Different Set List Every Night

The metal institution is on the road supporting its 11th album. Drawing on four decades of songs, the drummer Lars Ulrich keeps fans, and his bandmates, on their toes.

By Austin Considine

In Metallica’s frenetic 1983 ode to headbanging, “Whiplash,” the band’s guitarist and lead singer, James Hetfield, barks, “We’ll never stop, we’ll never quit, ’cause we’re Metallica.” Somehow, across four decades marked by success but also death, addiction and at least one very public near-implosion , the band has kept its word.

This year, Metallica released its 11th full-length studio album, “72 Seasons.” Its debut LP, “Kill ’Em All,” also turned 40, just days before the quartet arrived in New Jersey for the first North American date on its M72 World Tour. Metallica isn’t the only band doing stadium tours even as its members pass 60, but not every band makes its bones slamming through songs that regularly top 190 beats per minute.

That tenacity was evident on a Friday night this month at MetLife Stadium as the tour touched down in East Rutherford. Drums pounded. Riffs chugged. Solos melted the faces off an all-ages crowd of about 80,000, dressed almost exclusively in black.

But how does a band keep it fresh after, by the drummer Lars Ulrich’s count, performing “Master of Puppets” 1,697 times onstage? The answer is by constantly “mixing it up,” said Ulrich, who creates the band’s set lists the day of each show — a “safeguard,” he added, “against ending up on autopilot.”

That may sound obvious, but it wasn’t always the case. “Thirty years ago, we took going out and executing a set really seriously,” Ulrich explained by phone last week, when the goal was nailing everything “almost like in a robotic way.”

Metallica — which also features the guitarist Kirk Hammett and the bassist Robert Trujillo — started fiddling with its encores and covers as its catalog kept growing. About 20 years ago, on the “St. Anger” tour, the group set an ambitious goal: Never again play the same set list twice.

Dates on the M72 tour, which run through September 2024, are organized around “no repeat weekends,” featuring two shows in each city with two different lists and two different sets of opening acts. (The band will play two weekends in Mexico City, where the tour wraps up.) The stage is doughnut shaped, with fans standing inside and out; the setup allows band members to face different parts of the crowd at different times, and it relies on four drum setups, creating multiple front rows.

“Mixing it up” with the set list itself is a surprisingly complex affair. Metallica productions go big, and the band’s elaborate program of pyrotechnics, lighting and interstitial audio-video, among other flourishes — the New Jersey show included a drop of dozens of giant black-and-yellow beach balls — has historically discouraged major changes to the list. Having four drum kits this time didn’t simplify things.

Eventually, the band developed what Ulrich called a “slot” system based on the band’s different “food groups” of songs, a reference to their feel and tempo. Slot 1 (of 16) on the M72 tour, for example, will always be an upper-mid-tempo fan favorite — Day 1 at MetLife, it was “Creeping Death” — that has a quickly recognizable opening riff: not too fast or complicated. But the songs in that slot will rotate. Slot 10 should always be a ballad, like “Nothing Else Matters.” The closer is always “Master of Puppets” or “Enter Sandman.”

Ulrich also keeps careful data about what song the band has played where, and tries to tailor the set list accordingly.

“At times it turns into a science” he said. “We’re in Montreal now, and I’ll have all the info for the last 20 years that we’ve played Montreal in front of me. And I can put a set list together where the deeper cuts will not be repeated.”

Certain songs, like “Sandman,” “Puppets” and “One,” are in constant rotation. Ulrich said the band calls them the “toe-tapping favorites” — an odd, and perhaps ironic, choice of words for songs better known for headbanging.

A lot of bands begin to mellow as they mature; by most accounts, that happened to Metallica over three decades ago, enough time for the band to have since come full circle. Like the band’s two most recent albums, “72 Seasons” continues Metallica’s return to the thrash-metal style that defined its early years, and the tour supporting it has thus far followed suit: light on covers and ballads, heavy on the heavy. New shredders like “72 Seasons” and “Lux Aeterna” slot tightly into lists packed with thrash classics like “Seek & Destroy” (1983), “Battery” (1986) and “Blackened” (1988).

Ulrich spoke in detail about the set list from that first night at MetLife and helped decipher some of the notes. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

‘Creeping Death’

“This is one we would call a fan favorite, and it’s not one that we always play. It’s got really good energy in the riff, and it sits in a kind of an up-tempo place without being so super fast that it just becomes, like, an indistinguishable roar. But it’s got good accents, good dynamics. It’s got a breakdown after the second chorus and the guitar solo, where it goes to a shout-along part where James gets everybody pretty engaged. [‘Die! Die! Die!’]

What makes a good opening song? I mean, ask a hundred people, you get a hundred different answers. So none of this is science. But after a while, you start figuring out instinctively that this song maybe works better than this other song. Often when you are touring on the back of an album, the default is to open with the opening track off the album that you’re touring with. I wanted purposely to not do that, just to sort of challenge ourselves.”

‘72 Seasons’

“’72 Seasons’ is the opening song on the latest album, and it’s also the title track. It has a real forward motion and a lot of energy, and I think it’s really representative and indicative of the head space and the mood and the energy of the new album. So it feels like a great way to kind of introduce what we’re doing these days.

The title refers to the first 18 years of your life; in broad strokes, it’s basically the idea that the first 72 seasons of your life shape who you become, for better or worse — and as you move through life, you’re trying to expand on those experiences, or maybe shake them, get away from them.”

‘Fade to Black’

“We’re all very open about where we’re at with our moods and all of us dealing with various levels of mental health. And that feels like it’s less of a taboo than it was, say, 20 or 30 years ago. I think James, increasingly, is very comfortable onstage talking about how he’s doing and how he’s feeling, and often he’ll send ‘Fade to Black’ off with some personal thoughts or something that relates to how he’s doing in that moment, in the spirit of sending good energy to people who are receiving it from a place of struggle. And the takeaway message is that you’re not alone, and that we’re in this together. I’m an only child. I’ve struggled with being an outsider and a loner all my life. And, you know, being in a band, playing concerts and all that is the best remedy for me to feel that I’m not alone.”

“It’s one that we have enjoyed playing a little bit more in recent years — we actually opened with it when we played with the Rolling Stones. It has a unique palette and illustrates the different songwriting inspirations and influences that exist within the band. When we’re playing it, the spirit of Cliff [Burton, a former bassist, who died in a 1986 bus crash] is definitely present in the building. And Robert channels Cliff’s spirit in the part that he’s playing so incredibly well. It’s a beautiful, beautiful moment.”

‘Master of Puppets’

“‘Master of Puppets’ is actually the song we’ve played the most live; it’s been a part of every tour since we released it. It got a significant, unexpected boost last year when it became part of the ‘Stranger Things’ finale. And who would’ve thought that a 37-year-old song that’s over eight minutes long and is pretty heavy throughout would resonate in the way that it does with a new and younger generation of listeners? But how crazy cool is that?”

What’s the ‘Hang’ Cue?

“‘Hang’ means basically the songs are connected — that there’s no, like, full stop. It doesn’t go to silence. So it just means stay on a chord. And then the next song comes out of that rather than out of a vocal introduction or a tape.”

The Four Drum Kits

“This is the first time we’ve done a 360-degree stage in a stadium setup. We tried to crack the code on that for years. Everything that we had done always had a center point. We were going down this rabbit hole a year ago, and all of a sudden it was like, Well, hang on, why does the band have to be in the center? And then it was like, What’s the opposite of the band being in the center? And that would be the fans being in the center. And that’s when we came up with the doughnut concept, where you play on the doughnut itself and then the fans are in the doughnut hole. And then, well, where do the drums go? Then the concept of the four drum kits — one drum kit in each of the four different directions — came up, and then it sort of went from there.

You know, all this [expletive] makes a lot of sense when it’s in an email or it looks really good on a napkin. Nine months later you’re in the first venue trying to figure out what the [expletive] you’re doing.”

An earlier version of this article misstated Cliff Burton’s role in Metallica. He was a former bassist in the band, not its original bassist.

How we handle corrections

Austin Considine is The Times's assistant TV editor. More about Austin Considine

Find the Right Soundtrack for You

Trying to expand your musical horizons take a listen to something new..

Kathleen Hanna’s punk rock says a lot. There’s more in her book .

“The Tortured Poets Department” has shifted the Taylor Swift debate .

12 new songs  you need to hear, including unearthed Johnny Cash.

Jazz saved the bassist Luke Stewart . Now he’s working to rescue others.

Mdou Moctar ’s guitar is a screaming siren against Africa’s colonial legacy.

Advertisement

Primary Nav Tour Upcoming Dates Past Dates News News In The Press ...And On Top Of That Band Timeline History Metallica Music Releases Songs & Lyrics Media Videos Photos Podcast Fan Club Sign Up News So What! Contests Videos Photos Forums Local Chapters Shop New & Featured Collaborations Sale Clearance Gift Certificates Media Return to Media Reissues Vinyl Digital Downloads Live Metallica CDs CDs DVDs Books Apparel Return to Apparel Shirts Pants & Shorts Outerwear Headwear Footwear Kids & Babies Accessories Return to Accessories Stickers, Patches & Buttons Puzzles, Games & Figures Wall Art Picks, Sticks & Straps Vinyl Care Jewelry Drinkware Collections Return to Collections T-Shirt Club 72 Seasons All Within My Hands Fifth Member™ Blackened Whiskey Probity UK Shop Metallica Black Box

M72 World Tour FAQ

When and where is Metallica playing? Click here to see all the tour dates scheduled for 2023 and 2024.

Will more shows be added to the tour? No. There are no plans to add additional headlining shows to the schedule for the next two years; the band may make very limited appearances at special events.

When do tickets go on sale? 2-day tickets are currently on sale. Single-day tickets for all shows will be on sale Friday, January 20, at 9 AM Local Time in Mexico City and 10 AM Local Time in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.

What about presales? Fan Club pre-sales for single-day tickets start on Monday, January 16, at 9 AM Local Time in North America and at 10 AM Local Time in Europe. All Fan Club members who have requested a presale code will have access to single-day tickets at this time. There are a variety of other presales depending on which cities you are interested in attending, so please check here for more information .

Will accessible tickets be available during the presales? Yes.

Are there accessible seating tickets available with Enhanced Experiences? Yes, we can accommodate accessibility issues, but you must email the Enhanced Experience customer service address after purchase. The request will be logged, and operational logistics to accommodate you will be made based on lounge locations as well as ADA-accessible seating. EE North America (US / CAN) – [email protected] , EE Mexico – [email protected] , EE Europe – [email protected] .

I am a Fifth Member. How do I access the presale? How do I get a code? All Fan Club members need to request a personal presale ticket code . Your code will be e-mailed to the address in your profile and will also appear on your Fifth Member profile page.

Each code is good for purchasing up to four tickets per show.

For more information or to sign up to join the fan club, please visit metallica.com .

For member inquiries, complete the form at metallica.com/contactus .

How many tickets can I buy for each city? Presales are limited to four tickets per fan per city. The general sale beginning January 20 is limited to six tickets per person, with a few exceptions.

I do not live in the same country where I would like to attend a show(s). Can I still purchase tickets? Yes, in most cases, you should have no issues purchasing tickets outside of your home country. You may want to confirm with your credit card company before the on-sales.

I see there are two shows in the same city in one weekend. What’s the deal? Each city will be a no-repeat weekend! Metallica will play two completely different setlists each night, with two other opening acts for each show.

If I purchase a two-day ticket, will I be in the same location each night? Yes, each ticket allowing entry to the two shows will be in the same location, whether the same seat or standing area. For example, if you have selected General Admission standing, you will be in General Admission standing for both shows. If you have assigned seats, you will sit in the same seat each night.

What are the Enhanced Experience packages? Enhanced Experiences are available for all shows, with five levels to choose from. Offerings include a backstage meet & greet with band members, production and stage tours, Snake Pit passes & early access to the GA floor. For more details, click here: Enhanced Experiences .

Can I buy an Enhanced Experience package for a single day? Starting January 16, all Enhanced Experience tiers EXCEPT the “Nothing Else Matters” Snake Pit Experience will ONLY be available as single-show packages. The “Nothing Else Matters” Snake Pit Experience, which includes access to a meet & greet and production & stage tour, will remain exclusively a two-show experience and will NOT be made available for single-day purchase.

Will there be hotel/travel packages available for these shows? No, there are no officially approved travel or hotel packages available for this tour.

Is the band playing in the round? What does this mean? Yes, for the first time on a stadium tour, the stage will be in the center of the field, like many of you have seen in arenas. Fans can see the band from any point in the stadium.

What is the “Snake Pit?” The famed Snake Pit will be in the center of the stage on this tour! Being in the Snake Pit makes you a part of the show and is the closest place to the stage to see the band. All tickets for the Snake Pit are standing tickets.

How can I buy a Snake Pit ticket? Snake Pit tickets are currently sold out. However, some of the Enhanced Experience packages do include Snake Pit tickets.

What is an “I Disappear” Ticket, and how can I buy one? Formerly known as the “Black Laminate,” the “I Disappear” Ticket gives you access to Metallica shows in multiple cities across the M72 2023/2024 stadium tour. Several options are available depending on how many shows you would like to attend and where they are. “I Disappear” Tickets are available only via the Enhanced Experiences website. The “I Disappear” Ticket does NOT allow entry to festivals, benefits, or other shows that are not Metallica headlining dates. One example of that exclusion would be the Download Festival in June of 2023. I Disappear Tickets will not be transferrable.

Who will the support acts be? Each night of the weekend will have different support acts and will vary depending on which shows you are attending. Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills will join the band for one show on all weekends around the world, with Mammoth WVH also joining the entire tour for the other night. Architects will also be playing the shows in Europe; Pantera in North America and Greta Van Fleet in Mexico City. There are a few exceptions, so check your show weekend on the tour page at Metallica.com .

Is the show suitable for children? This is at the discretion of parents/guardians. Explicit language may be used during the performance.

How and when will I receive my tickets? Depending on the options available for your city, show tickets are either issued as mobile tickets or PDFs sent via e-mail. You may not be able to view or download your tickets until closer to the event. Check your confirmation email or Ticketmaster account for further details.

How can I give my tickets to a friend or family? You can transfer tickets directly from your Ticketmaster account closer to the event date. Enhanced Experiences and I Disappear Tickets will not be transferable.

Can I sell or transfer just one of my two-day tickets? No, you may only transfer both tickets to both shows; it is impossible to transfer a single-day ticket if you have purchased a two-day ticket. Please note that transfer may not be available in some countries until a later date. As a reminder, Enhanced Experiences and I Disappear Tickets will not be transferable. Contact your point of purchase for more information.

I bought a two-day ticket but changed my mind and only want to go for one day. What are my options? If you bought a two-day ticket, you may opt to transfer your ticket, but please note that your ticket may only be transferred as a two-day ticket. Selling/transferring one ticket by itself will void the other as they are tied together. Limited single-day tickets will be available on January 20, 2023.

How can I resell my ticket? If you can no longer attend the show, tickets may only be re-sold via Ticketmaster’s authorized fan-to-fan resale platform. Go into your account on Ticketmaster and opt to resell. Please note that resale options may not be available until a later date, depending on your country. Check your local Ticketmaster site for more information.

Is there a bag policy at the venue? Bag policies vary from market to market. Please check your venue’s website for more information about their bag policies.

Is there any COVID protocol? Health and safety guidelines vary from market to market. Please check your venue’s website for more information about their policies.