Five decades into their illustrious career, Metallica hasn’t lost a step.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group stopped by East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium for a pair of concerts on Friday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug. 6 as part of their ‘M72 Tour.’
As you may have expected, they didn’t disappoint.
Ryan Murphy, the New York Post’s resident Metallibanger, attended both shows and said the band “played everything you’d want to hear with no repeats over the two nights.”
“Even though they’re promoting their new record,” he continued, “they played all the fan favorites.”
For Murphy that included “Creeping Death,” “Seek and Destroy” and “Master of Puppets” on night one.
Night two’s standout tracks were “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” “One” and “Enter Sandman,” which many New Yorkers may recall was Yankees closer Mariano Rivera’s menacing entrance song over the course of his storied career.
Two songs truly stood out though. All Murphy could say about “Whiplash” and “Ride The Lightning” were “wow.”
For those wondering about the show’s layout, Metallica performed in a circular stage on the 50-yard line with a General Admission crowd — known as The Snake Pit — in the middle.
“This allowed the very active James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo to move the drum set to the four corners of the stage,” Murphy shared. “No matter where you were, you got a decent view of the band.”
If you aren’t up close, Murphy noted that he “counted eight huge pillars with cylindrically-shaped monitors for more viewing.”
The concert experience
Other than the music, the 31-year-old Murphy observed that the crowd was made up of people in their 50s.
“A ton of dads with their kids, myself included. Yeah, I went with my dad.”
Metallica may have taken their fanbase into account when plotting this multi-day residency tour.
“Every show has a rest day in between, which is needed,” Murphy said. “The entire show plus their openers — Pantera (with Zakk Wylde!) and Mammoth WVH on night one and Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills on night two — is roughly five and a half hours.”
As a result, Murphy had an easier time than usual getting into the show since most fans trickled in closer to the evening’s headliner.
Still, “the merch lines were ridiculously long. That being said, the custom shirts they had for each show were cool.”
Want to see what they played live?
Check out the set lists for both of Metallica’s Garden State gigs at Set List FM.
Metallica 2023-24 tour schedule
The tour is far from over.
Metallica still has two-day stays lined up at venues all over the U.S. and Canada this year and next.
Want to find out if they’re coming to a city near you?
Check out Metallica’s complete 2023-24 tour calendar here for a closer look.
Power Trip Festival
The heaviest festival of the year is coming to Indio, CA this fall.
From Oct. 6-8, Metallica will join forces with AC/DC (performing live for the first time since 2016!), Judas Priest, Tool, Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden at the Empire Polo Grounds.
Need tickets for the three-day extravaganza?
You can pick Power Trip tickets up here.
Metallica opening acts
Here’s a little background on each of Metallica’s opening acts for nights one and two of the M72 Tour.
Pantera are major headliners in their own right as well. Formed in 1981, the group has sold approximately 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations over the past four decades. Just a few of their biggest hits include “Walk,” “Cowboys From Hell,” and “Cemetery Gates.”
Mammoth WVH is Wolfgang Van Halen’s rock band. For those wondering, yes, Van Halen is the son of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. In 2021, the group released its first album, “Mammoth WVH.” Prior to this run, the group co-headlined a tour with Dirty Honey in early 2022.
Five Finger Death Punch, originally from Las Vegas, slays. Active since 2005, the five-member outfit recently toured with Megadeth, The Hu, and Fire from the Gods. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon, either. Lead singer Ivan Moody recently said, “I can’t quit…I ain’t going anywhere,” in an interview with Revolver.
Ice Nine Kills has released six albums since their 2000 inception. In the 22 years since they got their start, the band has made a name for itself with their “horror-inspired lyrics.” Literature fans, in case you were wondering, the answer is yes. The group’s name is a reference to Kurt Vonnegut’s seminal 1963 novel “Cat’s Cradle.”
Huge hard rock tours in 2023
Although no tour this year will rock quite as hard as Metallica’s, many of the biggest names in metal will be on the road these next few months.
Here are just five tours that should turn the volume up all the way up to 11 in the near future.
• Rob Zombie with Alice Cooper
• Mudvayne
Want to see who else is touring these next few months? Check out our list of the 52 biggest concert tours in 2023 here.