Permanently Midnight

A diary of my experience during Metallica’s M72 World Tour stop at Stade Olympique in Montreal in August 2023

When I was in high school, I had a 12 speed Schwinn. I loved that bike, I rode it all around Bergen County, New Jersey. It felt great to get out of the house and go as far away as I could. It didn’t matter if I had somewhere to go, or I just wanted to enjoy a long ride. I rode it every day it was not raining.

One night, I was waiting at a red light on the corner of Union and Jackson in Rutherford. A grey-bearded biker on a Harley stopped next to me. He looked at me and nodded, and when the light changed, he took off. It was fast and loud.

If you ever watched the show, picture the reaction Beavis and Butthead had whenever they saw Todd. That was what the moment was like for me. I slowly peddled away on my Schwinn and decided that someday I needed an upgrade to what that guy was riding.

Around that same time, I saw my first Metallica concert.

Wednesday

It was time to head to Montreal for my next Metallica M72 World Tour weekend. I flew to the first one in Paris, and the second one in East Rutherford was a simple six-mile drive from home. But for Montreal, I was going to use my favorite form of transportation, my 2006 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy FLSTFI.

My objective for the day was to take the scenic route through the Catskills and Adirondacks and finish the day near the Canadian border. I managed to stay up until 2 AM on Tuesday so I could finish my blog about the New Jersey Metallica weekend, so I slept in and did not pack until the morning.

The forecast between Wednesday and my projected return date of the following Monday was somewhat chilly and rainy so I had to pack both my jacket and rain gear, in addition to everything else I needed so I was at luggage capacity when I finished packing.

Since I was running late, I had to truncate my plans somewhat. I got on the bike, headed for the New Jersey Turnpike, pointed north, and hammered the throttle. I slogged through the Bergen County traffic on Route 17, survived the suicide merge onto I-87, and got on the New York State Thruway. I exited at Saratoga Springs, which was further north than I wanted to go on the Interstate.

Not wanting to travel on the Interstate is a concept that is hard to explain to people who do not ride motorcycles. Car drivers tend to only drive when they have a destination in mind and take the most efficient route between two points. But when you are on a motorcycle, the experience is completely different. You are connected to the road and its surroundings. You can feel everything, see everything, and smell everything. It is an exhilarating feeling that does not compare to being inside of a climate-controlled car.

I stopped for lunch in downtown Saratoga Springs at a Mexican restaurant called Cantina and got on route 9D. I’ve been on 9D several times and it felt like home. I headed north through the tourist trap area of Lake George. 9D hugs the lake through Bolton and Bolton landing. The tourist traffic dissipated further north and I was able to enjoy the scenic views of the lake to my right.

Route 9D eventually multiplexed with Route 22, and I took 22 the rest of the way north. I’ve been on the southern end of 22 dozens of times, but I have never taken it this far north. Route 22 is labeled as part of the Lakes to Locks scenic route along Lake Champlain, and it did not disappoint. It passed through several small hamlets and towns, and I even saw what appeared to be Amish in horse-drawn carriages.

At around 7 PM, I stopped at a gas station to look for a hotel. The furthest north that there were any hotels near me was in Plattsburgh, New York. I booked the cheapest room I could find and settled for the night. I finished the day at 325 miles on the trip meter, about 180 of which were off major highways. It was not the epic trip I had envisioned, but I had no complaints. It was a beautiful day, and I was just getting started.

Thursday

I woke up and charted a course out of America and into Canada. I knew time was of the essence, the forecast was horrible starting at around lunchtime.

I headed north on US-9 towards Champlain. I spend a lot of time on US-9 in New Jersey, and it is quite a contrast in northern New York. It was much more serene and scenic in those parts. I hooked a right and headed east towards Rouses Point and took the Vermont Bridge over Lake Champlain into the Green Mountain State, and then north on 225 to the border.

I stopped at customs on the Canadian side and was greeted by the border guard with a firm scowl. He took my passport and gave me the standard interrogation, asking me where I’m from, why I came, when I’m leaving, and what I do for a living. He asked why I came from New Jersey and crossed the border in Vermont. Another person who does not understand why I would take local roads on a motorcycle instead of the Interstate. Seemingly reluctantly, he said I could go ahead and enter Canada, his frown never wavering.

The road on the Canadian side is also numbered 225. The southern border region of Quebec is full of farmland and was very pleasant to pass through.

I knew I was running out of time before the weather forced me to head for the hotel, so I charted course along the Richelieu River for a while before heading west over the river and towards the St. Lawrence River, and then headed south towards Montreal.  The totality of the ride was an interesting mix of farmland, strip malls, and industrial parks. I made the most of what time I had. I finished the day with 110 miles, a relatively low total by my standards.

I got to the hotel and checked in before the skies opened. It did not rain as early as I thought, but when it did, it was ugly, so I did the right thing by getting off the road. With some time to kill, I headed to the Metallica pop up store.

Susan was supposed to fly up and join me for dinner. The weather system was bad in New Jersey, too and her flight was cancelled so our dinner plans were cancelled. I met up with Steve, a Metallica fan I met at my last Metallica concert in Montreal in 2017. We grabbed dinner at 3 Brasseurs McGill.

He had a handful of Metallica fans with him, and their lifetime Metallica history puts mine to shame. One of them is going to every North American show on the tour this year and next.

They took me to a vantage point on the St. Lawrence River near the Jacques Cartier Bridge for a Metallica tribute fireworks show. I had no idea the city had planned a tribute to Metallica, this must be the best thing that’s happened to Montreal in years.

United Airlines finally found a way to get Susan to Montreal and she got in after midnight. Friday was going to be a big day!

Friday

Prior to our arrival in Montreal, Susan requested we visit Mont Tremblant because she had never been there before. Neither had I, and I had never been on any of the roads between there and Montreal. I jump at any opportunity to ride a new scenic route.

I plotted an indirect route to Mont Tremblant, and we took off from the hotel. It was an interesting ride, there was more suburban sprawl than I had expected, but the further out we got, the more pleasant the mountainside roads were. We got rained on a bit, so Susan ducked down low and used me as a windshield. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch called “Restaurant”. Seemed good enough for me.

The approach to Mont Tremblant was very enjoyable and we pulled into town. We stopped to walk around a bit, but I was pressed for time. We had to head back so I could make it to the stadium in time for Metallica.

The ride back to Montreal was much more utilitarian, most of it was on the freeway. We got slammed with traffic the closer we got to Montreal, and it took a lot longer than I expected to get back. I ducked into the hotel, changed my clothes, and took the metro straight to Stade Olympique.

I walked into the general admission section just as Pantera was finishing their set and the excitement in the room was explosive. I circled the stage looking for a good spot as close as I could get and settled on an area in front of a microphone stand, assuming James Hetfield would spend some time in that area. I talked to some of the fans nearby, they drove over 13 hours from the east coast of Canada to get there.

It was finally time for the show to start, and the opening video came on the big screens accompanied by AC/DC. Metallica took the stage and tore right into “Creeping Death”. A mosh pit opened to my right, and I jumped into it to advance my position closer to the stage. Someone fainted behind me after just a few songs, and as they were sending her over the railing for assistance from security, I used that opportunity to advance again, this time to right behind the person on the rail.

The third song of the night was “Leper Messiah” and in my 30 years of seeing Metallica, it was the first time I’ve seen it played live. It always amazes me how they find a way to make almost every show unique and memorable.

The crowd in my immediate proximity was livelier than at the shows the prior weekend in New Jersey. I got pushed around a lot and had to do my best to hold my ground. I reminded myself that the reason I work out in my spare time is to be able to partake in events like these.

The people in front of me appeared to be a married couple with their son behind them and to my left. The guy got angry every time I got shoved into him by the crowd and kept pushing off the rail and moving me back. Then the crowd would push me right back into him. It was a futile exercise on his part. People like him don’t seem to understand that you are entitled to nothing in a general admission section other than admission to the section itself. If you want personal space, either stand in the back or buy a seat.

I was not going to let him spoil my fun. Metallica played a full career-spanning set of songs, and they nailed each one. Being up close to the band when they were in front of me made things that much more exciting. James and Rob did their usual “secret handshake” during “The Day That Never Comes” just a few feet from where I was standing.

The best part was the final four songs. Luckily, they put Lars’ drum kit in front of me for the last four songs. It was utter chaos for the last quarter of the show. The other band members gravitated towards him, and I had a bird’s eye view of it all. The crowd surged forward, and I kept getting crushed. The beach balls dropped on us during “Seek and Destroy” and it all just became a blur of heavy music and crowd surges.

They wrapped up with “Master of Puppets” and I was completely drained. It was a full day of riding my motorcycle straight into an intense Metallica concert and I earned that night of sleep.

Saturday

Susan decided to sit this round of concerts out but wanted to come on the trip anyway, so I deferred the Saturday planning to her. The weather forecast was good in Montreal for most of the day, but it called for rain everywhere else nearby, so the motorcycle was going to stay parked.

We started with brunch at the Briezh Café. I thought it was affiliated with a café of the same name that we visited on the Paris leg of our M72 World Tour run, but it was not. Either way the crepe was good.

We walked around town for a while and visited a few local shops. Montreal has several distinct neighborhoods, and they seem to change every few blocks. Unfortunately, like most major cities, Montreal has a serious homeless problem, the level of which is surprising even to me and I spend a lot of time in New York City.

While we were walking around, I started to notice people dressed in costumes. I looked around and figured out that there was an anime convention of some sort just two blocks from our hotel. That made for some interesting people watching for the remainder of our walk.

Susan made an appointment for us at the Bota Bota Spa on the St. Lawrence River. I had never been to a spa before and right away when I got there, I knew it was not my scene. They have a set of rules when you walk in that you must sign off on, and one of which is that there are areas of the spa that you are not allowed to speak! Me, not allowed to speak?

Anyway, I made the most of the experience. There were hot tubs, cold tubs (I don’t recommend trying the cold tubs, they are too cold), saunas, and there was a pool area with a bar where you were allowed to talk. I tried to spend as much time there as I could. Overall, it wasn’t a bad experience, but I don’t see myself running out to my local spa anytime soon.

In the evening we walked to Old Montreal for dinner at Monarque. I tried the Guinea Foul for dinner since I had never heard of that before and was curious.

Following that, we bar-hopped the area. It seems like Montreal has a lively nightlife, but there were lines in front of most bars and clubs that we did not want to wait in. Then everything closes at 3 AM. There was never a real opportunity to go to any of the more popular places.

Sunday

Susan had to fly back in the afternoon, so we got up and went to brunch at Brasserie 701. The moment they brought our food out, Susan got a text that her flight was cancelled. This put a cloud over the day, she spent the next several hours on the phone with the airlines (both United and Air Canada were involved) and managed to get herself wait listed for a flight to JFK, not Newark as she had intended. She also had to leave early so we took a short walk around the waterfront attractions and went back to the hotel.

We had a good time overall, but I would not necessarily recommend Montreal as a travel destination. The local attractions were few and far between, the food was nothing special, the bars and clubs were tricky to navigate, and the city did not have much charm.

Susan split for the airport (and from what she told me everything that happened after that moment was a nightmare, but she did manage to get herself and her luggage back to JFK and then home), and I relaxed a bit before heading out to the concert.

I got to the stadium a bit earlier for this show and caught the entire Five Finger Death Punch set. They are a sub-par band. They try very hard on stage, but their songs suck, and they are boring. I was happy when that was over with.

I positioned myself in the same general area I was for Friday’s show. The traditional canned intro hit the speakers, and Metallica jumped the stage to “Whiplash”. There is no better way to start a Metallica concert than “Whiplash”.

The crowd was slightly less rambunctious than on Friday, but I was still able to move around enough to get close to the rail. There were two big guys to my left and right that kept pushing me back behind them. I guess that while I had the strength and conditioning to stand in a general admission section for Metallica all night, my stature does not allow me to win battles for personal space with men who outweigh me by 50 pounds. There is a reason there are weight classes in mixed martial arts.

About halfway through the show, the guy next to me split because his wife was getting tired, so I slid into his spot and had a great view of the show for the rest of the night.

The set was sixteen songs of awesomeness. The songs from “72 Seasons” fill a new stadium just as well as the classics from the first five albums. I really like the new arrangement for “Wherever I May Roam” to encourage the crowd to sing along. Robert Trujillo played the majority of “Orion” right in front of me.

As was the case on Friday night, the best place to be was in front of Lars for the last four songs of the night. The whole band played most of “Battery” right in front of me. I liken it to having the opportunity to see Picasso paint. I was in awe of being able to watch them from so close, it was moments like those that make it worth it to get general admission tickets and fight your way to the front.

They wrapped with “Enter Sandman”, and I was wiped out. Two awesome shows in a row and it was time for me to head back to the hotel and get on the bike to leave in the morning.

Monday

The trip home was uneventful. I mainly took the Interstates back home because I needed to get back and resume my normal life.

Thoughts of both concerts filled my mind the whole ride back, and that broke up the monotony of riding in a straight line.

Although I wasn’t thrilled with the city of Montreal, and the weather cut my planned motorcycle rides in about half, I still got what I wanted out of the weekend. A great two days of being on the bike and two amazing shows by the greatest band of all time. I can’t think of a reason to go back to Montreal. Unless, of course, Metallica plans to come back.

Next up is Phoenix over Labor Day Weekend. 

My M72 World Tour Itinerary

	Show #	Date	Venue	City
Complete	1	5/17/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Denis, France
	2	5/19/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Denis, France
	3	8/4/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ
	4	8/6/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ
Upcoming	5	8/11/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
	6	8/13/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
	7	9/1/2023	State Farm Stadium	Glendale, AZ
	8	9/3/2023	State Farm Stadium	Glendale, AZ
	9	7/12/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, Spain
	10	7/14/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, Spain
	11	8/2/2024	Gilette Stadium	Foxborough, MA
	12	8/4/2024	Gilette Stadium	Foxborough, MA

My lifetime Metallica concert history

Show #	ShowDate	VenueDescription	City	Tour/Event
1	4/8/1992	Brendan Byrne Arena	East Rutherford, NJ	Wherever We May Roam
2	7/17/1998	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Poor Retouring Me
3	11/24/1998	Roseland Ballroom	New York, NY	Garage Barrage
4	11/23/1999	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	S&M
5	7/20/2000	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Summer Sanitarium
6	7/8/2003	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Summer Sanitarium 2003
7	4/20/2004	Nassau Coliseum	Uniondale, NY	Madly In Anger With The World
8	10/22/2004	Continental Airlines Arena	East Rutherford, NJ	Madly In Anger With The World
9	1/17/2009	Wachovia Center	Philadelphia, PA	World Magnetic
10	1/31/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	World Magnetic
11	2/1/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	World Magnetic
12	11/14/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	World Magnetic
13	11/15/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	World Magnetic
14	9/14/2011	Yankee Stadium	New York, NY	The Big 4
15	6/23/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ	Orion Music + More
16	6/24/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ	Orion Music + More
17	5/12/2017	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	Worldwired
18	5/14/2017	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Worldwired
19	5/17/2017	The New Coliseum Presented by NYCV	Uniondale, NY	Worldwired
20	7/19/2017	Parc Jean-Drapeau	Montreal, QC	Worldwired
21	10/20/2018	Bryce Jordan Center	State College, PA	Worldwired
22	10/25/2018	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia, PA	Worldwired
23	9/6/2019	Chase Center	San Francisco, CA	S&M2
24	9/24/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life
25	9/25/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life
26	5/29/2022	Harvard Athletic Complex	Boston, MA	Boston Calling
27	8/11/2022	Highmark Stadium	Buffalo, NY	(none)
28	5/17/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Dennis, FR	M72 World Tour
29	5/19/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Dennis, FR	M72 World Tour
30	8/4/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	M72 World Tour
31	8/6/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	M72 World Tour
32	8/11/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, QC	M72 World Tour
33	8/13/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, QC	M72 World Tour

Link to YouTube playlist of all official Metallica concert videos I have been present for.

Metallica songs I have seen performed on the M72 World Tour                

Song	Times Seen
72 Seasons	3
Battery	3
Creeping Death	3
Enter Sandman	3
Fade To Black	3
For Whom The Bell Tolls	3
Fuel	3
Harvester Of Sorrow	3
If Darkness Had A Son	3
Lux Æterna	3
Master of Puppets	3
Moth Into Flame	3
Nothing Else Matters	3
One	3
Orion	3
Ride The Lightning	3
Sad But True	3
Seek and Destroy	3
The Call of Ktulu	3
The Day That Never Comes	3
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	3
Wherever I May Roam	3
Whiskey In The Jar	3
You Must Burn!	3
Blackened	2
Holier Than Thou	2
King Nothing	2
Shadows Follow	2
The Unforgiven	2
Too Far Gone?	2
Whiplash	2
Cyanide	1
Dirty Window	1
Hardwired	1
I Disappear	1
Leper Messiah	1
No Leaf Clover	1
Screaming Suicide	1
Sleepwalk My Life Away	1
The Memory Remains	1
Until It Sleeps	1
Unique:	41
Total:	96

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Enter Sandman	28
Nothing Else Matters	28
One	28
Master of Puppets	27
Sad But True	27
Seek and Destroy	24
For Whom The Bell Tolls	22
Creeping Death	19
Fade To Black	18
Fuel	15
Wherever I May Roam	14
Battery	13
Blackened	13
Moth Into Flame	12
Ride The Lightning	11
The Unforgiven	11
The Day That Never Comes	10
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	10
Whiplash	10
Harvester Of Sorrow	9
The Memory Remains	9
Hardwired	8
Holier Than Thou	8
Cyanide	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
Whiskey In The Jar	7
Atlas, Rise!	6
Fight Fire With Fire	6
No Leaf Clover	6
The Call of Ktulu	6
The Four Horsemen	6
All Nightmare Long	5
Broken, Beat And Scarred	5
Halo On Fire	5
King Nothing	5
Of Wolf and Man	5
That Was Just Your Life	5
The End Of The Line	5
Breadfan	4
Hit The Lights	4
Last Caress	4
Orion	4
72 Seasons	3
I Disappear	3
If Darkness Had A Son	3
Lux Æterna	3
St. Anger	3
The God That Failed	3
Through the Never	3
Turn The Page	3
Until It Sleeps	3
You Must Burn!	3
Am I Evil?	2
Bleeding Me	2
Blitzkrieg	2
Die, Die My Darling	2
Dirty Window	2
Don’t Tread On Me	2
Frantic	2
Last Caress/Green Hell	2
Motorbreath	2
My Friend Of Misery	2
Overkill	2
Shadows Follow	2
The Outlaw Torn	2
The Shortest Straw	2
The Struggle Within	2
The Thing That Should Not Be	2
Too Far Gone?	2
Trapped Under Ice	2
– Human	1
(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth	1
…And Justice For All	1
All Within My Hands	1
Confusion	1
Damage Inc.	1
Devil’s Dance	1
Disposable Heroes	1
Dyers Eve	1
Escape	1
Hell And Back	1
Helpless	1
Hero of the Day	1
Iron Foundry	1
Jump In The Fire	1
Justice Medley	1
Killing Time	1
Last Caress/So What/Die, Die My Darling	1
Leper Messiah	1
Low Man’s Lyric	1
Mastertarium	1
Mercyful Fate	1
Metal Militia	1
My Apocalypse	1
No Remorse	1
Phantom Lord	1
Sabbra Cadabra	1
Screaming Suicide	1
Sleepwalk My Life Away	1
Small Hours	1
So What	1
Spit Out The Bone	1
Stone Cold Crazy	1
The Ecstasy of Gold	1
The Judas Kiss	1
The Prince	1
The Unforgiven III	1
The Wait	1
Unique:	108
Total:	580