Static and Disarray

A diary of my experience during Metallica’s M72 World Tour stop at State Farm Stadium in Arizona over Labor Day weekend in 2023

August 30, 2023

Our flight was preparing to depart Newark Liberty Airport at about 7 AM and although I knew the answer I had to ask, “Who’s idea was it to fly this early?” Susan’s quick response was “It was your idea.” She was right. It was a busy summer with all the Metallica related travel, and we only had so many off days to spare, so I wanted to maximize our time in Arizona by leaving early in the day. Luckily for us, the flight was abnormally on time, and we landed at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix without issue.

We grabbed our rental car and headed due north to our first destination in Sedona. The first thing you notice about Arizona is the natural beauty of the landscape. The scenery changes every few miles as you drive through the desert, revealing sprawling mountains and varying vegetation. None of it was as stunning as when we approached the red rock buttes of Sedona.  We pulled into town and stopped for brunch at Creekside.

After checking into the hotel, we headed to Red Rock Western Jeep tours for a tour than I had booked in Newark Airport that morning before we left. I did not want to lock into a tour before we knew our flight would be on time, so I did not research it much. I settled on “Earth Wisdom Tour”. I would soon regret that decision.

The tour had some cool scenery which is what I wanted out of it. But the driver was some hippie from Hawaii who relocated to Sedona who believed in all the local folklore nonsense. Instead of talking about the natural land formations, he wouldn’t shut up about vortex energy, quantum entanglements, inflows, outflows, drum clearings, meditation, and a bunch of Sedona claptrap. The mountain views were nice, but next time I’m doing a regular Pink Jeep tour.

Sedona looked like a daytime only town. We were barely able to find a restaurant open after dusk but were able to get someone to seat us for dinner. We called it a night after dinner, primarily because there was no place left open when we were done.

August 31, 2023

I was excited to get out of bed today. We went to breakfast at the Coffee Pot, famous for having 101 omelets on the menu. They had a cool outdoor patio, and it was hard to nail down exactly what to order.

We finished up breakfast and headed straight for EagleRider Sedona to pick up our Harley rental. The plan was to pick up a bike for 24 hours and ride it to The Grand Canyon and back. The weather forecast was a bit sketchy but I figured it was a desert so there was no way it would rain so it made sense just to go. Susan followed me in the car on the way to Flagstaff. She parked at Target and hopped on the bike for the trek to the Grand Canyon.

It looked like there were only two routes to get there, US 180 to AZ 64, or US 89 to AZ 64. I wanted to see them both so plotted a round trip course that started with the US 180 route and would take us back on US 89.

As we expected the scenery was stunning for the entire trip. What we didn’t expect was that yet again, the desert scenery changed so much every few miles. There was always something different to look at. The route was devoid of civilization except for an odd gas station until we got closer to Grand Canyon National Park.

I stopped to pay the fee at the main gate and followed the signs to the nearest parking lot along the south rim of the canyon. This was Susan’s first trip to the canyon, and my second. But I think we were equally stunned by the view as we approached it. None of my pictures can do it justice and it is hard to put into words how vast and majestic it looks.

We got back on the bike and rode around the park to see some of the other vantage points on the south rim. We walked down part of the trail to the bottom of the canyon to take some pictures.

I stopped to look at the weather forecast and the radar map on my phone and things were starting to look a bit icky. I thought it was not supposed to rain in the desert! Undetered, we headed east along AZ 64. We stopped at a few more points of interest along the south rim to keep taking pictures. It seemed like the canyon would stretch east forever.

As we made our way towards US 89, we could start to see columns of rain off in the distance, along with ominous lightning strikes. I thought that if we could make it to US 89 and head south that maybe we could dodge the storm. That plan failed when rain drops started falling on us.

I ride through rain all the time on the east coast. But the rain in Arizona has a much different characteristic. The locals call those storms monsoons, a term that is not as menacing as it sounds. Visibility was low and the rain made us feel cold, but it was inconsistent and not very heavy. Susan ducked behind me and used me as a windshield, and I used the taillights on the car ahead of me as a guide.

We stopped at a gas station to take a break from the rain and to wait for it to end. It did not seem like it was going to stop any time soon, but we figured we made it that far and were close enough to the car in Flagstaff to make a break for it. We got back on the bike and just like that, it stopped raining. Had I kept going we would have been fine. We made it back to the car in Flagstaff, Susan got in and followed me back to Sedona.

It was a whirlwind trip on the rental bike and one of the most unique I have been on. I had never been on a motorcycle in the desert before. Arizona does not have nearly as many roads to bike on than we do on the east coast, but they are amazing to ride on.

We had one more night in Sedona, so we showered up and hailed an Uber to downtown. There seems to be a major Uber shortage in Sedona. That, coupled with our observation that everything closes at dark made me wonder if something was keeping visitors from coming to town. Either way, the car finally came and we made it to dinner at Elote Café.

September 1, 2023

I woke up excited for the day, we were going to see Metallica at night! We started with another breakfast at the Coffee Pot because their menu was large enough to warrant a second trip. Susan wanted to rent a bicycle and go for a scenic ride in Sedona, so I dropped her off at the shop. I went back to the hotel to work on my blog for an earlier Metallica trip while she went for her ride.

I checked out of the hotel and went to get her when she was done, and we headed straight south to our hotel for the rest of the trip in Scottsdale. We spent most of the afternoon poolside at our hotel. I wanted to conserve energy for the concert. We got dressed up really fancy and drove to State Farm Stadium in Glendale for the show.

We walked into the stadium and surveyed their dinner options. The best thing I could find was a “sausage” that was more like a hot dog. That was somewhat of a letdown for a new stadium that had just hosted a Super Bowl earlier in the year.

But I inhaled whatever it was, and we made our way down to the floor to find a good vantage point for the show. We walked down as Pantera was playing and that immediately set my mood. We found a spot outside the donut-shaped stage and about twenty feet from the barrier.

In a scene almost right out of a classic Beavis and Butthead episode, some shirtless chubby dude was moshing with himself to the music right in front of us. Then he raised his arms, bent over, and puked whatever he had eaten or drank for the last three days. Another sign this was going to be a great night!

The lights dimmed and AC/DC’s “Long Way to the Top” played. This was about to be my seventh Metallica show for the year and I was just as excited for this one as I was for the first six. The people in our surrounding area were feeding off the energy, too. It was about to get good. Metallica took the stage and tore into “Creeping Death”!

It was such a hot start to the show that it felt like the crowd was almost overwhelmed with emotion. A father was standing in front of us with his adult son who broke into tears of joy as they hugged. We collectively sang every word of the song.

The setlist progressed through a familiar mix of new and old songs. For the “deep cut” song they tend to play in the third slot, they returned to “Holier Than Thou” like they did in Paris and in East Rutherford. James, Robert, and Kirk roamed the stage and played to every inch of the stadium. Lars filled the room with his drumbeats. I turned around and saw Robert’s wife Chloe, sitting in the nearest VIP section behind us.

As Metallica worked their way through the performance, I could tell that Susan was really getting into the concert, more so than at the last four we had been to together. Initially she had some hesitation about seeing Metallica six times in a year (having had seen them a total of zero times in prior years) but the greatest band in the world had won her over. She was calling out songs and correctly predicting when and where Lars’ drumkit was going to move.

Things were going great but towards the show I started to notice something unusual. They played the intro tape to “The Day That Never Comes” but then played “Hardwired” to follow it. I thought I had maybe misplaced the song, or they changed things up. But it was a sign that something was wrong.

The next song was “Fuel” and it sounded like James’ microphone was cutting out because he was missing parts of the song. I looked over to his part of the stage and saw that he was not singing parts of the song. And when he did sing, his voice was strained. I started to worry that it was giving out.

They cued “Seek & Destroy” and the beachballs fell from the lighting towers. James again had a hard time finishing the song. And when it was over, the houselights came on and the band started throwing picks to the crowd and taking bows. The show was over, by our count they only played 14 songs out of the usual 16. There was no “Enter Sandman”.

We were worried about what happened to James as we left. It seemed like it could have been laryngitis or some sort of vocal issue that can understandably happen to the lead singer of a band. But they were supposed to put on another show in two days and if he could not get through this one, what would come of the Sunday show?

We made it to our rental car in the parking lot and sat there for an hour and a half before we were able to exit. What started off awesome with puking fans and Pantera ended up with a shortened Metallica show and insane traffic. It certainly was not the biggest problem I have ever had, but it was a bummer.

September 2, 2023

As part of the Metallica takeover of the Phoenix area for the weekend, Robert Trujillo and Blackened American Whiskey master distiller Rob Dietrich were advertised for a bottle signing at Paradise Liquor in Phoenix. I had met Robert Trujillo at a similar signing in New Jersey in 2022 so it was not my top priority to do it again. But much to my surprise, Susan wanted to go. I told her from my experience that if we wanted to ensure ourselves an opportunity to get inside, we would have to get there at least three hours early. She still wanted to go. Metallica really did manage to convert her.

We grabbed a quick breakfast near our hotel and drove to the liquor store. We arrived about three and a half hours before the event was supposed to begin, and there were maybe 50 people ahead of us on the line, so I figured we were in good shape to get our bottles signed. We lucked out and managed to stand behind a gate that shaded us from the mid-day Arizona sun while we waited. We made some friends on the line while were passing the time.

A shirtless and shoeless man walked across the three-lane street while cars slammed on their breaks to not hit him. He appeared to behave like a fictitious zombie, and I was immediately worried for Robert Trujillo’s safety and well-being. Maybe next time Metallica’s management can put him in a liquor store in a better neighborhood.

The event started on time, and we got to move inside the store. We each bought a bottle of M72 limited edition Blackened American Whiskey and got on the next line to meet the guests of honor. One by one were told to hand our phones over to someone who would take our pictures while we stood on the “X”.

I briefly told Robert Trujillo that I met him in New Jersey last year. He said he remembered that appearance and wore a t-shirt for a local EMT that someone gave him at that signing on stage this year at one of the MetLife Stadium shows. That was about all the time I got with the two Robert’s. I turned around for my picture and waited on the side for Susan to get her bottle signed and her picture.

They sent us out the back door and I got to say “I told you so” to Susan. The line to get in was now huge and there was no way all those people were going to get in.

I have family in Arizona and part of the agenda of the weekend was to visit them. I drove to visit my cousin Josh and his family a few towns over. We finished up there and drove back to the hotel. I parked the car and saw a notification on my phone. I read the e-mail and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I got my reason why the show was cut short on Friday. James Hetfield had the COVID-19. Not only was Friday’s show cut short, but Sunday’s show was postponed to the following Saturday, after we were planning to fly home on Tuesday. We were going to miss the second show.

I immediately felt bad for Susan, I know she was really getting into the tour, and we had flown all the way across the country to see them twice. I was bummed as well, but I guess I could not say I was Metallica-deprived for the year; I had seen them seven times. On the bright side, we would not have to suffer through Five Finger Death Punch.

We got ready for the evening and my cousin Brandon, and his wife Victoria came to get us. We went out for dinner and drinks in Phoenix and in Scottsdale. Phoenix was a bit livelier than I had expected, and Scottsdale looks like it is always fun on a Saturday night.

September 3, 2023

Whelp, we had a lot more time on our hands on Sunday than we had originally planned. There would be no need to get to the stadium early to fight for a spot near the stage, nor would we get stuck in traffic getting out of there after the show.

We grabbed breakfast and drove to Taliesin West. Taliesin West was a winter camp designed by Frank Lloyd Wright to create a community and a workspace for himself and other architects. We did the self-guided tour through the buildings and grounds.

One of the more interesting things I saw was a sketch Lloyd made of the Guggenheim in New York. I visited the Guggenheim in 1998 for their Art of the Motorcycle exhibition and it inspired me to go out and get my motorcycle license and first bike.

From there we headed into Old Town Scottsdale for lunch and to wander the town. The Old Town area is mostly a tourist trap. We checked out a lot of the stores but did not find much in the way of things to buy other than some souvenirs for friends and family. It was probably the least interesting part of Scottsdale we saw that weekend.

We went back to the hotel and sat by the pool. I guess that was the next best thing to going to the Stadium early. Anyway, we wrapped that up and headed back into town for dinner at Citizen Public House. The food there was better than the garbage at the stadium on Friday, another silver lining.

After dinner, we walked to the Cake Nightclub for some drinks. I was stopped at the door and the bouncer made me turn around and lift the back of my shirt up, he wanted to be sure I was not trying to bring a concealed pistol into the club. Wild west, indeed.

We hung out there for a while and decided to see hop to the other bars in the area. By the time we went outside, the area had exploded with people moving from club to club. It was quite a scene. I guess it was more crowded than a regular Sunday because it was a holiday weekend. Some of the bars opened to the outside, others had long lines to get in. It looked like a fun neighborhood to party in.

If you gave me the choice between Metallica and clubbing, I would pick Metallica 10 times out of 10. But I did not have a choice, so we made the most of the night. It was a fun time and at the very least I knew the lay of the land for any return trips.

September 4, 2023

What to do on the last full day in the Phoenix suburbs? How about off-roading? We got up and drove north to Arizona Outdoor Fun Adventures & Tours. We made an online reservation prior to departure for two ATVs on a guided tour. When we signed in, the staff strongly recommended that we switch to a two-person UTV instead due to the relative difficulty of the trail and our inexperience. We agreed that if they were going to suggest we make a change so emphatically that did not cost us any extra money that we should probably take their advice.

We boarded the UTV and I took the wheel. Our tour guide made it easy for me to understand how to operate it and how to follow along. He took off and we fell in line behind him and some of the other vehicles.

The trail was wild up and down the mountain range. It was rocky and vertical and most of it was on the side of a very steep cliff. One wrong move and we were going straight down!

We stopped along the way to check out the scenery and listen to our tour guide explain the desert vegetation. He was a self-described desert geek and was very enthusiastic about the topic. He was way better than the Sedona “positive energy” mumbo jumbo-spewing tour guide from the previous week.

After several stops and starts, the tour headed us back to the parking lot. It was an exhilarating finish to the tour and we both really enjoyed it. It was my first time driving a UTV and it was a lot of fun to operate. Covered in dust, we got in the car and headed for lunch.

Our final tourist stop was at the Arizona Boardwalk in Scottsdale. The Arizona Boardwalk is a complex that has attractions like the ones you would find on a Jersey Shore boardwalk. It is just nowhere near an ocean.

We were there to visit the OdySea Aquarium. It is a smaller-sized aquarium than some of the others I have been to, but it had all the standard stuff. Lots of tanks and fish.

Our final meal in Arizona was at Oregano’s in Scottsdale. Oregano’s is a laughable attempt at an Italian restaurant, but it was good for what we needed. I had invited out all my Arizona cousins, their significant others, their kids, and my aunt out to dinner. It was good to be able to get everyone in the same place at the same time while I was there.

That was a wrap for the Arizona leg of my M72 World Tour itinerary. We had an uneventful flight home the next morning and settled back into our normal post-Labor Day Weekend activities.

Wrap

Arizona worked out well as a destination. I had been there before, but never on a proper vacation. Much like Paris, I got to combine a motorcycle trip with a host of touristy activities. The natural beauty of Arizona was what stood out to me most.

Of course, it was not a perfect trip. It rained on my motorcycle ride. Metallica cut one show short and postponed the other one to a date that I could not attend because of COVID. When you plan a vacation, everything is going to be perfect in your mind, but you must roll with what happens if things do not go to plan.

I had a fantastic time with my Metallica itinerary in 2023. I got to visit Paris, Montreal, and Arizona and see them in all three cities. I also got to see them in my home stadium with a large group of friends in East Rutherford. Paris and Arizona were fantastic destinations, and even though Montreal was not what it was cracked up to be, I still got to make it into a cool motorcycle trip.

I am grateful to Metallica for inspiring me to travel. I probably would not have gone to any of these cities in 2023 had it not been for them. I am looking forward to going back on the road next year for the 2024 leg of the tour in Madrid and Foxborough. Who knows, maybe I will add one or two more cities to the list.

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
	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
Upcoming	8	7/12/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, Spain
	9	7/14/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, Spain
	10	8/2/2024	Gilette Stadium	Foxborough, MA
	11	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
34	9/1/2023	State Farm Stadium	Glendale, AZ	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
Creeping Death	4
Fade To Black	4
Fuel	4
Harvester Of Sorrow	4
Lux Æterna	4
Nothing Else Matters	4
Orion	4
Sad But True	4
Seek and Destroy	4
72 Seasons	3
Battery	3
Enter Sandman	3
For Whom The Bell Tolls	3
Holier Than Thou	3
If Darkness Had A Son	3
King Nothing	3
Master of Puppets	3
Moth Into Flame	3
One	3
Ride The Lightning	3
Shadows Follow	3
The Call of Ktulu	3
The Day That Never Comes	3
Too Far Gone?	3
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	3
Wherever I May Roam	3
Whiskey In The Jar	3
You Must Burn!	3
Blackened	2
Hardwired	2
The Unforgiven	2
Whiplash	2
Cyanide	1
Dirty Window	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:	110

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Nothing Else Matters	29
Enter Sandman	28
One	28
Sad But True	28
Master of Puppets	27
Seek and Destroy	25
For Whom The Bell Tolls	22
Creeping Death	20
Fade To Black	19
Fuel	16
Wherever I May Roam	14
Battery	13
Blackened	13
Moth Into Flame	12
Ride The Lightning	11
The Unforgiven	11
Harvester Of Sorrow	10
The Day That Never Comes	10
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	10
Whiplash	10
Hardwired	9
Holier Than Thou	9
The Memory Remains	9
Cyanide	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
Whiskey In The Jar	7
Atlas, Rise!	6
Fight Fire With Fire	6
King Nothing	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
Of Wolf and Man	5
Orion	5
That Was Just Your Life	5
The End Of The Line	5
Breadfan	4
Hit The Lights	4
Last Caress	4
Lux Æterna	4
72 Seasons	3
I Disappear	3
If Darkness Had A Son	3
Shadows Follow	3
St. Anger	3
The God That Failed	3
Through the Never	3
Too Far Gone?	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
The Outlaw Torn	2
The Shortest Straw	2
The Struggle Within	2
The Thing That Should Not Be	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:	594