A diary of my trip to Foxborough to see Metallica on the M72 World Tour in August 2024.
My final stop on the Metallica M72 World Tour was in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It was an easy decision to pick Foxborough as a destination because it was easily drivable from home in New Jersey. Anytime Metallica plays a drivable concert for me, I buy tickets and go.
I put together a group of friends to spend the weekend in Boston and go to both shows. There was no rain in the forecast for Thursday or Monday so instead of driving, I readied my motorcycle and plotted a scenic route to Boston. I could not ask more for a long early-August weekend: spending time with friends, taking a motorcycle trip, and going to see the greatest band of all time twice.
August 1, 2024
I promised myself the last time I drove to Boston (to see Metallica in 2022, of course) that I was never again going to just take the most efficient route through Connecticut. The main roads are typically choked with traffic and uninteresting. Instead, I plotted a scenic route through southern Vermont. Vermont is not on the way to Boston from my home in New Jersey, but this ride was about the journey.
I woke up early, mounted my luggage on the bike, and hit the road towards the Bear Mountain Bridge. The Bear Mountain Bridge is an out-of-the-way Hudson River crossing that is not part of any major Interstate Highway. It leads to highway 9D in Putnam County, New York. Once I crossed the bridge, the scenery for most of the ride was beautiful.
I took 9D to Cold Spring, New York and headed east through some state highways and backroads until I hit US-7 in Connecticut. I took that north through Massachusetts and into Vermont. I left Massachusetts so I could come back to Massachusetts! This is what you do when you take the scenic route on the bike.
It was about when I reached Bennington, Vermont that I stopped to check the time to Boston. I had to be cleaned up and ready to meet my friend Erin for dinner at 7 PM. I hooked a right and headed east through the mountains to Brattleboro. I went south to Route 2 and took that east to Boston. Traffic picked up the closer I got to the city, but my main mission was accomplished. I took the most scenic and least hectic route I could find between my home and Boston.
I cut my timing for dinner very close. I jumped off the bike, checked in to the hotel, showered up, hopped in an Uber, ran up a flight of stairs, and breathlessly greeted Erin. I did my best to hold up my end of the conversation after 325 miles and eight and a half hours on the motorcycle.
It was a work night for Erin so after dinner I found my good friends Gail and Joe who were in town for the weekend. Joe was coming to both Metallica shows and Gail was along for the sightseeing. We had a few drinks, and I had to call it a night.
August 2, 2024
Friday was the first big day of the weekend; we were going to get to see Metallica at night! My plan was to refrain from drinking so I could focus on the show at the stadium. Pooch arrived in town shortly after noon, and we met him at the Dorchester Brewing Company for lunch. Pooch is a great guy to travel with if you are into drinking craft beer and eating barbecue. They had both at Dorchester.
I went with him to another brewery on his list (he has a brewery list everywhere he goes), Castle Island Brewing for the rest of the afternoon. We drove past the highway and saw first-hand how bad the Boston traffic was headed out of town. As a group, we decided to take the train to Foxborough to save ourselves from the trouble of sitting in traffic.
We went back to the hotel and got the group together to head out to the train station. Ed rolled in just as we were leaving (he lost about two hours to the aforementioned traffic between New Jersey and Boston) and he hurried along with us to the train.
The trip from Boston to Foxborough sucks. The stadium is nowhere near the city and the roads are unable to handle event-day traffic flow. I highly recommend taking the train if you ever have the misfortune of having to make the same trip. It was relatively painless.
The train dropped us off at the parking lot and we grabbed something to eat outside the stadium. We headed in to catch the end of Mammoth WVH’s set.
We settled in near the center of the stage on the opposite side of the entrance. We were able to get close and had a good view of half of the stage from where we were standing. We were excited for the second act to come on. Pantera hit the stage and tore through a blistering set.
Pantera will obviously never be the same without the deceased Abbott brothers. But there could not be a better replacement for Vinnie Paul than Charlie Benante. And if you must replace Dimebag Darrell with someone, it might as well be the 5th greatest guitar player of all time, Zakk Wylde.
The crowd was hot for this show. It looked like a lot of us had seen the original Pantera lineup 25 years ago. There was a lot of singing and head-banging. I thought they picked up some younger fans while they were at it.
Throughout the tour, the wait between the end of the Pantera set and the beginning of the Metallica set feels like it lasts a day. I don’t even know what to do with myself while I’m waiting.
By the time AC/DC played, I was fired up and ready to rage! In just a few minutes, Metallica hit the stage. Lars Ulrich counted in “Creeping Death”, and it was on. I knew they were going to start with “Creeping Death”, and I was still amazed. The wave of energy that sweeps a football stadium when Metallica begins their set is indescribable. People are yelling, singing, head banging, moshing, even crying tears of joy. It is an experience unlike anything else.
The third song in the set was “Leper Messiah” and this was only the second time I’ve ever seen this classic played live. Metallica always finds a way to make each show memorable like this.
The rest of the set was standard M72 World Tour stuff. A combination of songs that spanned the band’s entire career, from the “Kill ‘Em All” to “72 Seasons” albums. Nobody in heavy metal has a catalog like theirs, and each song they chose to play filled the entire football stadium. The production, the sound, and the band battered our senses for two hours.
They capped the setlist with a ferocious rendition of “Master of Puppets” and we were spent. We made a quick trip to the train because if we missed it, we were going to have to sleep in the parking lot. The train was slow to leave, because a passenger had a medical emergency and had to be removed. But once it got going, we made a straight shot back to the city and to our hotel.
August 3, 2024
Before Pooch visits a new locale, he does PhD-level research on the local bars and restaurants. He can find the best craft beer and barbecue before he even arrives. So, we left Saturday planning to him.
We started off at the Tip Tap Room for brunch. From there we walked around Downtown Boston for the afternoon, making several stops along the way. We hit the Distraction + Democracy Beer Garden at Boston’s Old City Hall, the Sam Adams Downtown Boston Taproom, and a handful of other breweries. Did I mention Pooch likes his breweries?
Saturday was a standout day on my Metallica M72 World Tour journey. On some of my trips, Saturday was full of sightseeing and moving around from place to place. This time, I got to spend a relaxing day with like-minded friends, enjoying our trip to a city we would not have gone to had it not been for Metallica.
The plan for the evening was to find a sports bar that was showing WWE SummerSlam. Pooch and I are huge WWE fans and did not want to miss the biggest show of the summer. Pooch contacted Banners at TD Garden and was told they were going to show it on the big screen, so we went there for dinner. We arrived and comedy ensued.
We checked in at the hostess stand, and asked to be seated with a view of the screen that would air SummerSlam. The hostess had no idea what we were talking about. Pooch told her that he had emailed a gentleman who told him they would show SummerSlam and that was why we were there.
Pooch told her that the email came from a gentleman named Sam. The guy standing next to the hostess said, “I’m Sam!”. Then he denied sending that email and said maybe we talked to a different Sam.
This led to somewhat of a tense argument, and even Joe who is not a WWE fan complained loud enough that they decided to seat us and put SummerSlam on the big screen after all.
Pooch and I were happy we got to watch the show. It was the best WWE show since WrestleMania 40 earlier in the year. Even Ed got into it, he liked the pants that Seth Rollins wore. We stayed through the end when Roman Reigns made his surprise return to WWE at the conclusion of the main event. It was cool that I found a way to combine WWE with one of my Metallica trips.
We had some post-show drinks and then headed back to the hotel. It was a long day, and we had to get up for the big day on Sunday. One more Metallica show to go.
August 4, 2024
We had one more round of sightseeing before it was time to head to the concert. We started with a historical ferry tour of Boston Harbor. The tour guide was knowledgeable and kept us engaged with the tour. One bit of Boston history that I learned from him was that Boston was mostly filled in over time and that it was not entirely natural land.
Next up was a trip to the New England Aquarium which was a block away from the ferry. We were greeted near the entrance by a somewhat randy pair of penguins.
Next, we wandered over to the tropical fish tank. Much to my surprise, Pooch was a tropical fish expert. He used to own a tank and had a wealth of knowledge about tropical fish and was able to point out several species without having to check the guide.
We toured the whole aquarium, including the four-story ocean tank, and the sea lion show.
After the aquarium, we stopped for a barbecue lunch (refer to my earlier comments about Pooch and barbecue) and went back to the hotel to get ready to head out to Metallica.
That afternoon, we made a bad tactical mistake. We decided to drive to Foxborough rather than take the train, assuming that there would be no rush hour traffic to get there on a Sunday. Erin was going to join us for the Sunday concert, so we grabbed her and headed to the stadium.
The forecast was awful for Sunday night, and it proved to be correct. We arrived at the stadium parking lot, and it was raining heavily. We walked towards the stadium through the Patriots Way pavilion and upon arrival, a sign said the stadium was closed and we should seek shelter. This was problematic as we wanted to get there and find a good spot on the floor.
We ducked into a nearby bar and ordered some food and waited out the rain. It started to drag on and I started to get nervous there would be a weather delay or a cancellation of the whole show. I kept an eye on the Gillette Stadium X account, and after a significant wait, it posted an update that they were reopening the stadium. We hurried inside and found a spot near where we were on Friday. We were a bit further back, having lost some positions due to the stadium entry discombobulation.
I watched the Metallica X account feed, too. They announced that there would not be enough time for Ice Nine Kills to perform (no big deal) but Five Finger Death Punch would be able to play an abbreviated set. This would push the end of the show back until after 11 PM, likely costing the promoters and the band a nice chunk of change in overtime wages for the facility staff. At about 7:45 PM, Ivan Moody ran on stage and FFDP kicked off their set.
At this point in the tour, I felt like I had seen FFDP one too many times. I guess I could start to appreciate their live act, but I was never a fan to begin with and I did not see myself changing my opinion of the band after seeing them live.
As promised, FFDP kept their set short and for my final time in 2024, the wait for Metallica began.
This would be my fifteenth show on the M72 World Tour and the anticipation for their set remained constant. It is always the longest hour of my life. I get anxious, nervous, excited, and when the lights go out, I get overjoyed.
Metallica hit the stage and Lars pounded on the drums. James Hetfield shredded the opening riff and shouted “Whiplash!” into the microphone and Gillette Stadium went ballistic. The rain delay was a thing of the past and the show was on.
“Whiplash” quickly transitioned into “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and our excitement continued to skyrocket. We knew this song was coming and were ready to sing along and bang our heads to it. The band transitioned into the title track from their sophomore album “Ride the Lightning”, which just happens to be Ed’s favorite Metallica song. It was a delightful start to the show for everybody.
The rest of the career-spanning set was pure bliss. The crowd was electric, and the band fed off it. The song selection filled in the gaps from what they played on Friday night. We were treated to an epic performance of “Inamorata” before the ending sequence of songs that culminated with “Enter Sandman”. Before they played it, James made a joke about their beach balls not being deflated, a reference to one of the many New England Patriots cheating scandals that occurred in Gillette Stadium.
As excited as I was for the show, it was a huge bummer for me when it ended, knowing it would be the end of my M72 World Tour run. I had a great run, but I didn’t know if or when Metallica would hit the road again and what the tour would look like when they did.
I visited two European cities that I probably would not have seen otherwise and had many adventures with friends and family in the North American cities. I got to see the best band in the world perform 11 times. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to do all of that.
I had plenty of time to reflect on it all as we attempted to drive home. The traffic situation leaving Gillette Stadium is an unmitigated disaster. We were already running late because of the rain and then sat in the lot forever waiting for it to even move. Unfortunately for Erin, she had to work the next morning, so it really threw her schedule off. If I ever visit Gillette Stadium again, I will take the train no matter what.
August 5, 2024
My last planned day off work for the M72 World Tour. I woke up, loaded up the bike, and split. I wanted to once again avoid the traffic on the Interstates and take a unique route, so I headed west on route 2 and took that to US 202 which goes all the way back to New Jersey.
Those who know me would tell you that thinking isn’t something I’m known for. But being on the bike is an isolating experience that traps you in your own thoughts. It gives me the opportunity to recognize the few thoughts I do have.
As I meandered southwest through Massachusetts and Connecticut, I thought about my entire tour itinerary and how much of a dream come true it was. Two European trips, four motorcycle trips, five cities visited, eleven Metallica concerts, and most importantly time spent with family and friends. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more.
The members of the band started to turn 60 on this tour. They are playing the fewest number of concerts per year than they ever have in their past. They shortened the set from 16 songs to 15 songs. Time is catching up to them. They are not going to tour forever and opportunities like this are running out. Knowing this, the best thing I could do to honor the experience was to live in the moment and enjoy the final ride of the tour.
I stopped for gas late in the afternoon. My phone had been ringing but I didn’t see it. My boss was trying to call me. The stock market went haywire that day. The trading system I’m responsible for had a technical issue causing it to fail and we missed an opportunity to trade in advantageous conditions. It was a big snap back to reality for me and it was time to get back to work.
Epilogue
For the first time in two years, I wasn’t holding tickets for a Metallica concert, nor did I have any travel plans. I had toyed with the idea of going to one of the remaining cities after Foxborough but when it was done, I felt like I had done enough for one two-year tour cycle.
The band headed west and then south to Mexico City to round out the remaining stops on the tour. I procrastinated writing my final blog entry. Things had returned to normal.
I assumed that Metallica would announce 2025 and potentially 2026 tour dates at some point in the fall. I was hoping somewhat for somewhere in South America because I have never been there. I was on a business trip to Fort Lauderdale and woke up to a barrage of text messages and social media updates from Metallica. They were going to tour the US again in 2025.
I quickly surveyed the cities and settled on Philadelphia and Denver as the two stops that would best suit me. I attempted to buy a Lux Æterna platform in Denver and Snake Pit passes for Philadelphia and got skunked on both. But I did manage to get good tickets for each. So, with much excitement, I can declare that I am not done with the M72 World Tour! Stay tuned for two more updates in 2025.
My M72 Would 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Upcoming | 12 | 5/23/2025 | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA |
| 13 | 5/25/2025 | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA | |
| 14 | 6/27/2027 | Empower Field at Mile High | Denver, CO | |
| 15 | 6/29/2027 | Empower Field at Mile High | Denver, CO |
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 |
| 35 | 7/12/2024 | Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano | Madrid, ES | M72 World Tour |
| 36 | 7/14/2024 | Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano | Madrid, ES | M72 World Tour |
| 37 | 8/2/2024 | Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, MA | M72 World Tour |
| 38 | 8/4/2024 | Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, MA | 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 | 6 |
| Fuel | 6 |
| Harvester Of Sorrow | 6 |
| Lux Æterna | 6 |
| Nothing Else Matters | 6 |
| Orion | 6 |
| Sad But True | 6 |
| Seek and Destroy | 6 |
| 72 Seasons | 5 |
| Enter Sandman | 5 |
| For Whom The Bell Tolls | 5 |
| If Darkness Had A Son | 5 |
| King Nothing | 5 |
| Master of Puppets | 5 |
| Moth Into Flame | 5 |
| One | 5 |
| Ride The Lightning | 5 |
| Shadows Follow | 5 |
| The Call of Ktulu | 5 |
| The Day That Never Comes | 5 |
| Welcome Home (Sanitarium) | 5 |
| Wherever I May Roam | 5 |
| Battery | 4 |
| Fade To Black | 4 |
| The Unforgiven | 4 |
| Too Far Gone? | 4 |
| Whiplash | 4 |
| Blackened | 3 |
| Hardwired | 3 |
| Holier Than Thou | 3 |
| Whiskey In The Jar | 3 |
| You Must Burn! | 3 |
| Cyanide | 2 |
| Inamorata | 2 |
| Leper Messiah | 2 |
| Screaming Suicide | 2 |
| The Memory Remains | 2 |
| Until It Sleeps | 2 |
| Dirty Window | 1 |
| Fight Fire With Fire | 1 |
| I Disappear | 1 |
| No Leaf Clover | 1 |
| Sleepwalk My Life Away | 1 |
| Unique: | 43 |
| Total: | 170 |
All Metallica songs I have seen performed live
| Song | Times Seen |
| Nothing Else Matters | 31 |
| Enter Sandman | 30 |
| One | 30 |
| Sad But True | 30 |
| Master of Puppets | 29 |
| Seek and Destroy | 27 |
| For Whom The Bell Tolls | 24 |
| Creeping Death | 22 |
| Fade To Black | 19 |
| Fuel | 18 |
| Wherever I May Roam | 16 |
| Battery | 14 |
| Blackened | 14 |
| Moth Into Flame | 14 |
| Ride The Lightning | 13 |
| The Unforgiven | 13 |
| Harvester Of Sorrow | 12 |
| The Day That Never Comes | 12 |
| Welcome Home (Sanitarium) | 12 |
| Whiplash | 12 |
| Hardwired | 10 |
| The Memory Remains | 10 |
| Holier Than Thou | 9 |
| Cyanide | 8 |
| King Nothing | 8 |
| The Call of Ktulu | 8 |
| Fight Fire With Fire | 7 |
| Now That We’re Dead | 7 |
| Orion | 7 |
| Whiskey In The Jar | 7 |
| Atlas, Rise! | 6 |
| Lux Æterna | 6 |
| No Leaf Clover | 6 |
| The Four Horsemen | 6 |
| 72 Seasons | 5 |
| All Nightmare Long | 5 |
| Broken, Beat And Scarred | 5 |
| Halo On Fire | 5 |
| If Darkness Had A Son | 5 |
| Of Wolf and Man | 5 |
| Shadows Follow | 5 |
| That Was Just Your Life | 5 |
| The End Of The Line | 5 |
| Breadfan | 4 |
| Hit The Lights | 4 |
| Last Caress | 4 |
| Too Far Gone? | 4 |
| Until It Sleeps | 4 |
| I Disappear | 3 |
| St. Anger | 3 |
| The God That Failed | 3 |
| Through the Never | 3 |
| Turn The Page | 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 |
| Inamorata | 2 |
| Last Caress/Green Hell | 2 |
| Leper Messiah | 2 |
| Motorbreath | 2 |
| My Friend Of Misery | 2 |
| Overkill | 2 |
| Screaming Suicide | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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: | 109 |
| Total: | 654 |
The North Jersey Nonconformist 