Do you ever think about what it takes to maintain a level of creative excellence for four decades? Do you take for granted that your favorite musical artists can just crank out new albums that easily engage their fan base on a whim? Evidence indicates that it is not as easy as it seems.

Billy Joel’s last rock album was released in 1993. These days he is content to play the same set of songs that are between 30 and 50 years old at every performance. It is a business model that works well for him, he is currently amid a residence at Madison Square Garden with no end in sight. I went to go see him last November, I enjoyed the show.

Twisted Sister was not as fortunate. They found mainstream success with their third album “Stay Hungry” in 1984 and that pushed them to the top of the rock and roll mountain for a fleeting moment. They did not take their own advice to stay hungry. Dee Snyder admitted that once he was rich and famous, he got writers block and couldn’t write good songs anymore. The band went on to only release two unremarkable albums and became an on again-off again nostalgia touring act until their split in 2016.

I found a playlist on Amazon Music titled “90’s Alternative Alternatives”. It is about seven hours long and I recognize three out of every four of the songs from the radio in the 1990’s. I could not tell you if any of those bands are recording new songs or touring today. Most of the acts barely had one album or even more than one song in them before they ran out of ideas.

Some rock and roll acts are best suited to remain relevant by repeating their strong back catalog to live audiences. Others simply did not have the ability to keep a stream of hits coming and faded away. This perspective makes it remarkable that Metallica is still writing and recording new music at the highest level of their career.

Metallica does not just release a new album. They have a public relations machine that turns their album releases into highly anticipated global events. They drip singles with accompanying videos one at a time up to the album release date. The day before the album release, they preview the album in movie theaters across the world. Following the release date, they continue to release videos for the remainder of the songs on the album. It is pretty much enough to whip their diehard fans into an extended frenzy.

All the attention they brought to the latest album also attracted plenty of reviews and commentary. In the four weeks since “72 Seasons” was released, you can sort through plenty of them online, and you’ll find that the album has been mainly positively received.

I refrained from making an instant judgement on the album when I first heard it, I wanted to spend some time with it to really listen and let it sink in. After listening to it constantly since it was released, I am comfortable saying that Metallica is still absolutely at the top of their game, and they have never sounded better.

“72 Seasons” proves that Metallica still has a hard creative edge. Despite all his fame and success, James Hetfield is still processing childhood trauma through the lyrics of his songs. Most of the themes of the songs are identical those of their earlier works: misery, darkness, suicide, and their own concerts.

Some of the songs are mature versions of songs they wrote when they were younger. “Screaming Suicide” is a new “Fade To Black”. “Lux Æterna” is a grown-up “Hit the Lights”. “Inamorata” is an extension of “My Friend of Misery”.

Time will tell if “72 Seasons” will be considered a classic Metallica album. Chances are that it will not be regarded in the same light as one of their first five albums. But the new music is moving Metallica forward and it demonstrates that they are not content to stand pat on their back catalog for their live act.

All of this has me extra excited for the M72 World tour which just started last week in Amsterdam. I’m glad that there will be new songs mixed in with the classics and that the set lists will differ from what I’ve seen at their concerts these past two years.

I am equally excited to visit Paris for the first time. My travel companion Susan is fluent in French and is an accomplished world traveler. But she’s never been to a Metallica concert! She oversees the itinerary for much of the trip, and I trust her plans are going to work out great. My job is to get the Metallica tickets (done!) and to operate the rented Harley Davidson Road King if the weather cooperates.

Next week, the M72 World Tour adventure begins for me. A year and a half with 12 Metallica concerts in six cities and four countries. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I plan to make the most of it. On I run!

My M72 World Tour itinerary

	Show #	Date	Venue	City
Upcoming	1	5/17/2023	Stade de France	Paris, France
	2	5/19/2023	Stade de France	Paris, 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	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 #	Date	Venue	City
1	4/8/1992	Brendan Byrne Arena	East Rutherford, NJ
2	7/17/1998	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ
3	11/24/1998	Roseland Ballroom	New York, NY
4	11/23/1999	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY
5	7/20/2000	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ
6	7/8/2003	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ
7	4/20/2004	Nassau Coliseum	Uniondale, NY
8	10/22/2004	Continental Airlines Arena	East Rutherford, NJ
9	1/17/2009	Wachovia Center	Philadelphia, PA
10	1/31/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ
11	2/1/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ
12	11/14/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY
13	11/15/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY
14	9/14/2011	Yankee Stadium	New York, NY
15	6/23/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ
16	6/24/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ
17	5/12/2017	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA
18	5/14/2017	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ
19	5/17/2017	The New Coliseum Presented by NYCV	Uniondale, NY
20	7/19/2017	Parc Jean-Drapeau	Montreal, QC
21	10/20/2018	Bryce Jordan Center	State College, PA
22	10/25/2018	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia, PA
23	9/6/2019	Chase Center	San Francisco, CA
24	9/24/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY
25	9/26/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY
26	5/29/2022	Harvard Athletic Complex	Boston, MA
27	8/11/2022	Highmark Stadium	Buffalo, NY

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

N/A

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Enter Sandman	25
Nothing Else Matters	25
One	25
Master of Puppets	24
Sad But True	24
Seek and Destroy	21
For Whom the Bell Tolls	19
Creeping Death	16
Fade to Black	15
Fuel	12
Blackened	11
Wherever I May Roam	11
Battery	10
Moth Into Flame	9
The Unforgiven	9
Ride The Lightning	8
The Memory Remains	8
Whiplash	8
Hardwired	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
The Day That Never Comes	7
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	7
Atlas, Rise!	6
Cyanide	6
Fight Fire With Fire	6
Harvester of Sorrow	6
Holier Than Thou	6
The Four Horsemen	6
All Nightmare Long	5
Broken, Beat And Scarred	5
Halo On Fire	5
No Leaf Clover	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
Whiskey In The Jar	4
King Nothing	3
St. Anger	3
The Call of Ktulu	3
The God That Failed	3
Through the Never	3
Turn The Page	3
Am I Evil?	2
Bleeding Me	2
Blitzkrieg	2
Die, Die My Darling	2
Don’t Tread On Me	2
Frantic	2
I Disappear	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
Until It Sleeps	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
Dirty Window	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
Orion	1
Phantom Lord	1
Sabbra Cadabra	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