Approaching Thunder, Awaiting the Light

June 19, 2025 by njnonconformist Leave a Comment

When Metallica announced the 2025 leg of the M72 World Tour, they included several cities that would only get one show, as opposed to the two no-repeat shows they performed across the tour in 2023 and 2024. Houston was one of those one show-only cities on the 2025 list. I initially ruled it out as a destination, picking the two-show cities of Philadelphia and Denver instead. I bought my tickets for the two cities and locked in my travel plans.

But my good friend Chris reached out and told me he had a friend who had two extra Snake Pit passes for the Houston show. That changed the calculus in an instant. I offered the second one to my steady travel companion Susan who accepted. Suddenly, I was off to Houston for a quick one-off weekend on the tour.

June 13, 2025

Fresh off the highs from having watched the premiere of “Metallica Saved My Life” in close proximity to the band just two days prior, we hopped an early flight from Newark to Houston. We would only have about a day and a half to take in the sights and sample the local cuisine.

I wanted to visit the Space Center Houston Museum, so we set that as our first destination. But we also wanted lunch, and I wanted to try Mexican, so I found a casual spot nearby, Los Lopez Taqueria. I’m used to global cuisine in New York City, but I enjoy the authenticity of Mexican food when I visit a border state. This restaurant was perfect, and we both enjoyed our meal.

The Space Center Houston was a quick ride from there. My dad worked in the aerospace industry for most of his career, and NASA was always at the forefront in our household. I was excited about making my visit to the museum.

The museum has a wide array of exhibits of the history of American space travel, as well as those that describe future missions to the moon and eventually to Mars. We wandered around the whole museum and took in most of them.

There was a lot of information about past Space Shuttle missions and how their engines worked.

There was an exhibit about the International Space Station and how it is built to include life-sustaining features for both humans and plants. I had no idea the space station recycles and purifies water and sweat.

Astronauts drink their own, and each other’s piss

Next time I take a leak, I won’t take gravity for granted

There was a wall with pictures of every manned space mission crew, from the very beginning with Alan Shepard, to the most recent missions to and from the ISS. Coincidentally, the first one I happened to read was from the doomed Space Shuttle Columbia flight in 2003 that exploded on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

We wrapped up at the museum and drove towards the hotel. I haven’t spent too much time in Texas, but I am certainly amazed by their maze of elevated highways. In some places they look like they are stacked four high. From a distance, I couldn’t even guess which one I was headed towards.

I made a quick stop at the NRG Stadium to shop at the merchandise truck. I wanted the Houston-specific artwork shirt, but they were sold out of my size by the time we got there. They never have enough of the local shirts, so I haven’t gotten one on this tour. I had to settle for the Houston stadium shirt, and two generic M72 2025 World Tour shirts. Poor me.

After a quick trip to the hotel to check in and get gussied up for the evening, we headed out to dinner. I traveled with Susan on this trip, and she has a knack for finding good restaurants and bars. Unlike Pooch who does PhD-level research ahead of time when we travel, Susan operates by feel of a city, and she always nails it.

I suggested Texas barbecue for dinner, but she found something that looked good, so I deferred to her expertise. We took an Uber to The Travelers Table, which billed itself as a “globally-inspired eatery”. That was not what I was expecting from a restaurant in Houston. We were early so we sat at the bar, and I ordered the margarita flight from the menu, a first for me.

Susan ordered the duck, and I ordered a shrimp concoction, and both of our meals were a hit. Score one for Houston cuisine!

From looking at the map and from our observations while in transit, there appears to be a good restaurant scene in Houston. We saw enough places that made me wish we had a few extra days in town. But for the rest of the night, we wanted to at least check out the bars and the clubs.

I found a bar on Yelp that was highly reviewed, but it totally sucked so we split and found another bar in the area called Soho Garden. It had outdoor seating and a good cocktail menu.

It was a very lively scene and a fun place to spend the rest of the night. Unfortunately, there were too many Astros fans there, apparently the bar was only a few blocks from the stadium and the game had just ended. As a Yankee fan, I am still upset they cheated their way past us in the 2017 American League Championship Series. Other than that, the crowd was interesting, especially the dude passed out face down at a table.

I only spent one evening in Houston but came away with the impression that it was a good town for dining and partying. I will need to find another reason to come back.

June 14, 2025

Today was going to be the main event of the weekend, the Metallica concert at NRG Stadium. But first we had to get our “passes”. The way it was described to me by Chris, that an old friend of his who lives in town was connected to a guy who was connected to a guy at Live Nation and would get us inside the stadium without a ticket and give us Snake Pit passes. Seemed legit. Well, it turned out to be legit but only after a series of agonizing events that we can only look back on and laugh at.

The idea was that Chris and his friend would meet us for lunch at 1:30 at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, a Cajun seafood restaurant a short distance from NRG stadium. Our connection was scheduled to meet us at 3:30 with our passes. Sounded great.

Susan and I headed to the restaurant and met Chris and his friend, Ralph, and his wife. The first thing that Ralph said to me was “trust the process and be patient, it always works out.” I had no reason not to, so I sat down to lunch with them. This restaurant was another winner. I ordered the Texas Redfish which I had never even heard of. My fish was adorned with crab, shrimp, and a brown-butter lemon sauce. I thought it was fantastic.

I had an enjoyable time catching up with Chris, he has a fascinating career, and his stories are always compelling. It was good to meet Ralph and his wife; they were very friendly. We wrapped up lunch and sat at the table for a while. We decided to get up and wait outside for the “pass guy” to show up. That is when things got interesting.

Our scheduled meeting time of 3:30 came and went. There was no sign of the guy. Ralph swore he was coming. Chris started to get agitated. Susan was hoping to grab the pass and head back to the hotel to do some work and rest before the show, and the window to do so was closing.

Things started to get ridiculous around 5PM. The guy was an hour and a half late. I am not saying I ever doubted Ralph and Chris, but the situation was at least getting weird and annoying.

Susan pointed at some slovenly dude in a pink shirt, talking on his phone and pacing back and forth nervously. She said that she thought it was the guy with our passes. As it turns out she was right. After pacing back and forth on the phone for a long time, he found Ralph and we met outside the restaurant. Suddenly a huge crowd appeared around him. We were not the only people waiting for him, there were nearly 20 of us promised these passes and we were all on time and waiting for the guy.

After a protracted discussion, we learned that we all needed to go to the stadium to some loading dock to get our passes. After all that, the dude did not have them. Traffic had started to build around the stadium, so I could tell this was going to be an exercise akin to herding kittens.

Ralph’s wife drove us a half mile to the stadium and dropped us off near the loading dock. There were two people there waiting for their passes and they were annoyed. The opening act, Suicidal Tendencies, was about to hit the stage and we were stuck outside.

Of course, the pass dude took forever to get there. He went the wrong way around the stadium and needlessly passed through security. Then when he got to the loading dock, security wouldn’t let him in. He had to call whoever it was that had the passes and that guy wasn’t answering the phone. Maybe it was because the show started and the guy was working, and he expected us to be there at 3:30 PM!

At this point, all of us were ready to strangle the guy. Ralph went from telling me to trust the process and be patient to apologizing profusely. We could hear the band playing from inside the stadium.

Finally, some guy sitting at the gate heard what was happening and said he would radio in to get the guy who had our passes. Nobody answered at first, so he walked inside the stadium. After a wait that seemed like forever, some important looking guy came out. All of us huddled around them as they exchanged pleasantries. I grabbed Susan and Chris and said let’s get there first. I was worried after all this, he would be one or two passes shy, and I just wanted to get inside and never see the pass guy again.

We got our passes and Snake Pit bracelets. The passes weren’t tickets; they were some sort of Live Nation employee pass. We walked in through the loading dock, went through a security check and entered a side door into the stadium while Suicidal Tendencies was playing. Finally!

This was our “pass” to get in the side door at NRG Energy Stadium. Whatever!

I went straight for the Snake Pit. Susan went for a walk; she wasn’t interested in the opening acts. Chris went to try to get a Houston Metallica shirt, but the line looked like it was an hour long and they only had medium left. If only we got in early like we were supposed to.

I got some explanation that the guy was out getting drunk and was late because of that. The guy had about twenty people waiting for over two hours and let us in late. I just wanted to put it out of my mind. I was happy to be inside. I was so worked up that I followed Mike Muir around the donut-shaped stage from inside the Snake Pit.

I got close to Suicidal Tendencies drummer Jay Weinberg and watched him play. He grew up in my home state of New Jersey and is the son of the legendary E Street Band drummer, Max Weinberg. I am a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ and so is Jay. Prior to Jay’s arrival at Stevens, its most distinguished graduate was Henry Gantt, the inventor of the Gantt chart. Jay surpassed him as the most distinguished Stevens graduate when he landed the gig drumming for Slipknot. Here he was that day drumming on the same stage that Metallica was about to play on. I can’t think of a better alumnus in school history.

I always wanted to see him play up close. The drunk, slovenly, pass dude robbed me of a half hour of the show, but I enjoyed what I could.

The greatest graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology

Suicidal wrapped up and Pantera soon followed them. The Snake Pit was not very full yet and I was able to get very close to the stage. I got some very close up views of Zakk Wylde playing just feet away from me.

The fifth greatest guitar player of all time, Pantera’s Zakk Wylde

Pantera finished their set and the hour-long wait for Metallica began. I wrote about M72 World Tour Snake Pit positioning in my Philadelphia blog. I wanted to position myself in front of the first Metallica drum kit to pop up. To do that, I had to orient myself inside the circular stage. I picked the spot based on where the Suicidal Tendencies drumkit was placed for the Philadelphia show, assuming they would be consistent. The first Metallica drum kit first popped out directly to the right of where Jay Weinberg’s drums were.

Some woman standing in front of me insisted that spot was the third drum kit. She said she had seen Metallica before, and she knew what she was talking about. To me, she seemed dumb, and her opinion did not hurt my resolve. Most of the fans around me agreed we were in the right spot.

Eventually, a stage manager came to us and introduced himself. He said that he oversaw opening and closing the trap doors and that if we had our hands in the wrong place they’d get cut off so we should be careful. I asked him if it was the first drum kit, and he winked and smiled at me, so I got my affirmation from an authoritative source, not the idiot in front of me. Chris decided to find a stationary spot for himself on the other side of the stage. Ralph and Susan stuck with me.

There is no barricade inside of the Snake Pit, so I was about a foot away from the stage when the lights went off. As “Ecstasy of Gold” played, the trap door in front of me opened and I saw drum tech Jimmy Clark being lifted with the drums.

Jimmy Clarke riding the drums directly in front of us

In just a moment, Lars Ullrich was going to be right here!

I was overwhelmed with excitement as Lars Ulrich sat down on his kit and Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo converged. I hate fans who record videos of concerts, so I grabbed my phone and hit record anyway. Lars counted in “Creeping Death”, and I lost my mind. The show was off to a fiery start.

A quick video I took of Creeping Death to start the show

I stopped recording after a minute; I just wanted to capture a quick moment of the perspective I had. I got to jumping up and down and screaming along with the song like a proper fan should.

The first three songs were all from the 1984 classic album “Ride the Lightning” and they bled into each other. I can’t imagine that anyone thought in 1984 that Metallica would fill football stadiums and play those songs on a stage like this.

Lars walked over and gave the fans nearby a high-five. I haven’t washed my hand since mine touched his.

So close to the band inside a huge stadium

Me and Susan in front of the Greatest Drummer of All time and some uninterested security guy

The last song of the first set was “The Memory Remains” and the band played an extended outro while the crowd sang along to the eerie Marianne Faithfull melody. Normally I like to switch spots during the fourth song, but I was having too much fun being so close to Lars, so I waited there for the last note. I immediately grabbed Susan and Ralph and said, “LET’S GO!” We bolted from our spot and pushed our way towards where the second drum kit would be. We nailed it perfectly and got there in time for the high energy “Lux Æterna”, a song Metallica wrote about the exhilaration of their own concerts. Once again, we had a great view of Lars and the rest of the band.

Followed the drums all night, that’s where the action is

They played through another newer song “If Darkness Had a Son.” I love part of that song where the crowd can shout “Temptation! Temptation!” along with James Hetfield. It rattles the whole stadium. They transitioned into an epic rendition of “The Day That Never Comes”.

James played the opening guitar part while sitting on a stool to our left. It was my seventh time seeing this song played on the M72 World Tour, but my best vantage point for it yet. The song features time changes and punishing instrumental sections. Unfortunately, a couple near us got engaged during the song, but I didn’t let that ruin things for me.

They play “The Day That Never Comes” with such intensity

When it was over, we bailed on our spot again to head over to where the third drumkit would be. We were in transition while the pyrotechnics lit for “Fuel”. We rocked out to that while we waited out the next drum transition because I knew what was going to happen next.

The third drum kit popped up right in front of us again. I nailed our positioning three times in a row! I think at this point, I became the best Metallica Snake Pit Strategist of all time! The band converged on the drums and played the instrumental “Orion”.

Our third stop of the night to see “Orion”

Watching Metallica play Orion from six feet away is as close as a religious experience one can have at a heavy metal concert. James dedicated it to the late Cliff Burton.

Next up was “Nothing Else Matters” and the crowd pulled their phone lights out to create an amazing visual scene.

As the band played through another Black Album classic “Sad but True”, we made our final transition to the last drum kit. The concert wrapped up with the barrage of classics “One”, “Seek & Destroy”, “Master of Puppets”, and “Enter Sandman”. There was a frenzy of activity as the band roamed the stage more freely for the last set. I didn’t know which direction to look in as we were completely immersed in Metallica.

They always look like they’re having fun

Another epic Metallica show was over, and I was sore and exhausted. We regrouped and took the obligatory group photo in the center of the pit.

Myself, Susan, Chris, and Ralph made our way into the show and survived the Snake Pit

I thanked Ralph and Chris again. Despite the ridiculousness of the entry process, everything worked out great in the end. We had another unforgettable Metallica experience, and I got to travel to another city that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

I wrapped things up in the morning and went to the airport. Susan had a business trip in Germany, and she flew straight there. We had two weeks off until ours and Metallica’s last stop on the US leg of the 2025 M72 World Tour in Denver.

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
	12	5/23/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA
	13	5/25/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA
	14	6/14/2025	NRG Stadium	Houston, TX
Upcoming	15	6/27/2027	Empower Field at Mile High	Denver, CO
Upcoming	16	6/29/2027	Empower Field at Mile High	Denver, CO

My lifetime Metallica concert history

Show #	ShowDate	VenueDescription	City	Tour/Event	VantagePoint
1	4/8/1992	Brendan Byrne Arena	East Rutherford, NJ	Wherever We May Roam	Seats
2	7/17/1998	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Poor Retouring Me	Seats
3	11/24/1998	Roseland Ballroom	New York, NY	Garage Barrage	General Admission
4	11/23/1999	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	S&M	Seats
5	7/20/2000	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Summer Sanitarium	General Admission
6	7/8/2003	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Summer Sanitarium 2003	General Admission
7	4/20/2004	Nassau Coliseum	Uniondale, NY	Madly In Anger With The World	General Admission
8	10/22/2004	Continental Airlines Arena	East Rutherford, NJ	Madly In Anger With The World	General Admission
9	1/17/2009	Wachovia Center	Philadelphia, PA	World Magnetic	Seats
10	1/31/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	World Magnetic	General Admission
11	2/1/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	World Magnetic	Seats
12	11/14/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	World Magnetic	General Admission
13	11/15/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	World Magnetic	Seats
14	9/14/2011	Yankee Stadium	New York, NY	The Big 4	General Admission
15	6/23/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ	Orion Music + More	General Admission
16	6/24/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ	Orion Music + More	General Admission
17	5/12/2017	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	Worldwired	General Admission
18	5/14/2017	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Worldwired	General Admission
19	5/17/2017	The New Coliseum Presented by NYCV	Uniondale, NY	Worldwired	General Admission
20	7/19/2017	Parc Jean-Drapeau	Montreal, QC	Worldwired	Snake Pit
21	10/20/2018	Bryce Jordan Center	State College, PA	Worldwired	General Admission
22	10/25/2018	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia, PA	Worldwired	General Admission
23	9/6/2019	Chase Center	San Francisco, CA	S&M2	Seats
24	9/24/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life	General Admission
25	9/25/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life	General Admission
26	5/29/2022	Harvard Athletic Complex	Boston, MA	Boston Calling	General Admission
27	8/11/2022	Highmark Stadium	Buffalo, NY	(none)	General Admission
28	5/17/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Dennis, FR	M72 World Tour	Seats
29	5/19/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Dennis, FR	M72 World Tour	Seats
30	8/4/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	M72 World Tour	General Admission
31	8/6/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	M72 World Tour	General Admission
32	8/11/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, QC	M72 World Tour	General Admission
33	8/13/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, QC	M72 World Tour	General Admission
34	9/1/2023	State Farm Stadium	Glendale, AZ	M72 World Tour	General Admission
35	7/12/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, ES	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit
36	7/14/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, ES	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit
37	8/2/2024	Gillette Stadium	Foxborough, MA	M72 World Tour	General Admission
38	8/4/2024	Gillette Stadium	Foxborough, MA	M72 World Tour	General Admission
39	5/23/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit
40	5/25/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	M72 World Tour	General Admission
41	6/14/2025	NRG Stadium	Houston, TX	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit

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	8
Fuel	8
Lux Æterna	8
Nothing Else Matters	8
Orion	8
Sad But True	8
Seek and Destroy	8
Enter Sandman	7
For Whom The Bell Tolls	7
Harvester Of Sorrow	7
If Darkness Had A Son	7
Master of Puppets	7
One	7
Ride The Lightning	7
The Day That Never Comes	7
72 Seasons	6
King Nothing	6
Moth Into Flame	6
The Call of Ktulu	6
Wherever I May Roam	6
Fade To Black	5
Shadows Follow	5
The Unforgiven	5
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	5
Whiplash	5
Battery	4
Blackened	4
Holier Than Thou	4
The Memory Remains	4
Too Far Gone?	4
Whiskey In The Jar	4
Cyanide	3
Hardwired	3
Screaming Suicide	3
You Must Burn!	3
Fight Fire With Fire	2
Inamorata	2
Leper Messiah	2
Until It Sleeps	2
Dirty Window	1
I Disappear	1
No Leaf Clover	1
Sleepwalk My Life Away	1
Unique:	43
Total:	215

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Nothing Else Matters	33
Enter Sandman	32
One	32
Sad But True	32
Master of Puppets	31
Seek and Destroy	29
For Whom The Bell Tolls	26
Creeping Death	24
Fade To Black	20
Fuel	20
Wherever I May Roam	17
Blackened	15
Moth Into Flame	15
Ride The Lightning	15
Battery	14
The Day That Never Comes	14
The Unforgiven	14
Harvester Of Sorrow	13
Whiplash	13
The Memory Remains	12
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	12
Hardwired	10
Holier Than Thou	10
Cyanide	9
King Nothing	9
Orion	9
The Call of Ktulu	9
Fight Fire With Fire	8
Lux Æterna	8
Whiskey In The Jar	8
If Darkness Had A Son	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
72 Seasons	6
Atlas, Rise!	6
No Leaf Clover	6
The Four Horsemen	6
All Nightmare Long	5
Broken, Beat And Scarred	5
Halo On Fire	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
Screaming Suicide	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
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:	699

Filed Under: Metallica Tagged With: Houston, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, M72 World Tour, Metallica, Robert Trujillo, Snake Pit, Travel

Craving Dopamine

June 10, 2025 by njnonconformist 3 Comments

I was working from home the day before I was to attend the first of two Metallica M72 World Tour concerts in Philadelphia. I was trying to focus on getting through the workday so I could get ready to split in the morning. I got the alert that I won two Snake Pit passes through the Metclub contest and my mind went blank.

The best email I ever received in my life

“HOLY CRAP! I finally won one of these contests!”

“HOLY CRAP! I’m going to be in the Snake Pit tomorrow for the show!”

“HOLY CRAP! I need to pick somebody to come with me! What am I going to do?”

The M72 World Tour stage is shaped like a donut in the middle of a football stadium. The Snake Pit is the donut hole. If you are in the Snake Pit, you are immersed in the performance all night. I spent two nights in the Snake Pit in Madrid in 2024 and was blown away by the experience. I could not believe that I would be there again the next night. But I had to pick only one of my friends.

As I explained to them, they were all my favorite. But in 2017, Pooch scored us Snake Pit passes for Metallica in Montreal, and I have always felt like I was beholden to him since. I called him and offered him the pass, which he quickly accepted so that problem was solved.

With that dilemma solved, I was able to focus on the weekend ahead. I’ve been following the Metallica M72 World Tour since 2023, and these would be my first shows of 2025. I was excited to get back on the road.

May 23, 2025

I had a grandiose plan to ride my motorcycle to Philadelphia so I could enjoy a scenic ride back on Memorial Day along the Delaware River. Those hopes were dashed when I woke up to rain and cold that showed little sign of letting up. I also had a work emergency which ate into my day so there was no time to load the bike. I was bummed but was not going to let it ruin my weekend. I traded the excitement of my Harley for the comfort of my relatively uninteresting car.

I could have written a blog about how awful the traffic was from the moment I left my house in Hudson County, NJ until I got to Lincoln Financial Field, but you would not want to read it. By the time I got there, I felt like I ran a marathon. But we all managed to check into our hotels and since I had the car, I told the group I would be the designated driver. I grabbed Joe, Pooch, and Lefty and we made it to the show.

The Friday Night Crew before we split up

It was a bummer to have to split off from the rest of the crew. Lefty and Joe went into ham-and-egger general admission to meet up with Ed and Rita. Bobby was already somewhere along the rail; he lined up early to secure his spot. Pooch and I grabbed our Snake Pit wristbands from the box office and quickly made our way inside. We missed the first opening act, Ice Nine Kills. No big deal, they are not my favorite act on this tour.

I paused for a moment on my way into the Snake Pit. It is a bit of an overwhelming experience to begin with. But I especially enjoy walking past the losers on the other side of the general admission barrier knowing that I will have a much better view than they will. I sensed their jealousy. Granted, I would have been one of those losers had I not won the contest, but they didn’t know that.

I quickly found Chris and his stepson inside the Snake Pit. Chris cashed up and bought his way in. They picked a spot along the inside wall near where one of the four drum kits would pop up during the Metallica set.

Without much delay, Limp Bizkit hit the stage. This was my first time seeing them since July 8, 2023 when they opened for Metallica at Giants Stadium. This lineup was mostly original with a grey-bearded Fred Durst, accompanied by Wes Borland, Sam Rivers, DJ Lethal, and John Otto. We were standing right in front of Borland’s guitar rig.

Limp Bizkit is one of those bands that the cool kids did not want to admit they liked in the early 2000’s. But I never cared, I thought their tunes were catchy and I was excited to see them again. Durst sounded great and they played through their classics with intensity.

Not too long into the show, it unexpectedly started to pour. The road crew attempted to put a canopy over DJ Lethal and his equipment but appeared to fail and gave up. His stuff got soaked and apparently ruined. He unplugged everything, gave it to the fans, and eventually jumped into the Snake Pit to mosh with us. I got to high-five him.

When Limp Bizkit finished, things got real in my mind. It was my first time seeing Metallica in nearly nine months and not only was my wait about to end, but I was going to be surrounded by them all night.

This is when my Snake Pit strategy came into play. I was in the pit twice in Madrid in 2024 so I have a good feel for how things work inside and how to maximize the experience.

Metallica plays 15 songs per night, and there are 4 drumkits, one for each quadrant of the stage. The band roams the whole stage throughout the show, but most of the action takes place near the drums. They play four songs in the first quadrant, four in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth. In a regular general admission concert setup, there is a crush of people in front of the stage. But since there is no front of this stage inside the circle, there is no singular crowded spot so you can move around. Therefore, I wanted to plant myself in front of all four drumkits before they popped up before people crowded them.

My original instinct told me we were in the wrong spot and standing in front of the third drumkit. Pooch was happy where we were and didn’t want to move. I told him I was going to the other side of the stage and that I’d find him. But when I got to the other side, I asked security, and they told me that side was the third drumkit. I immediately made it back to Pooch and Chris and told them that this must be the right spot for the first drumkit. Since my sources were not 100% reliable, I was very nervous for the rest of the break in between sets. I really did not want to screw this up.

The lights went off and AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)” blasted over the insane PA system Metallica uses for their stadium tour. It was time! AC/DC transitioned into “Eecstacy of Gold”, the traditional opening song for Metallica concerts. Much to my relief, a trap door opened in front of us and I caught sight of Jimmy Clark, Lars Ulrich’s drum tech being lifted on to the stage along with the drums. We got it right. We were about eight feet away from drums!

In a flash, Metallica took the stage and Lars counted in “Creeping Death”. The rest of the band huddled close to him and tore into the song. The crowd was screaming and jumping up and down. We were so close to the drums, we could hear them over the PA. It was bedlam.

We were just a few feet from the band when the show started

You can’t get closer to Metallica than the Snake Pit

Metallica was fired up as they ripped through the first song. They quickly transitioned into the slower but just as heavy “Harvester of Sorrow” and followed that with the deeper cut “Holier Than Thou”. They were moving at a blistering pace and had the entire stadium hanging on every note. With a quick pause to introduce “King Nothing”, I knew it was time to find the next spot.

Chris from his spot in the Snake Pit with James in the background

Chris elected to stay put, but Pooch and I pushed towards the second quadrant and found it with relative ease. “King Nothing” ended and the second drumkit popped up right in front of us and the band followed for two newer songs, “72 Seasons” and “If Darkness Had a Son”. The latter was made to be played live with James Hetfield prompting the crowd to chant “temptation!” repeatedly.

James sat on a chair for the intro to the “Death Magnetic” epic “The Day That Never Comes”. Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo huddled close throughout the long instrumental parts of the song, and the band was in a zone.

James playing the intro to “The Day That Never Comes”

By my count, it was time to think about the next move. Before the band could start “Cyanide”, Pooch and I had rushed towards the third drumkit. We had to sacrifice being close to Lars on this song, but it would pay off when the next song hit. Once again, we were mere feet away from the band and just in time for “Orion”, the greatest heavy metal instrumental song ever written.

The band stayed closest to each other during this song. Being within feet of Metallica playing one of their greatest songs is like having had the opportunity to watch Leonardo da Vinci paint.

Our view of the third drumkit while the band played “Orion”

Watching Metallica play “Orion” from this close is a near-religious experience

Next up were two more “Black Album” concert standards, “Nothing Else Matters” and “Sad But True”. About the time I wanted to depart for the fourth drumkit, James was standing right in the spot. I started to panic, there was no way we could make it to the front if everybody was looking right at him. Eventually I said we should go and figure it out on the way. Then I looked up and saw Robert being pushed through the Snake Pit on a mobile platform, and he was coming right at us! I looked up at Robert as he looked down at me, I couldn’t believe my luck. Pooch instinctively ducked behind the platform as it moved because it parted the crowd and gave us a path right to where we wanted to be for the fourth drumkit. We made our own luck this time.

With four songs to go, I was happy with how we progressed. We nailed the spot for all four drumkits and had the best Snake Pit experience out of anybody there! At the end of “Fight Fire With Fire” Kirk threw one of his picks and it hit me in the right ear. It stuck to my jacket and the guy behind me handed it to me. I would have kept it if I was him.

Our spot for the final four songs of the show

Metallica rounding out their set right in front of us

The set rounded out with pyrotechnics during “Fuel”, a beach ball drop during “Seek and Destroy”, and a frenzied rendition of “Master of Puppets”. Metallica owned Lincoln Financial Field that night.

May 24, 2025

One of the many cool things about the two-night schedule for the M72 World Tour is that it leaves a gap on Saturday. It is even cooler if you are visiting a city that you wouldn’t normally be in and you have your friends with you.

Unfortunately, Ed and Bobby couldn’t stick around on Saturday, but Joe, Lefty, and Pooch were ready to go. I was especially happy to have Pooch there, he is known for his PhD-level research of things to do when travelling, with a focus on breweries and restaurants.

We met at The Butcher Bar on Chestnut Street or brunch. It is probably not a coincidence that Pooch picked a place with bottomless brunch drinks.

To avoid making it a messy all-day drink fest, we planned a bit of sight-seeing and spontaneous exercise following brunch. We walked to The Philadelphia Art Museum to visit The Rocky Statue. Someone had the idea that we should run the steps. We all made it up without having a coronary. All the time I spent at my local gym was worth it.

After we triumphantly conquered the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, we took the obligatory picture in front of the Rocky statue.

Proud of our accomplishments, we walked south on the scenic Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Victory Brewing. I tend to be a Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller Lite guy, so I was a bit lost. Pooch was already well versed in their offerings, so I asked him to fill out a flight order for me. They started off OK, but the flavor fell off a cliff on the last two. They didn’t convince me to be a craft beer guy.

Dressed in my Metallica shirt, several people at the bar asked if I was at the show the previous night. I’m not sure who would walk around Philadelphia in a Metallica shirt the day after they played there and have not attended the concert, but I answered their stupid questions in the affirmative anyway. They all said something like “I thought about it but didn’t go”. Talk about people who make really, really, really bad life decisions in this town.

But every time one of them asked me about the show, I could not help but picture Metallica right in front of me. It was my 39^th Metallica concert and I was still just as stoked as ever to have seen them and could not get over how good they were and how amazing the Snake Pit experience was. It really made me realize how appreciative I was to have had that experience. I made sure to let each one of those idiots know that they completely blew it.

We left Victory and made a few more stops. First was at a rooftop bar for some cocktails. Then we went to Barcade Philadelphia. Barcade is a small chain of bars that has rows of retro video games and pinball machines. A friend of ours, Brian, happens to be the manager there so it was cool to see him. Another lucky way Metallica brings us all together.

Barcade had the wrong band’s pinball machine. It was fun anyway.

At dinner time and Pooch directed us to Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse. Pooch is a big rodizio guy, so it was no surprise he wanted to go there. The waiters aggressively carved grilled meats on our plates, it was very intense. I flipped my stop/go card to the red side after I ate what felt like 17 pounds of beef.

Our last stop of the night day was a heavy metal bar called Doom that Pooch found. It was very spacious and was outfitted in gothic décor. There was custom stained glass and original art on the walls. There was one major flaw, however. The music they were playing was so obscure that we couldn’t identify it using Shazam. It was Metallica weekend in Philadelphia and there were only a handful of people there. Not a good showing for the only heavy metal bar in town. It looked like they had a good idea when they built it, but their execution was poor, and it did not catch on. It was worth checking out, but I would not recommend it.

May 25, 2025

I got a call from Bobby that he was in town and on the line for the Metallica pop up store. I drove over and cut in line next to him, saving myself about 45 minutes. These stores are very popular and often difficult to get in to. I grabbed three t-shirts and a license plate cover because I don’t have enough Metallica stuff already.

Me and Bobby outside of the greatest store in Philadelphia history

We finished our shopping excursion, and Pooch told us to meet him and Lefty at Yards Brewing. I was shocked that he picked another brewery! I never drink on Metallica days so I couldn’t partake in another crappy flight, but everyone else seemed to enjoy their beers.

The culinary highlight of the trip came next. We made the short walk to Del Rossi’s Cheesesteak & Pizza Co. for cheesesteaks. I’ve had a handful of Philadelphia cheesesteaks in my day, but this one was my favorite. Great bread and great cheddar cheese made the sandwich perfect.

Cheesesteaks usually do not photograph well, but this one was a 10/10

Pooch and Lefty wanted to hit a distillery, so I went back to the hotel to grab my stuff and check out before heading back to the stadium for the final time. I didn’t miss much, Pooch later told me that each successive taste of whiskey in his flight tasted more and more like turpentine. Even PhD’s have errors in their research sometimes.

We met up and took an Uber to the stadium. Pooch, Lefty, and Joe wanted to grab some beers at Victory Brewing at the Xfinity Center entertainment complex outside the stadium. I wanted to catch Suicidal Tendencies, the first opening act so I went in early. I said hi to Sue, Ned, and Colleen who were on the rail already.

I visited Ned and Colleen near their spot on the rail

Then I found Bobby who was dutifully lined up close to the rail on the side of the stage. It was a bit of a bummer being reduced to ham-and-egger general admission status for this show, but I was stoked regardless. We had a good spot, and I was going to make the most of it.

Suicidal Tendencies now features a rhythm section of Jay Weinberg on drums, and Robert Trujillo’s son, Tye Trujillo on bass. During the show, we noticed that Robert was watching the show from one of the Lux Æterna platforms on the far side of the stage. It must have been a proud moment for him as a father and a former bass player for Suicidal Tendencies. It was a fun show and Suicidal played all their hits. I could see Chris in the Snake Pit directly across from me and we had fun taking pictures of each other and sending them back and forth.

After the ST set ended, Pooch, Lefty, and Joe came in and met up with Ed. Unfortunately, too many people surrounded me and Bobby by that time, and they were not able to get very close to us. Pantera hit the stage and people started to mosh behind us. It was a lot of fun, it reminded me of seeing the original Pantera lineup in the late 1990’s. I always love watching Zakk Wylde play, he is one of my favorite musicians.

The hour-long wait between Pantera and Metallica always feels like it is a day long. But when AC/DC hit the PA, it felt like we were hit by lightning. Metallica took the stage and started with the 1-2 punch of “Whiplash” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. They always hit the stage and sprint out of the gate. I never understood how they can get so fired up so quickly.

In my third year of following this tour, I pretty much always know what song is coming next. But the lack of suspense never dulls my excitement for the classics like “Ride the Lightning” and “The Memory Remains” which followed. Metallica played an extended outro at the end of the latter which I had never seen live. It looked like something they improvised.

We were on the side of the stage where the final two drumkits would pop up. We stood in front of Robert Trujillo’s rig and bass tech, so he spent a lot of time in front of us between songs.

Robert Trujillo’s side of the stage was right in front of us

When the drums made it to our side of the stage for the second half of the show, we had our best views of the evening. They started with “The Call of Ktulu”, an instrumental on par with “Orion”. The band stuck together like they normally do for that song and looked like they were having a blast playing it. I think that is one of the things that make these M72 concerts so great. Since Metallica is in the round, they can’t hide anything. You can sense their genuine enjoyment throughout the night.

Not quite the Snake Pit, but close enough

The final songs of the night battered our senses with fire, fireworks, beach balls, and loudness. They played through hits, finishing up with “One” and the anthemic “Enter Sandman”. I was completely drained.

We huddled up and took the subway back to the hotel. Since I couldn’t ride my motorcycle as originally planned, I just drove home after the show. It wasn’t quite the ending to the weekend I was looking for, but my spirits were high. I got everything else I wanted out of the weekend. Time spent with friends in a fun city, and 30 unique songs from The Greatest Band of All Time.

Next up for me is a trip to Houston for a one night-only stop at NRG Stadium. A friend of a friend scored us Snake Pit tickets, so it is going to be worth the quick trip.

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
	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
	12	5/23/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA
	13	5/25/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA
Upcoming	14	6/14/2025	NRG Stadium	Houston, TX
	15	6/27/2027	Empower Field at Mile High	Denver, CO
	16	6/29/2027	Empower Field at Mile High	Denver, CO

My lifetime Metallica concert history

Show #	ShowDate	VenueDescription	City	Tour/Event	VantagePoint
1	4/8/1992	Brendan Byrne Arena	East Rutherford, NJ	Wherever We May Roam	Seats
2	7/17/1998	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Poor Retouring Me	Seats
3	11/24/1998	Roseland Ballroom	New York, NY	Garage Barrage	General Admission
4	11/23/1999	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	S&M	Seats
5	7/20/2000	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Summer Sanitarium	General Admission
6	7/8/2003	Giants Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Summer Sanitarium 2003	General Admission
7	4/20/2004	Nassau Coliseum	Uniondale, NY	Madly In Anger With The World	General Admission
8	10/22/2004	Continental Airlines Arena	East Rutherford, NJ	Madly In Anger With The World	General Admission
9	1/17/2009	Wachovia Center	Philadelphia, PA	World Magnetic	Seats
10	1/31/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	World Magnetic	General Admission
11	2/1/2009	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	World Magnetic	Seats
12	11/14/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	World Magnetic	General Admission
13	11/15/2009	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	World Magnetic	Seats
14	9/14/2011	Yankee Stadium	New York, NY	The Big 4	General Admission
15	6/23/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ	Orion Music + More	General Admission
16	6/24/2012	Bader Field	Atlantic City, NJ	Orion Music + More	General Admission
17	5/12/2017	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	Worldwired	General Admission
18	5/14/2017	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	Worldwired	General Admission
19	5/17/2017	The New Coliseum Presented by NYCV	Uniondale, NY	Worldwired	General Admission
20	7/19/2017	Parc Jean-Drapeau	Montreal, QC	Worldwired	Snake Pit
21	10/20/2018	Bryce Jordan Center	State College, PA	Worldwired	General Admission
22	10/25/2018	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia, PA	Worldwired	General Admission
23	9/6/2019	Chase Center	San Francisco, CA	S&M2	Seats
24	9/24/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life	General Admission
25	9/25/2021	Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center	Louisville, KY	Louder Than Life	General Admission
26	5/29/2022	Harvard Athletic Complex	Boston, MA	Boston Calling	General Admission
27	8/11/2022	Highmark Stadium	Buffalo, NY	(none)	General Admission
28	5/17/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Dennis, FR	M72 World Tour	Seats
29	5/19/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Dennis, FR	M72 World Tour	Seats
30	8/4/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	M72 World Tour	General Admission
31	8/6/2023	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	M72 World Tour	General Admission
32	8/11/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, QC	M72 World Tour	General Admission
33	8/13/2023	Stade Olympique	Montreal, QC	M72 World Tour	General Admission
34	9/1/2023	State Farm Stadium	Glendale, AZ	M72 World Tour	General Admission
35	7/12/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, ES	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit
36	7/14/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, ES	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit
37	8/2/2024	Gillette Stadium	Foxborough, MA	M72 World Tour	General Admission
38	8/4/2024	Gillette Stadium	Foxborough, MA	M72 World Tour	General Admission
39	5/23/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	M72 World Tour	Snake Pit
40	5/25/2025	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia, PA	M72 World Tour	General Admission

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	7
Fuel	7
Harvester Of Sorrow	7
Lux Æterna	7
Nothing Else Matters	7
Orion	7
Sad But True	7
Seek and Destroy	7
72 Seasons	6
Enter Sandman	6
For Whom The Bell Tolls	6
If Darkness Had A Son	6
King Nothing	6
Master of Puppets	6
Moth Into Flame	6
One	6
Ride The Lightning	6
The Call of Ktulu	6
The Day That Never Comes	6
Wherever I May Roam	6
Fade To Black	5
Shadows Follow	5
The Unforgiven	5
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	5
Whiplash	5
Battery	4
Blackened	4
Holier Than Thou	4
Too Far Gone?	4
Whiskey In The Jar	4
Cyanide	3
Hardwired	3
Screaming Suicide	3
The Memory Remains	3
You Must Burn!	3
Fight Fire With Fire	2
Inamorata	2
Leper Messiah	2
Until It Sleeps	2
Dirty Window	1
I Disappear	1
No Leaf Clover	1
Sleepwalk My Life Away	1
Unique:	43
Total:	200

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Nothing Else Matters	32
Enter Sandman	31
One	31
Sad But True	31
Master of Puppets	30
Seek and Destroy	28
For Whom The Bell Tolls	25
Creeping Death	23
Fade To Black	20
Fuel	19
Wherever I May Roam	17
Blackened	15
Moth Into Flame	15
Battery	14
Ride The Lightning	14
The Unforgiven	14
Harvester Of Sorrow	13
The Day That Never Comes	13
Whiplash	13
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	12
The Memory Remains	11
Hardwired	10
Holier Than Thou	10
Cyanide	9
King Nothing	9
The Call of Ktulu	9
Fight Fire With Fire	8
Orion	8
Whiskey In The Jar	8
Lux Æterna	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
72 Seasons	6
Atlas, Rise!	6
If Darkness Had A Son	6
No Leaf Clover	6
The Four Horsemen	6
All Nightmare Long	5
Broken, Beat And Scarred	5
Halo On Fire	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
Screaming Suicide	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
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:	684

Filed Under: Metallica Tagged With: 72 Seasons, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, Limp Bizkit, M72 World Tour, Metallica, Pantera, Philadelphia, Robert Trujillo, Suicidal Tendencies, Travel

No Mercy from the Ghost Within

December 31, 2024 by njnonconformist 1 Comment

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.

Trace of my ride from New Jersey to Boston through the mountains of west MA and south VT

Wearing over 300 miles of road grit on my face

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 guitarist Zakk Wylde, the 5th Greatest Guitar Player of All Time

All the money Pantera made on this tour, Phil still can’t afford socks and shoes

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 5^th 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?

One of the many breweries on Pooch’s spreadsheet

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.

Better late than never, the show got started with Five Finger Death Punch

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.

Highly sophisticated method of keeping that microphone dry

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.

We were a little further away than I’d like, but we could still see the whole thing pretty well

“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

Filed Under: Metallica, Riding Tagged With: 72 Seasons, Boston, Foxborough, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, M72, M72 World Tour, M72Foxborough, Metallica, Robert Trujillo, Travel

Welcome, Won’t You Come Inside

August 22, 2024 by njnonconformist 1 Comment

A diary of my trip to Spain to see Metallica on the M72 World Tour in July, 2024.

It was a long wait, but it was finally time to get back on the road to see the Metallica M72 World Tour in a new city. This time, it was Madrid. I had never been to Spain before, and there was no better excuse to go than to see two Metallica shows.

Things have been hectic for me since the Phoenix stop on the M72 Tour in 2023. I found out prior to the trip that I had busted up my rotator cuff in my dominant arm and that it would not heal without elective surgery. I was told the recovery would be difficult and that I would have no or limited use of my arm for a while.

I had to put off the operation until after the Phoenix trip, but it needed to be soon thereafter so I would be ready to rock for the Madrid trip in 2024. I had them cut me up in October and started physical therapy a few weeks later. That plan worked out very nicely. I was semi-functional a few months later, and I graduated from therapy a week before the Madrid trip.

While I was dealing with the injury, I got started on a construction project at my house because I like making things complicated and difficult for myself. My entire backyard needed to be replaced and I wanted to get it done for 2024. Everything went relatively smoothly with the project, but dealing with the contractor and making design decisions was very time intensive.

Between the shoulder rehab, the backyard project, and holding down a full-time job, I had a lot on my mind. Therefore, I did not do as much planning for the Madrid trip as I had done for Paris, Montreal, and Phoenix last year. But my number one travel companion on the tour, Susan, took care of the basic outline of the trip for us. We were going to forego the motorcycle rental this time, and instead spend a few days getting crazy in Ibiza after the Metallica shows were done in Madrid. I was happy with that plan and showed up in Madrid fired up and ready to watch The Greatest Band of All Time from the Snake Pit!

Metallica wrapped up the North American leg of the 2023 tour in Detroit in November and did a one-off show in Saudi Arabia in December. They resumed the 2024 tour in May in Munich for two nights. They played 16 songs each night as they had done on all the other dates in 2023. At the next show in Milan, they only played 15 songs. Each night after that, they stuck to the new 15 song format. The reasons are not publicly known why the shows got shorter, but I guess shrinkflation in this economy is to blame.

I was a bit bummed that I would get to see two fewer songs than I had expected in Madrid, and I had done no research or real planning for the trip. But Susan and I got on the redeye from Newark on July 10, and we landed in Madrid the next day on time.

July 11, 2024

Things were off to a good start; the first leg of travel got us to Madrid without issue. But the red-eye and the jetlag hit me hard, and I started the trip exhausted.

We hopped a cab from the airport, and I noticed right away that the terrain indicated we were going to be in a warmer climate. There was also a lot of graffiti on the highway. I noticed the same thing when we got to Paris, I guess it is a European thing.

We made it to Hotel Francisco I and Susan had to stop to do some work. She was under an unfortunately timed work deadline for most of the vacation, so she had to do a few hours of work every day. I went for a walk nearby to keep busy until she was done.

I was not sure what I was looking at, but realized right away that I was in an historic section of town. It was a neighborhood that was clearly much older than anywhere I have been in America. My phone told me that I was in a town square called Plaza Mayor.

I was hungry so I sat down and ordered my favorite Spanish delicacy, Jamón Ibérico.

Susan told me she was ready to go so we met up and walked around the area together. We were in an interesting neighborhood that was a seemingly endless maze of old buildings with cool shops and restaurants. We would enjoy walking around town for the rest of our stay.

We headed out to our first planned destination, Museo Nacional del Prado. Prado is an historic art museum in Madrid known for its European art. It features 48 pieces by Diego Velázquez.

I got yelled at for trying to take pictures (there did not appear to be a sign saying it was not allowed). I thought that the collections were interesting, especially given how old some of them were. The overwhelming majority of them were inspired by religion.

We went to dinner at Vi Cool and finished the night with drinks at a bar in the basement of Caluana. The food was underwhelming at the restaurant, and the neighborhood seemed to close early. That was fine with me, I was wiped out by then and wanted to get to bed to get into the time zone.

July 12, 2024

Today was going to be a big day! Susan had to work in the morning, so I walked to the Metallica pop-up store. I only bought four T-shirts this time. I returned to the hotel, and we walked to Plaza Mayor for lunch. We ordered paella for the first time on the trip.

We walked to Real Jardín Botánico (a botanical garden) and went inside for a visit. I think we were there a little late in the season because not much was in bloom. I was jealous of their vegetable garden; they are better at growing tomatoes than I am. They had some good-looking grape vines and fig trees, too.

I think this guy was a king or something

Everything we did that day was nice, but it was time for the big event. We hopped on the Metro, asked for directions, and headed towards Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano for the first of two Metallica concerts of the weekend!

The first order of business was for me to figure out how to pick up our Snake Pit passes. The instructions I got in Spanish were not very helpful even after I translated them to English. But after walking back and forth and asking for help outside the stadium, I found the window that had our magic wristbands, and we went inside.

The soccer stadium in Madrid that would be Metallica’s home for the weekend

The setup was huge, but we were going to be in the middle of the stage!

We descended the stairs from the first level and headed to the Snake Pit entrance. I dreamed about that moment ever since I bought the tickets in November 2022. We flashed our wristbands, and they waved us in.

I didn’t know what to do with myself once I got inside. This was going to be much different than jockeying for position at a regular general admission concert. Instead of just trying to get as close to the stage as possible, we were going to be literally surrounded by Metallica inside a donut-shaped stage. I noticed that one of the lower portions of the stage to my left was not terribly crowded and we walked up to it.

The Architects had just started playing when we walked in. They are a boring and uninspiring band and trudged their way through a desultory set. At least we were able to conserve energy for Metallica.

The wait in between sets seemed to last a lifetime. But when “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)” blasted throughout the stadium, I was fired up! Metallica hit the stage and Lars Ulrich counted off the first song. Before he was even done, I recognized it and shouted, “Creeping Death!”. It was on!

Lars was playing drums to our right. Before I knew it, James Hetfield was singing and playing guitar right in front of us! I was so close that I could look right up his nostrils!

Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett crossed in front of us with regularity. We were literally surrounded by Metallica. The third song of the night was the deep cut “Cyanide” that I had not seen live in years. I could barely keep up with everything happening around me. After “King Nothing” finished they switched to the second drum kit, this time to our left.

This was the point in the show that required some decision making based on our prior M72 World Tour experience. There were always four drum kits used throughout the show, each one placed about 90 degrees apart from the other and popped up in a counterclockwise direction. The band tended to stick to the drumkit, and we wanted to be as close to them as possible.

I was a bit reticent as to what to do. Should we stick to our spot close to the stage and wait for them to wander close to us? Or should we follow the drums? Susan told me that I needed to man-up and take the risk of losing our spot so we could follow the drums. I needed that bit of encouragement.

While “Shadows Follow” was playing, we walked through the crowd and found a spot near where we thought the drum kit would pop up. The crowd let us through because they were looking in the other direction towards James and Lars.

This turned out to be a fortuitous decision. We were standing right by the inside of the wall where the third drum kit popped out. The band ripped into the instrumental “Orion”, and we were right there to watch all four of them jam! We were so close that Lars’ drums overpowered the sound from the main PA system.

I don’t recall ever being this close to the whole band

The rest of the show was pure pleasure. We made the move to the fourth drum kit with four songs to go. The band blasted through “Battery”, “Fuel”, “Seek and Destroy”, and “Master of Puppets” to finish the night off. I was amazed and spent. This was one of the best Metallica experiences of my life.

Susan was right, we needed to get close to Lars!

July 13, 2024

I felt like I was still on a high from the amazing Metallica show from the previous night. The weather was beautiful, so I wanted to get out and play tourist for the day. Susan found a highly rated brunch spot called EatMyTrip so we stopped there for something to eat.

We went for a somewhat aimless walk to see what we could find. We wandered into the Real Basilica de San Francisco el Grande. As the name would imply, it was a big old church. It was almost a combination of an art museum and a church with hallways lined with old paintings.

Long, painting-lined hallway at the church

One of the many ornate paintings in the church

We concluded that we had seen enough ancient religious art for the trip, so we moved on. Susan read about the Museo de San Isidro, so we made that our next stop. It was a cool museum, and we learned a lot about the history of Madrid.

Apparently, Madrid is an archeologically significant city and fossils found there told the story of the evolution of many species, including humans. The museum had a timeline of Madrid’s history from the neanderthals to the beginnings of society, to the current day.

There were no “good old days” in Madrid. Throughout its history, there were bloody religious conflicts, invasions by rival empires, and civil wars. I was amazed that the city was still standing after reading all about it.

We then walked to the nearby Mercado del la Cebada; a two-floor space filled with an eclectic mix of shops. The produce looked so good that I bought myself an heirloom tomato to eat later. We sampled some tapas there, too.

After all of that exploring, it was time to find a rooftop bar for a few afternoon cocktails. Instagram randomly suggested that I visit El Cielo de Chicote at the top of Hotel Montera Madrid, so off we went.

The bar had a good vibe, great views, and even better drinks. We weren’t in many tall buildings in Madrid, it was neat to see what the city looks like from on high. We stayed for a few drinks before heading back to the hotel to get gussied up for the evening.

Susan wanted to see a traditional flamenco show while we were in Spain, so she got us tickets for the Saturday show at Teatro Flamenco Madrid. We arrived at the theater just as the show was about to start.

The performers were three dancers (two female, one male), a guitar player, and two male singers. The show was a unique combination of song, percussion, and dance. The three dancers worked in tandem, and each took a solo. They were all very athletic and very expressive. The singers kept the beat by clapping and stomping their feet. The guitar player was no James Hetfield, but he did a serviceable job.

This was quite the departure from Metallica the previous night, but I thought it was a great cultural experience. It felt like there was a lot of history behind the style of flamenco, and there was a lot of effort put into the show itself.

We capped off the day with dinner at ZARA and a few drinks at a nearby bar. It felt like we checked a lot of the tourist boxes off, and I slept like a rock when we called it a night.

July 14, 2024

Since I was not going to rent a Harley for this stop on the M72 World Tour, I decided we should do a bike tour of Madrid because that’s like the next best thing. Susan is an avid bicyclist, so she was a willing participant.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and the tour moved very quickly. I would be hard pressed to remember every detail of what he told us. He explained a lot about the history of the area that we had walked through during our stay.

We rode through En Retiro Park and my biggest takeaway was the statue of the archangel that was exactly 666 meters above sea level. What a perfect landmark to see during the day before we were going to see Metallica.

A statue of Satan exactly 666 meters above sea level

He took us through town, and we made a stop at the Royal Palace of Madrid where we stopped for a few pictures and a quick history lesson of the opulence of the Spanish Monarchy.

He took us through Plaza Mayor and told us that it was a black market used by merchants to dodge taxes until the king found out what was going on. They also used it for public executions which the locals found entertaining. Things were certainly different in those days.

The bike trip wrapped up and we needed something to eat so we wen to the Mercado de San Miguel. This place was very cool, it had an array of tapas selections. We sampled a bite at several tapas stands and that was good enough for lunch.

We went back to the hotel to relax a bit before it was time to head back to the stadium for our second Metallica concert from Snake Pit. We knew the metro lines to take this time so getting there was a breeze.

The walk into the Snake Pit was another surreal experience. I still could not believe I got so lucky when buying tickets. We started off in the same spot we were in at the previous show. Five Finger Death Punch took the stage. They are the most okay opening band Metallica used on the tour. They certainly were livelier than The Architects.

The crowd looked like it was a bit thinner than it was on Friday. I attributed that to the fact that Spain was scheduled to play England in the Euro Cup finals at the same time Metallica would take the stage. I guess Metallica’s management did not take that possibility into consideration when they planned the tour in 2022.

As usual, I was impatient for Metallica to come on and I could not stand still. AC/DC hit the speakers after what seemed like forever, and I was ready to go again. The band took the stage and Lars pounded on the drums for the unmistakable intro to “Whiplash”. The crowd went berserk, and James had all of us in the palm of his hand when he started singing. The band segued quickly into “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and kept the fierce energy in the stadium at fever pitch.

We decided to use the same strategy from Friday night. One song before the third drumkit was going to emerge, we found a spot near where it was going to pop up. Just like on Friday, we got right underneath the band for their instrumental number. This time it was “The Call of Ktulu”. We stayed until halfway through “Inamorata” and got as close to the fourth drumkit as we could get.

Right behind The Greatest Drummer of All Time

The best way to experience Metallica is from very close!

The finish was very strong with a deep cut of “Fight Fire With Fire” and dazzling pyrotechnics during “Moth Into Flame”.

The crowd randomly started cheering during “One”. I looked at my phone to see that Spain had just scored the go-ahead goal against England in stoppage time. They were going to win the Euro Cup.

Finally, the beach balls dropped from the lighting towers and the Metallica finished the night off with “Enter Sandman”.

It was tough for me to accept that it was over. I had these Snake Pit tickets for a year and a half. They were going to be my only shows on the M72 World Tour from within the stage, so I was looking forward to Madrid the most out of any cities I visited.

But we still had plenty of vacation ahead of us. We took the cramped Metro back to our hotel so we could get up early and catch our flight to Ibiza.

July 15, 2024

We had an early flight to Ibiza. We got to the hotel lobby and asked for a cab before the sun came up. People were still celebrating the Spanish Euro Cup win in the streets. I slept through the entire flight.

We checked into our hotel and Susan overheard an American couple say that they were there to see David Guetta perform that day. She looked it up and saw that he was playing at a club called Ushuaïa, and Afrojack was one of the opening acts. I figured that since I had brought her to seven Metallica concerts in the last year, the least I could do was let her pick our next line of entertainment. Suddenly, we had a plan for the evening.

Our hotel was right on the beach, and it had a pool with a nice view. After all the rushing around in Madrid, this was a nice change of pace.

After a relaxing poolside afternoon, we got dressed for the evening and went to Ushuaïa. The openers went on at five, so we arrived early to check out the club. It was a spread-out outdoor venue with a pool in the middle. We walked around a bit, bought some insanely expensive drinks, and found a spot in front of the guardrail in time to get a good view of Afrojack.

The crowd started to get thicker by the stage, so we dipped out towards the back to get some space. David Guetta hit the stage, so we decided to walk back to our original spot. It was much harder to get there this time now that the crowd was at capacity, so we had to utilize our Metallica Snake Pit skills to force our way to a good spot.

The venue is very close to the airport at Ibiza and planes buzzed the stage all night. The crowd would cheer for each one as if they were part of the show.

I’ll hand it to these DJ’s. They put on an elaborate show. Dance music is not my cup of tea, but they incorporated plenty of pyrotechnics, on-stage dancers, and even an aerialist suspended by helium balloons into the show.

David Guetta is somewhere behind all those flames

An aerialist suspended by helium balloons

This show was a big departure from Metallica the previous evening, but we still had a lot of fun. We had a few drinks and grabbed some fast food in the area and called it a night.

July 16, 2024

Once again, we were in search of relaxation in Ibiza, so we headed south to Experimental Beach. It was a restaurant on the beach outside of town. We grabbed a few day beds and ordered some cocktails. The view was nice, but the beach was full of rocks so getting in and out of the water was an ordeal.

Susan translated that sign for me: “Don’t fall ass-first down the cliff”

We stayed for lunch and through the afternoon before returning to the hotel to change for the evening. This time we went north for dinner at The Standard Ibiza. I spent a lot of time at The Standard High Line in Manhattan, so it was cool to visit one in another country.

The Standard is in a lively section of town near a port. There were a lot of restaurants, bars, and shops nearby. We walked through it before and after dinner.

The view from the top of The Standard Hotel

We had a big day planned for the next day so we decided against an all-night clubbing trip so we could get up and go hard the next morning.

July 17, 2024

We wanted to get on the water while we were in town, so we decided to rent jet skis and go on an hour-long tour. The rental company was a short walk from our hotel, and they took us out right away.

The first two times I rented a jet ski, I struggled to control them. I assumed either I was unlucky with faulty equipment, or that I had picked up some habits from the motorcycle that made it difficult for me to operate a jet ski.

Our guide was in a boat ahead of us. He instructed us to sail in a straight line and to follow him. He took off full throttle and we followed behind him. Much to my delight, I was able to control the jet ski this time and had no issues following him. I guess it wasn’t my fault the first two times.

The ride was wild, our guide never slowed down the whole time, and the waves were very choppy. I used my newly found confidence to keep pace. It was a fast and rough ride, and I really enjoyed it. If I wasn’t going to rent a Harley on this Metallica trip, a jet ski would have to do.

We walked along the beach and found a restaurant that had day beds for rent. We passed the time there on the beach, ordering cocktails, swimming in the sea, and keeping a close eye on the bag that our passports were in.

After a beautiful day on the Mediterranean Sea, we headed to dinner in the same neighborhood as The Standard. While we waited for our table, we bought tickets for Hï Ibiza. According to multiple sources, Hï Ibiza is the best club in the world.

Best dressed guy at the Best Club in the World

Hï opened at 11:30 and we arrived around that time to familiarize ourselves with the venue. There was one main room, and a few others with different DJ’s playing. We hung out in the smaller rooms at first, and then went into the main room to watch Fisher play at about 2 AM. The crowd at Hï packed the main room like a can of sardines. We barely made it inside, but we were fine standing towards the back.

Partying like we did in Ibiza was a very cool experience. Susan and I enjoy the nightlife near home in New York City and the Jersey Shore. The scene in Ibiza is next level. These people party all day and all night all over the city.

We had to call it at 4 AM and couldn’t stay until they closed at 6 AM, we had a flight to catch back to Madrid the next day.

July 18, 2024

On the flight back, Susan was seated next to some dude wearing a Red Sox jersey and a Yankees hat without a hint of irony. That was going to be my last impression of the Ibiza crowd.

We returned to Madrid completely exhausted. Susan had her mother fly in and the two of them were going to stay in Spain while I returned to New Jersey the next day.

We went to Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. This museum was much more modern than the rest we had seen in Madrid. Instead of ancient religious art, this museum had works by Picasso and Dali. My favorite was the Dali’s Face of the Great Masturbator.

Dali’s “Great Masturbator”. That’s what I call art.

When we were done at the Museum, we checked with a local tourism guide and realized that we had done eight of the top ten things to do in Madrid. All three of us were exhausted from our various travels so we settled in for one final meal in Madrid before turning in for the evening.

July 19, 2024

I headed back to the airport by myself for my flight back to New Jersey. I had plans for dinner at the Jersey Shore with friends that evening. When I was waiting on the passport control line, I saw an alert on my phone that all United flights globally were grounded. There was a problem with Windows computers all over the world because of an issue with Crowdstrike software. It caused my flight to have a four-hour delay taking off. I was going to miss dinner at the Jersey Shore!

I was completely spent at the end of this trip. Madrid was not a city I likely would have visited if it was not for Metallica. But I immersed myself in its culture, history, nightlife, and cuisine. I felt like I used every day to its fullest. Not only did I have one of the best Metallica experiences of my life from the Snake Pit (twice!) but Spain far exceeded my expectations. I am going to need to return in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, I had one more city to visit on the M72 World Tour. In two weeks, I was going to make the trip to Boston to see them in Foxborough, MA.

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
	8	7/12/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, Spain
	9	7/14/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, Spain
Upcoming	10	8/2/2024	Gilette Stadium	Foxborough, MA
Upcoming	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
35	7/12/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, ES	M72 World Tour
36	7/14/2024	Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano	Madrid, ES	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	5
Fuel	5
Harvester Of Sorrow	5
Lux Æterna	5
Nothing Else Matters	5
Orion	5
Sad But True	5
Seek and Destroy	5
72 Seasons	4
Battery	4
Enter Sandman	4
Fade To Black	4
For Whom The Bell Tolls	4
If Darkness Had A Son	4
King Nothing	4
Master of Puppets	4
Moth Into Flame	4
One	4
Ride The Lightning	4
Shadows Follow	4
The Call of Ktulu	4
The Day That Never Comes	4
Too Far Gone?	4
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	4
Wherever I May Roam	4
Holier Than Thou	3
The Unforgiven	3
Whiplash	3
Whiskey In The Jar	3
You Must Burn!	3
Blackened	2
Cyanide	2
Hardwired	2
The Memory Remains	2
Dirty Window	1
Fight Fire With Fire	1
I Disappear	1
Inamorata	1
Leper Messiah	1
No Leaf Clover	1
Screaming Suicide	1
Sleepwalk My Life Away	1
Until It Sleeps	1
Unique:	43
Total:	140

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Nothing Else Matters	30
Enter Sandman	29
One	29
Sad But True	29
Master of Puppets	28
Seek and Destroy	26
For Whom The Bell Tolls	23
Creeping Death	21
Fade To Black	19
Fuel	17
Wherever I May Roam	15
Battery	14
Blackened	13
Moth Into Flame	13
Ride The Lightning	12
The Unforgiven	12
Harvester Of Sorrow	11
The Day That Never Comes	11
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	11
Whiplash	11
The Memory Remains	10
Hardwired	9
Holier Than Thou	9
Cyanide	8
Fight Fire With Fire	7
King Nothing	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
The Call of Ktulu	7
Whiskey In The Jar	7
Atlas, Rise!	6
No Leaf Clover	6
Orion	6
The Four Horsemen	6
All Nightmare Long	5
Broken, Beat And Scarred	5
Halo On Fire	5
Lux Æterna	5
Of Wolf and Man	5
That Was Just Your Life	5
The End Of The Line	5
72 Seasons	4
Breadfan	4
Hit The Lights	4
If Darkness Had A Son	4
Last Caress	4
Shadows Follow	4
Too Far Gone?	4
I Disappear	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
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
Inamorata	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:	109
Total:	624

Filed Under: Metallica Tagged With: Ibiza, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, M72 World Tour, M72Madrid, Madrid, Metallica, Robert Trujillo, Spain, Travel

Static and Disarray

November 15, 2023 by njnonconformist 1 Comment

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.

Gotta go with the burrito when in Arizona

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.

Everything the guy said was nonsense, but the view could not be beat

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.

Definitely the best dressed people at the Grand Canyon that day

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.

This rental is not as cool as my bike back home, but it made for a good ride to the canyon

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.

The southwestern cuisine was a must on this trip

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.

Lars Ulrich, the greatest drummer of all time

My favorite part of the show is when Lars is playing in front of us and the band stands near him

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.

Left to right: The second greatest bass player of all time, me, and the greatest master distiller of all time.

Susan got to meet her favorite bass player, too!

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.

These ham-and-eggers should have gotten out of bed earlier, there was no way they were gonna get to meet Robert Trujillo

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!

Gussied up for the UTV off roading tour, we were smiling but you can’t tell

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

Filed Under: Metallica, Riding Tagged With: 72 Seasons, Arizona, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, M72 World Tour, Metallica, Phoenix, Robert Trujillo, Scottsdale, Travel

Permanently Midnight

September 1, 2023 by njnonconformist 1 Comment

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.

Canada’s Greatest Metallica Fan along with myself

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.

Robert Trujillo and James Hetfield perform “The Day That Never Comes”

Lars Ulrich plays while his drum tech deflects gigantic Metallica beach balls

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.

Random statue in Montreal. I think it is Martin Brodeur making a kick save.

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.

The entire band playing right in front of me

Monday

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

Happy to be back on this side of the border

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

Filed Under: Metallica, Riding Tagged With: Canada, M72 World Tour, Metallica, Montreal, Travel

Feed The Appetite

June 9, 2023 by njnonconformist 1 Comment

A diary of my trip to France to see Metallica’s M72 World Tour in May 2023

May 15, 2023

Since this is 2023 and we were flying United, our scheduled 6:30 PM departure turned out to be a 12:15 AM departure out of Newark Liberty Airport. Our original flight was cancelled, and the replacement flight was delayed numerous times. I guess this type of fun is what I was missing all the years I spent not flying to Europe.

May 16, 2023

We landed about six and a half hours later than originally planned. Susan arranged for a pickup at the airport and notified the dispatcher about the cancelled flight and the delayed replacement flight before we took off. We landed and she got a note saying that they cancelled the ride because we didn’t show up. So, we stood in the “ham and egger” taxi line and hopped a cab to the hotel. The first thing I noticed about Paris is that they sure do love their graffiti. It’s everywhere, on the walls along the highway, on the box trucks, and on street signs.

We rolled up to the hotel in Montmartre and our room was not ready, so we headed into town. First off, I needed to kill my jet lag, so I started off with my trusty cure.

My handy jet lag cure, slam a 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength and chase it with a tall Red Bull

We wandered into Cimetière de Montmartre. The second thing I noticed about Paris is that they like their mausoleums.

After checking into the hotel, we set off for dinner at Le Dôme on the Metro. The stations in the Metro do not smell nearly as bad as the stations in the New York City subway. I ordered the monkfish and the third thing I noticed about Paris, and this was not a surprise at all, is that the food is awesome.

We walked from the restaurant towards Notre Dame through Jardin Du Luxembourg. It reminded me of a smaller version of Central Park. Notre Dame is still being rehabilitated from damage from a devastating 2019 fire so we could not get very close but could see where the fire had badly damaged the structure.

As close as you can get to Notre Dame while it is being restored

Across the street, we stopped at La Crème de Paris for dessert. I grabbed a honey crepe and officially ate too much on my first day in Paris.

At about this point, bone-crushing jet lag set in, so we headed back to the hotel in an Uber. I needed to be at the top of my game for Wednesday, the night of the first Metallica concert!

May 17, 2023

I woke up ready to rock for the most important day of the year so far, my first Metallica concert since August 2022!

Our hotel gave us a walking tour guide of the surrounding area of Montmartre. One of the stops was a restaurant called Hardware Society, so we stopped there for breakfast.

My French isn’t very good, but I think I understood the sign at Hardware Society

After breakfast, we took a short walk to Sacre Coeur and the Montmartre overlook. This was my first view of what Paris looked like, sprawling and full of buildings that were only a few stories high. I was not expecting the terrain to be so hilly.

We walked to the Metallica pop up store at Crémerie de Paris. I wanted to beat the lines at the concert by buying my t-shirts there, but there turned out to be a long line to get in anyway.

Along the walk to the Metallica pop up store, I was taken aback by how many cafes and restaurants there are in Paris. I wondered at first how they all stayed in business, but throughout the trip noticed how full and bustling they all seemed to be.

With our Metallica merchandise in hand, we took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. Our tickets included a glass of Moet at the top floor.

The Tower offered an even grander view of Paris than the Montmartre overlook. The streets are laid out in a chaotic and maze-like fashion, and the sprawl is even more evident than my first vantage point.

On the way out, we walked down the stairs from the “2^nd floor”. I found out the hard way that the 2^nd floor is much higher than two stories, and it was a dizzying descent down a long spiral staircase.

We went back to the hotel for a quick power nap and to get gussied up for Metallica! We grabbed a quick dinner nearby at La Sancerre. It was my first time eating French Onion Soup in France!

We used Google maps to plot a course to the show at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. It told us to take the Metro to a bus stop to connect there to a bus that went to the stadium. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Our bus did not show and there appeared to be angry commuters walking away in disgust. There was a lot of construction and traffic in the area, and we were confused about what to do. None of the buses that came were the bus we wanted, and the clock was ticking, we had to get there!

Walking didn’t seem to be a good idea; it would take about 45 minutes, which we didn’t have. We tried an Uber, but it looked like it drove past us and was stuck in traffic and wouldn’t arrive for 20 minutes. We tried hailing several taxis to no avail (we couldn’t figure out their red light/green light/no light system) until one finally waived us in, apparently somewhat begrudgingly. I expected to get stuck in traffic as we approached the stadium, but it took about five minutes for him to drop us off right outside. Crisis averted; we were there on time.

This was my first time in a stadium outside of the US. I read that it previously had hosted international events including World Cup Soccer. But it looked to be very bare bones to me, missing a lot of the amenities that standard NFL stadiums have. The lettering and numbering convention for their seating sections was confusing. I stopped to ask an usher where our seats were. He looked at my ticket and shrugged his shoulders and told us he did not know. It turned out we were only one section over from where he was stationed.

Our seats were in the lower bowl in the 16^th row. I normally like getting general admission tickets for Metallica so I can get close, but I had a Ticketmaster snafu and accidentally bought seated tickets. This tour is the first time that Metallica featured a stage in the round in a stadium, normally that practice is reserved for arenas. There were six lighting and sound towers that surround the stage and one of them partially obstructed our view, but not to the point that we would miss any substantial part of the show.

We sat down 20 minutes before the show. The anticipation was building despite the continued sunshine. At this time of year, sunset in Paris is well after the normal start time for Metallica at around 8:45 PM. With all the exhaustion from the travel to Paris, and the transit debacle getting to the stadium, I barely had time for it to sink in that I was about to live a life-long dream to see Metallica in Paris! It hit me like a ton of bricks when the loudspeaker blared AC/DC’s “Long Way to The Top”, the traditional cue that a Metallica concert is about to start. We were minutes away and I thought my head was going to explode!

At the commencement of the recorded music to cue the show, Metallica took the stage to a thunderous reception from the crowd. They tore into “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. James Hetfield started jumping up and down to fire up the crowd and the audience sang every word.

Fifteen songs followed, and they were a mix of classics, rare cuts, and new songs from their recently released album “72 Seasons”. I was excited to hear “I Disappear” for the first time in years. It was the first time I got to see any of the new songs performed live. “Lux Æterna” was an instant heavy metal anthem. I enjoyed the three songs they played from their greatest album of all, the eponymously named “Metallica”. “Holier Than Thou” always fires me up. The band took delight in playing the instrumental “Orion”, their excitement was evidenced in their body language.

The centered stage let Metallica connect with the crowd in a way that they couldn’t do from their normal end stage setup at stadiums. James, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo circled the stage throughout the show. Lars Ulrich’s drum kit was relocated to different sections of the stage throughout the show and rotated in each spot, so the audience had many different vantage points for his playing. The band played to all sections of the stadium, including fans in the Snake Pit in the center of the doughnut-shaped stage.

The frenzied set concluded with “Master of Puppets”, which is critically accepted as one of the most important heavy metal songs in the history of the genre. Fireworks were displayed on the big screens on top of the lighting towers. I thought that was odd, I’m used to actual fireworks at Metallica shows, I wonder if they just didn’t have a pyrotechnic permit for the show in Paris.

Our view of the whole stage and the lighting towers, such a cool setup

Usually, the end of a Metallica show is bitter-sweet because it is over, but this one was different. Due to the nature of the M72 World Tour, they were going to play a second show in less than 48 hours with a completely different set list. I was able to leave happy both from satisfaction from the show I had just seen and anticipation for the second one.

We followed the crowd to a train station that was fifteen-minute walk away from the stadium. I guess city planners didn’t think it was important to build a stadium near a train station. We made our way back to Pigalle for a nightcap. This section of Paris was especially lively for a Wednesday night. A few glasses of wine later, we walked back to our hotel completely exhausted.

May 18, 2023

The day started with a breakfast of pain au chocolate from a local bakery. That was one of my objectives, to have pain au chocolate as much as I could in France. Our first destination was the Musée du Louvre. The Louvre started off as a palace for kings outside of the busy section of the city, so it is obscenely large. So large in fact, that it is hard to make sense of some parts of the visitor map. We managed to figure out the route to the Mona Lisa, observing the art collection along the way.

A lot of the art in the Louvre was stolen from French conquests, but in recent years was purchased or collected from donations. It gave me an appreciation for their history and dedication to the arts. I’m not an art critic by any means, but it was interesting to see the conflation of pieces inspired by mythologies, Catholic teachings, and important historical figures.

Probably some French king who was a dick to his subjects

Next up was a wine tasting at Les Caves Du Louvre. It used to be the wine cellar for the Louvre. Some of the cellar tunnels were cut off for construction of the Metro. It was privately bought and turned into a wine shop that hosts tours. The ceilings were very low, even for someone of my stature.

Good thing I’m really short or I would have banged my head in here

We walked along the Seine and back to our hotel, about an hour away. The endless cafes were jammed, and people were out and about on a late spring day.

After a quick stop at the hotel, we went to dinner at La Boîte Aux Lettres. I grabbed a steak with smashed potatoes and cheese, it was fantastic. Susan rolled with a piece of fish and gave her meal high marks, too.

They do both the surf and turf very well in Paris

After dinner we went to see Moulin Rouge. We were prohibited from taking pictures of the show (probably because of the gratuitous nudity) which is too bad because it was quite an interesting experience. I’ve only been to a few Broadway musicals in my lifetime and sat there in agony throughout most of them. But I really enjoyed the Moulin Rouge cabaret, and it wasn’t just because of the nudity. It was an impressive production and featured some incredibly athletic performances and a fascinating contortionist. Maybe being in a different language helped, too. I couldn’t complain about the lyrics since I didn’t understand them.

Overall, visiting the Louvre Museum and the Moulin Rouge was quite a contrast to the previous day’s Metallica-centric activities.

May 19, 2023

I woke up ready to rock for the most important day of the year so far, my first Metallica concert since Wednesday!

We started the day with breakfast at the Breizh Café with both savory and sweet crepes. Why not have your first dessert of the day at breakfast?

Next up, we took the Metro to Le Catacombs for a tour. This was a wild experience, like nothing I had seen before.

The catacombs were originally a limestone mine underneath the entire city of Paris. Somehow their collective society forgot about the tunnels it left behind as they began to build throughout the city. The tunnels were structurally unsound so houses or even entire streets would sink into the ground. The catastrophe made its way to the king who did nothing at first but finally asked an architect to check out what was happening. They were startled to find the massive tunnels and set about stabilizing them to prevent further damage to the city.

Years later, cemeteries and hospitals were overflowing with carcasses from massive waves of death from diseases like the plague and syphilis. The reigning king ordered the bodies to be dumped in the mine tunnels, thus turning them into catacombs. Millions of bodies were disposed of in the catacombs in the following years, many of them in aesthetically pleasing patterns of femurs and skulls, with the rest of the bones piled up behind them.

The tour allowed us to walk among the bones throughout a small section of the tunnels. There were an unimaginable number of them throughout our walk. I found it to be paradoxically eerie and humorous. I took a lot of pictures.

I think that translates to “Attention: lotsa dead people ahead”

Luckily, I was dressed to match the skulls

I need to decorate my living room like this

This was a great way to prepare for a heavy metal concert: with skulls, bones, disease, despair, and death!

After the tour we stopped at La Mabillon for a drink, and I got a Tiki Toi. The name reminded me of one of my favorite drinks at the Jersey Shore, the Tiki Tea. This one was very different.

I stopped for a quick dinner at Le Nazir and ordered the burger with fries. I forgot they serve fries with mayonnaise in France.

The burgers in Paris beat the ones at my local Wendy’s

We changed our plan of attack to get to the stadium, reversing the route we took to get back from the Wednesday show on the Metro. That worked out well to get us there, but the biggest annoyance of our trip stuck upon our arrival at the station. On our way towards the exit, we were stopped by security who asked to see our tickets. We were told we then had to talk to someone who appeared to be some sort of transit officer. She told us we bought the wrong priced tickets and had to pay a EUR 30 fine on the spot! My first inclination was to start screaming and cursing at her, but instincts kicked in right away. I didn’t want to spend the night in a French prison instead of watching Metallica. Incredulously, I paid the fine with my credit card and we headed towards the stadium.

For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why our ticket at that price let us get through the turnstiles the previous night. Later, I checked into it, and we were exactly 1 EUR short on each ticket. I would have gladly paid the extra Euro had I known. Anyway, we chalked it up to France needing a way to keep government employees employed.

This time we had more time before the show to check out the stadium. Susan hadn’t had a chance to get dinner with me, so she tried to get a sandwich at the only concession stand anywhere near us. They said they were out of sandwiches, so she had to eat stale popcorn for dinner. They had only one beer to choose from, Heineken. What kind of stadium only serves one kind of beer? Especially something as awful as Heineken?

The bathrooms were woefully inadequate, they were far from the stands and undersized. They had no hand driers or paper towels, everyone just either didn’t wash their hands or walked out with them soaking wet.

Stade de France totally sucks. I don’t recommend attending an event there just to say you did. Only go for something important like Metallica.

None of that was going to deter me from having a blast. The standard canned audio to start the show hit the speakers and the crowd heated up. It looked like there were more people there, maybe because the show was on a Friday.

Metallica hit the stage and started with my favorite Metallica song, “Creeping Death!”. I was in absolute heaven, screaming along with the “Die! Die! Die!” chant coming from the frenzied crowd.

Just like on Wednesday, Metallica played a total of sixteen career-spanning songs, each one of which was an absolute delight. I really enjoyed seeing “If Darkness Had a Son” for the first time, the “temptation” chant it incurs from the crowd is intense. They played another instrumental, “The Call of Ktulu” from their second album. The set finished with blistering renditions of “One” and “Enter Sandman”.

These two concerts made the entire trip worth it. The members of Metallica have more money than they will ever need, and they are in their early sixties, around the age when many people start to think about retirement, especially those who are ultra-wealthy. But Metallica is soldering on, making new music and playing huge stadiums around the world. They have slowed down their touring pace considerably (this entire tour is only 25 shows over the course of two years), but they attack the shows with the same intensity they had when they started the band in the early eighties.

James told the crowd on both nights that they consider playing in front of crowds to be their purpose. The joy and excitement they play with cannot be faked; they clearly take pride in performing at the highest level of their lives.

Stade de France, the worst stadium you can possibly imagine

Almost time for the second Metallica concert in three nights

Metallica looks so heroic and triumphant

This time the end of the show was indeed bittersweet. I was thoroughly satisfied with both unique sets and happy that I was able to live a dream of seeing Metallica play in France. But I was bummed that the Metallica part of the trip was over, and I must wait until August to see them again in East Rutherford.

We bought the properly priced tickets for the Metro and headed back to Pigalle for a few drinks and a late-night snack before calling it a night.

May 20, 2023

We didn’t have much of an agenda for Saturday, so we started with breakfast at Marcel. We took the Metro to the Seine River for a riverboat tour hosted by Bateau Mouches. The narration was hard to follow because it was in about six different languages, and I kept zoning out before they got to the English portions. But it was a lot of fun and the views of the city from the boat were cool.

That’s an impressive thingy on that bridge

After the tour was over, we walked to Champs-Élysées. Other than the monuments at each end of the street, there didn’t seem to be much uniquely French to the area. It was a shopping destination full of global brands that I can shop at home. I have a Foot Locker at my local mall, I didn’t feel the need to stop into theirs.

We took the Metro back to the hotel, and I ran down the hill to get a bite to eat. I heard a commotion and there was a protest headed my way. Prior to the trip, I had seen in the news that there were protests in French cities regarding a proposal from the government to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. I couldn’t quite tell, but I think that was what the protest I saw was about.

Unlike the news clips I had seen at home, this one wasn’t dangerous looking. There were some senior citizens with makeshift drums and a megaphone singing a song. They were surrounded by dozens of cops in riot gear. The police presence seemed excessive, but I guess it was best they over prepared.

Good thing they sent in the SWAT Team, that guy with the megaphone looked dangerous

After avoiding catastrophic injuries due to the “riots” we ditched that part of town and went to Rue Montorgueil for the night. Rue Montorgueil is another Parisian walking street with lots of open restaurants and bars with outdoor seating. We settled on Le Compas on for dinner. I went with the pasta and Susan ordered tuna and it was another fantastic meal.

Another cool dinner at an outdoor bistro

We stayed in the area and bar hopped for the rest of the night. Let’s just say that the locals sure know how to live it up.

May 21, 2023

Sunday was our day to plan to leave Paris to visit the Champagne region of France. Originally, we were going to rent a motorcycle and head out this way, but logistics got in the way of easily making this happen, so we took the high-speed train there. The trains connecting the cities in France are insanely fast, I can’t think of a form of land transportation I have used in the states that moved this quickly. It only took about 45 minutes to make it to Reims.

We walked into town from the train station and this city has a much different vibe than Paris. I’m not sure if it was because we were there on a Sunday or because that’s how it always is, but compared to Paris, it was not very lively at all. There is a large pedestrian walkway in the center of town, and a big park nearby, but not many people were out and about, and we couldn’t find much to do.

We found another Notre Dame cathedral, like the rest of their cathedrals, it was insanely ornate and huge.

This is a different Notre Dame than the one in Paris!

After checking into our hotel, we walked to GH Mumm for our scheduled activity for the day, a tour of their historic champagne making facilities. Mumm has a history of using sophisticated techniques for harvesting and pressing grapes. We learned how sediment is removed from champagne in a process called riddling.

The underground tunnel system for their cellars is incredibly long. I think our tour guide used the number of four kilometers in total. Susan noted how much of our trip was spent underground considering the Louvre wine cellars, the catacombs, the Metro, and now the GH Mumm cellars.

Mumm seems to be especially proud of the research and development they’ve done on the first champagne that can be enjoyed in space. They are waiting for approval from the French Space Agency to start including their bottles on space flights.

GH Mumm: turning space stations into nightclubs one bottle at a time

Following the tour, we grabbed a simple dinner at one of the only restaurants that was open. I’d say that the Mumm tour was very cool, but other than that, there’s not much to see in Reims as a tourist.

May 22, 2023

We woke up and got back on the train to Paris and checked into a new hotel. Today was supposed to be the full day we would have been on the Harley, but since that didn’t work out, we winged a new plan. A lot of tourist attractions in Paris are closed on Mondays so we settled on the modern art museum Centre Pompidou.

We started upstairs at Restaurant Georges for lunch, and I ordered the croque monsieur.

The view from the rooftop outside the restaurant was cool.

We walked through most of the galleries to check out the current exhibits. The most interesting one to me was the Norman Foster exhibit, he is a world-renowned architect with a portfolio spanning 50 years.

The art on display there was expectedly different from what was on display at the Louvre. The contrast in modern art to the classical pieces is very pronounced. It was certainly less centered around mythology and religion. But it is all representative of Paris’ continued dedication to the arts.

Dinner that night was at L’Aller Retour. I ordered steak frites with mashed carrots. I sure had a lot of beef on this trip.

I came to Paris for Metallica. And the Steak frites.

May 23, 2023

This was the third biggest day of the trip, behind only the two Metallica days. Part of my original dream to see Metallica in Paris included renting a Harley and riding it around wine country. Tuesday was the day to seal the deal.

After I failed to locate a suitable bike using my paid Harley Owners Group membership, Susan managed to easily find one by contacting ATS Harley-Davidson Paris Bastille. I’m not sure why HOG didn’t make it that simple for me, but I’m glad she just googled it and figured it out.

We reserved a Road King for 9 AM for when they opened. We woke up and headed straight there to maximize the time on the road. They had the bike waiting for us outside the dealership. After signing off all the paperwork, we got on the bike and headed off. We had until 7 PM that day to get the bike back.

Brand new 2023 Harley-Davidson Rode Glide that was mine for the day

My normal bike that I’ve owned since 2007 is a Fat Boy. Harley has changed a lot of things since then, and the Road King is a bigger bike than my Fat Boy. It has a hydraulic clutch, a windshield, a bigger engine, and a six-speed transmission (mine is a five-speed). Additionally, my bike has a mount on the handlebars to use my phone as a GPS, but the Road King didn’t have the mount, so I was riding blind in a strange land. Even worse is that everything is in kilometers, there is a toll system I don’t understand, and all the road signs are in French.

All told, this added a great degree of difficulty for me. But with Susan’s help navigating from the back seat, and my exceptional riding talent and experience, we made it work. We rode through the craziness of the Paris city traffic and made it to the A4 highway.

The further we got from the city, the less traffic there was, and the scenery got better and better. We exited the A4 in the Champagne region and found signs for a Champagne trail through a series of vineyards. We made our way into Epernay and stopped for lunch. We walked to the Moet headquarters to take a few pictures and got back on the bike.

We improvised a route from there, heading north and west through Parc naturel régional de la Montagne de Reims. There were vineyards everywhere and the scenery was stunning.

From there, we wandered west and south, improvising a route through small towns and farmlands. We passed a lot of old homes and champagne houses. There were signs for WWII memorials, and even a sign for a US Memorial Day celebration. We kept this up until it was time to get back on the A4 to get the bike back to Paris by 7 PM.

The ride was exactly how I imagined it and I was impressed that we were able to improvise a ride without a GPS in a foreign land. It was the culmination of a dream come true vacation.

We timed it perfectly, getting the bike back to the dealer with about 25 minutes to spare. They checked it over, decided I didn’t do any damage to it and refunded my EUR 2,500 security deposit!

I noticed that the dealership windows were smashed with a blunt object. I asked about it and was told that the protestors had targeted them for some reason.

A very friendly and helpful Harley dealer, attacked by protestors

We went back to the hotel to get dressed for one last dinner. We went back to Rue Montorgueil for a late reservation at L’Escargot. Of course, we ordered the snails!

My last dinner in Paris was duck confit, and it was so good.

That was it for France, we woke up early the next morning, went straight to the airport and had an uneventful flight back home to New Jersey. I spent the time on the flight reflecting on this trip and writing most of this blog.

I got everything I wanted out of this trip and then some. I got to see the greatest band of all time play two concerts, I got to ride a Harley around wine country, and I got to explore a city I had never been to before. On top of that, I gained a new perspective about traveling to places outside the US. I think I need to keep this up. Most of all, I am grateful for Metallica, I probably would never have done a trip like this if it wasn’t for them.

Next up for me on the M72 Tour is the lone home game: East Rutherford in August.

My M27 World Tour itinerary

	Show #	Date	Venue	City
Complete	1	5/17/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Denis, France
Complete	2	5/19/2023	Stade de France	Saint-Denis, France
Upcoming	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 #	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

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	1
Battery	1
Blackened	1
Creeping Death	1
Cyanide	1
Enter Sandman	1
Fade To Black	1
For Whom The Bell Tolls	1
Fuel	1
Harverster Of Sorrow	1
Holier Than Thou	1
I Disappear	1
If Darkness Had A Son	1
King Nothing	1
Lux Æterna	1
Master of Puppets	1
Moth Into Flame	1
Nothing Else Matters	1
One	1
Orion	1
Ride The Lightning	1
Sad But True	1
Screaming Suicide	1
Seek and Destroy	1
Sleepwalk My Life Away	1
The Call Of Ktulu	1
The Day That Never Comes	1
The Unforgiven	1
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	1
Wherever I May Roam	1
Whiskey In The Jar	1
You Must Burn!	1
Total:	32
Unique:	32

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

Song	Times Seen
Enter Sandman	26
Nothing Else Matters	26
One	26
Master of Puppets	25
Sad But True	25
Seek and Destroy	22
For Whom the Bell Tolls	20
Creeping Death	17
Fade to Black	16
Fuel	13
Blackened	12
Wherever I May Roam	12
Battery	11
Moth Into Flame	10
The Unforgiven	10
Ride The Lightning	9
The Day That Never Comes	8
The Memory Remains	8
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)	8
Whiplash	8
Cyanide	7
Hardwired	7
Holier Than Thou	7
Now That We’re Dead	7
Atlas, Rise!	6
Fight Fire With Fire	6
Harvester of Sorrow	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
Whiskey In The Jar	5
Breadfan	4
Hit The Lights	4
King Nothing	4
Last Caress	4
The Call of Ktulu	4
I Disappear	3
St. Anger	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
Last Caress/Green Hell	2
Motorbreath	2
My Friend Of Misery	2
Orion	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
72 Seasons	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
Harverster Of Sorrow	1
Hell And Back	1
Helpless	1
Hero of the Day	1
If Darkness Had A Son	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
Lux Æterna	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
You Must Burn!	1
Total	516
Unique	106

Filed Under: Metallica, Riding Tagged With: 72 Seasons, France, Harley Davidson, M72Paris, M72WorldTour, Metallica, Paris, Travel

On I Run, Still My Shadows Follow

May 11, 2023 by njnonconformist Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Metallica Tagged With: 72 Seasons, France, James Hetfield, M72 World Tour, Metallica, Paris, Travel

June 13, 2025

June 14, 2025

My M72 Would Tour Itinerary

My lifetime Metallica concert history

Metallica songs I have seen performed on the M72 World Tour

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

May 23, 2025

May 24, 2025

May 25, 2025

August 1, 2024

August 2, 2024

August 3, 2024

August 4, 2024

August 5, 2024

Epilogue

July 11, 2024

July 12, 2024

July 13, 2024

July 14, 2024

July 15, 2024

July 16, 2024

July 17, 2024

July 18, 2024

July 19, 2024

My M72 World Tour itinerary

My lifetime Metallica concert history

Metallica songs I have seen performed on the M72 World Tour

All Metallica songs I have seen performed live

WrestleMania 42