The North American leg of the M72 World Tour was launched by Metallica on Friday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, accompanied by Pantera and Mammoth WVH.
During their opening slot, Mammoth WVH showcased a plethora of new material, drawing from their sophomore album “Mammoth II,” which was just released under the leadership of Wolfgang Van Halen. Following them, Pantera, who reunited last December, took the stage, delivering a powerful performance featuring 11 songs spanning their discography.
The evening’s headliners were none other than Metallica, who graced the stage around 9 p.m. Their 16-song set included the live debut of “Shadows Follow” from their album “72 Seasons.” (The band has so far performed seven out of the twelve songs from the album in their concerts.)
Frontman James Hetfield expressed his gratitude to the crowd [via Billboard], stating, “We are so grateful to be up there kicking ass and celebrating life with you.” He also thanked the audience for remembering his recent 60th birthday on August 3, adding, “My seventh decade on the planet… I can’t believe it. Younger me would be saying, ‘You made it. You effing made it.'”
Hetfield had previously detailed the concept behind “72 Seasons” in an official statement, explaining, “Seventy-two seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”
The M72 World Tour is set to continue on Sunday at the same venue, with support from Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills. Metallica is incorporating a “No Repeat Weekend” approach in each city, ensuring that they perform entirely different sets on each night. The tour is slated to traverse North America until November before resuming in Europe next May.
Mammoth WVH, 8/4/23, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- “Mammoth”
- “Mr. Ed”
- “Like a Pastime”
- “I’m Alright”
- “You’re to Blame”
- “Another Celebration at the End of the World”
- “Don’t Back Down”
Pantera, 8/4/23, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- “A New Level”
- “Mouth for War”
- “Strength Beyond Strength”
- “Becoming”
- “I’m Broken”
- “5 Minutes Alone”
- “This Love”
- “Fucking Hostile”
- “Walk”
- “Domination” / “Hollow”
- “Cowboys From Hell”
Metallica, 8/4/23, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- “Creeping Death”
- “Harvester of Sorrow”
- “Holier Than Thou”
- “King Nothing”
- “72 Seasons”
- “If Darkness Had a Son”
- “Fade to Black”
- “Shadows Follow” (Live debut)
- “Orion”
- “Nothing Else Matters”
- “Sad but True”
- “The Day That Never Comes”
- “Battery”
- “Fuel”
- “Seek & Destroy”
- “Master of Puppets”
