Metallica began the North American leg of its M72 tour last night (Aug. 4) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with a 16-song set led by three songs each from the new 72 Seasons, Master of Puppets, and the self-titled Black Album. Among them was the live debut of 72 Seasons‘ “Shadows Follow.”
The long-running metal quartet is not repeating songs over the course of two-night stands in each city on this portion of the tour, which features alternating support from the reunited Pantera and Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH as well as Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills.
One amusing moment came when Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett messed up the intro to “Nothing Else Matters,” after which the song was restarted. The set concluded with a pyrotechnics display during “Fuel” and vintage favorites “Seek & Destroy” and “Master of Puppets.”
Released in April, 72 Seasons debuted at the top of the Billboard Rock and Hard Rock tallies as well as No. 2 on the Billboard 200. While on the road, Metallica is hosting fan-focused events such as film festivals, pop-up merch stores, book signings with veteran rock photographer Ross Halfin, and volunteer opportunities sponsored by the band’s All Within My Hands foundation.
