Metallica returned to the States on Friday, August 4, for the North American leg of their 72 Seasons tour. They also performed on Sunday August 6 (although I was not able to attend the second show). They kicked off this leg at MetLifeStadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Lars Ulrich claimed onstage that this show, with an audience of around 82,000, was the biggest Metallica concert on the East Coast.

Big, it was. Before Metallica even hit the stage, Mammoth WVH and Pantera performed an hour-long set each, hyping the crowd up for the opening act. The usual concert smell of alcohol and weed permeated the air, and an army of band shirt-clad fans seized the stadium to show their appreciation of and love for the band. Everyone from diehard fans from the early 80s, younger fans that were introduced to “Master of Puppets” through Stranger Things, and even people that looked old enough to be the band members’ parents.

The weather was cause for some anxiety, as forecasts called for rain and thunder. Luckily, there was only a brief drizzle during Metallica’s set. Although, there was a flash of lightning at one point, and all four of the band members’ heads glanced up with worry. Even if something happened, they would’ve been ready to ride the lightning.

Rather than section off some seats and build a stage that everyone faces, the 72 Seasons tour is performed in the round, giving fans on all sides of the stadium to get a view of the band. Granted, most just resorted to looking at LED monitors, since the band still looked like ants, but it gave a select number of fans in the middle of the stage, dubbed the ‘Snake Pit’ a chance to be noticed. Maybe a quick hi-five or being pointed at during a one-handed guitar solo.

The night’s setlist was a healthy mix of tracks from early 80s classics to more modern favorites. “Creeping Death” opened their set, and “Master of Puppets” ended the two-hour heavy metal mania. In between, we got to hear “Orion,” an instrumental track rarely played live; “Nothing Else Matters,” from their 1991 self-titled album; “Fuel,” accompanied by fire shooting up from the stage; as well as the live debut of “Shadows Follow” from the latest album, 72 Seasons. “Fade to Black” was performed, beginning with an introduction from James Hetfield reflecting on fame and his origins as a 20-year-old who would steal cassettes from record shops, who had turned 60 the day prior.

For “Nothing Else Matters,” one of metal’s favorite power ballads, Kirk Hammett didn’t make it past the opening chords before declaring, “Ok, this is the first show… If this intro isn’t good enough for myself, it’s not good enough for you.” He had messed up the opening, an occurrence that some Metallica fans rolled their eyes at.

“Just let James do it!” Shouted the salt-and-pepper-haired fan sitting to my left before letting me know that Hamett has a shaky history with playing those chords live.

Despite that brief goof, I can appreciate that Hammett admitted that he messed up, apologized, and laughed it off.

This latest tour has been billed as a “No Repeat Weekend,” meaning that within the two shows per city (one on a Friday and the other on a Sunday), the setlists will not match, meaning that it’s a roll of the dice if your favorite song gets played. If not on a Friday night show, then it will likely be played until the second show, or not at all in your city.

In a way, this may frustrate fans, as I was hoping to hear “For Whom the Bell Tolls” myself, but the fun in this kind of concert is not knowing what you’re going to hear. Most times, setlists can be predictable, since artists know what we as fans want to hear, and Metallica is trying to strike the balance between fan service and giving other songs a chance to be played.

The only real downside to the show was having Robert Trujillo’s bass guitar buried in the sound mixing. They audience could hear him more as the show went on, but for the first half hour, I thought he may have been miming.

However, where he was given his moment was during a jam between him and Hammett. The pair announced that backstage, they had improvised a little and created a jam, titled “Rose Avenue.” This jam was exclusive to Friday’s show, but that jams would be created for future shows, all just for them! Another positive towards this tour trying something different with its setlist, some would say. For a band as long-running as Metallica, it’s good to see them shaking things up.

Metallica’s 72 Seasons tour will continue throughout the United States until mid-November, then take a few months off before returning in Europe in Spring 2024, and they will finally return next summer at Fenway Park.