METALLICA tour coordinator Jon-Michael Marino took WDBJ, a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, behind the scenes of the band’s May 7 concert at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium as part of the “M72” world tour.
According to the report, which can be seen below, METALLICA‘s touring crew includes 350 crewmembers, not counting ticket tackers, concession crews or security. The circular stage consists of eight towers with 588 total speakers, miles’ worth of fiber optic cable, 192 audio inputs and 72 cameras around the stadium.
Jon-Michael Marino said that there are four drum kits on the stage with two backups in the truck. There are 64 guitars and bass that go on the road, and 36 of them need to be show-ready (12 per band member). There are 6,000 guitar picks used or given out per concert and only 25 drumsticks are used or given away per performance.
Asked why so many guitars need to be ready for each show, Marino previously said: “Across, let’s call it 15-16 songs, there’s various tuning. There’s also things that happen naturally like strings breaking, guitars going out of tune that have to be swapped in the moment.”
METALLICA‘s performance of the song “Enter Sandman” — the Virginia Tech Hokies football team’s entrance song since 2000 — on the Hokies home field brought a seismic shift to the stadium. According to the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory, the jumping up and down of the 60,000 fans in attendance set off the Richter scale.
In support of METALLICA‘s latest album, “72 Seasons”, the band has been playing two-night, no-repeat shows in each city — first in Europe, then in North America, back in Europe, and now once again in North America — as part of the “M72” tour. Each concert sees METALLICA performing on a massive ring-shaped stage, with the Snake Pit in the center, and four drum sets which are equally spaced out around the circular stage so drummer Lars Ulrich can get closer to the audience at various points in the show.
METALLICA‘s manager Cliff Burnstein told Billboard that between 80% and 90% of fans at each concert attend both shows.
Since opening April 2023 in Amsterdam, “M72” has seen METALLICA play to some three million fans. Variously hailed as “an altogether life-affirming experience” (Billboard),”impossible to leave unsatisfied” (Austin Chronicle),”a stone-cold stunner of a show” (Detroit News),”the mother of all summer concerts” (Worcester Telegram Gazette) and “as tight and furious as METALLICA has sounded in ages” (Los Angeles Times),“M72” continues to amaze fans and critics alike. The tour concluded its triumphant 2024 run with four nights at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros, where METALLICA played to more than 250,000 fans over the course of two No Repeat Weekends.
The “M72” world tour’s 2025 itinerary continues the hallowed No Repeat Weekend tradition, with each night of the two-show stands featuring entirely different setlists and support lineups. These include the band’s first Nashville shows in five years on May 1 and 3 at Nissan Stadium, as well as METALLICA‘s return to Tampa after 15 years on June 6 and 8 at Raymond James Stadium. “M72” has also confirmed its much-anticipated Bay Area hometown play, to take place June 20 and 22 with the band’s debut performances at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
In a new twist, “M72” 2025 features several single shows bringing the tour’s full production, with its massive in-the-round stage, to venues including two college football stadiums: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York on April 19, and METALLICA‘s first ever visit to Blacksburg, Virginia, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies. The May 7 show at Lane Stadium marked the culmination of 20-plus years of “Enter Sandman” playing as the Hokies take the field.
In addition to playing football stadiums across the nation, the “M72” world tour’s 2025 itinerary also includes one festival headline — May 9 and 11 will mark a festival/No Repeat Weekend combo as METALLICA plays two headline sets at Sonic Temple at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Support on “M72”‘s 2025 North American run comes from PANTERA, LIMP BIZKIT, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and ICE NINE KILLS.
“M72”‘s 2025 North American leg is produced by Live Nation and presented by new sponsor inKind. inKind rewards diners with special offers and credit back when they use the app to pay at 2,000-plus top-rated restaurants nationwide. The company provides innovative financing to participating restaurants in a way that enables new levels of sustainability and success. METALLICA fans can learn more at inkind.com.
As always, a portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to local charities via the band’s All Within My Hands foundation. Established in 2017 as a way to give back to communities that have supported METALLICA over the years, All Within My Hands has raised over $15 million — providing $8.2 million in grants to career and technical education programs including the ground-breaking Metallica Scholars Initiative, now in its sixth year, over $3.6 million to combat food insecurity, more than $3.5 million to disaster relief efforts.
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