M72 World Tour

On the announcement of the tour the band stated that, over the past few years, they had been inspired by the fans who attended their shows in 2019 and 2021. In the same statement they stated that they "had a blast being a part of the 2021 Wimmer Festivals when they played two nights in one city". Starting in April 2023, Metallica is set to visit twenty-two cities around the world and playing two nights in each city, with each being part of a "No Repeat Weekend" show which will feature two set lists which include deep cuts from the band's catalog.^[7][8] Two day tickets for each show went on sale on December 2, 2022,^[9] with single tickets being later made available to the general public on January 20, 2023.^[10]

Five Finger Death Punch were originally slated to support Metallica in the select 2023 European shows along with Ice Nine Kills, but pulled out due to lead vocalist Ivan Moody having to fully recover from complications from a recent hernia surgery. As a result, Five Finger Death Punch was replaced by Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen in Amsterdam, and Dutch symphonic metal band Epica in Paris, Hamburg, and Gothenburg.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16]} In Inglewood, California on August 27, 2023, Moody was absent due to falling ill with the flu, and his vocal duties in Five Finger Death Punch were taken over and shared by Phil Labonte (All That Remains), Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage, Light the Torch), and AJ Channer (Fire from the Gods) for the show.^[17] The September 1, 2023 performance in Glendale, Arizona was cut short by two songs due to James Hetfield suffering from vocal issues,^[18] and the band's following performance on September 3 in Glendale was postponed to September 9, 2023 after Hetfield had tested positive for COVID-19.^[19] Suicidal Tendencies replaced Ice Nine Kills as an opening act for the rescheduled Glendale performance.^[20]

The shows in Arlington, Texas on August 18 and August 20, 2023 were recorded and released in cinemas worldwide for one night only for each show (international screenings were shown a day later on August 19 and August 21 to suit local time zones).^[21]

On the second night in Foxborough, Massachusetts on August 4, 2024, the show was delayed for 90 minutes due to a severe downpour and thunderstorms in the area. As a result, Ice Nine Kills' scheduled opening set was canceled, Five Finger Death Punch performed a shortened opening set, and Metallica ending up still performing a full show.^[22] On the fourth night in Mexico City on September 29, 2024, Five Finger Death Punch were unable to perform due to an injury Moody sustained at the Louder Than Life festival a few days prior when he accidentally fell onstage and suffered a fractured rib. As a result, Ice Nine Kills moved up to the special guest slot, and Mexican progressive metal band Agora joined the lineup for the show.^[23][24]

On November 15, 2023 Metallica announced two more European tour dates for 2024 in Milan and Oslo, with two additional tour dates to be announced later that month.^[25]

On September 19, 2024, Metallica announced a 2025 North American leg of stadium and festival dates with special guests Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies, and Ice Nine Kills.^[26][27] An Oceania leg was shortly announced on October 23, 2024 for performances in November 2025 with Evanescence and Suicidal Tendencies as support acts.^[28]

Metallica broke a 43 year old attendance record of the JMA Wireless Dome on April 19, 2025, with more than 47,319 people in attendance that night, making the band's concert the largest ticketed music event in Syracuse.^[29]

Metallica performed a sold out show at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium on May 7, 2025. Their song "Enter Sandman" has been used as the football team's entrance to the stadium for twenty-five years. Metallica is the first band to perform a revenue producing concert at the stadium, as well as offering student seating for their show.^[30] The band's performance of "Enter Sandman," combined with the large crowd jumping and cheering, generated enough ground movement and tremors to be registered as a small earthquake by the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory.^[31]

On May 22, 2025, Metallica announced a summer 2026 European stadium leg with Gojira, Pantera, Knocked Loose, and Avatar.^[32]

The tour was met with positive reviews from music and entertainment critics.^[33][34] While having given the opening night performance in Amsterdam on April 27, 2023, 4 out of 5 stars, Ali Shutler of NME stated that Metallica was still the greatest heavy metal band around,^[33] while Eleanor Goodman from Metal Hammer who gave the performance that same night 5 out of 5 stars, affirmed that the band had thrown the world's biggest heavy metal party.^[34]

The tour won Rock Tour Of The Year award at the 2024 Pollstar Awards and was the 9th highest grossing tour overall that year with $179,373,637.40 grossed from 24 shows.^[35]

No-Repeat Weekend sample set list

The following set lists were performed at the Johan Cruyff Arena on April 27 and 29, 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and are not intended to represent a majority of the shows throughout the tour.^[36][37]

Night One

1. "Orion"
2. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
3. "Holier Than Thou"
4. "King Nothing"
5. "Lux Æterna"
6. "Screaming Suicide"
7. "Fade to Black"
8. "Sleepwalk My Life Away"
9. "Nothing Else Matters"
10. "Sad but True"
11. "The Day That Never Comes"
12. "Ride the Lightning"
13. "Battery"
14. "Fuel"
15. "Seek & Destroy"
16. "Master of Puppets"

Night Two

1. "The Call of Ktulu"
2. "Creeping Death"
3. "Leper Messiah"
4. "Until It Sleeps"
5. "72 Seasons"
6. "If Darkness Had a Son"
7. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
8. "You Must Burn!"
9. "The Unforgiven"
10. "Wherever I May Roam"
11. "Harvester of Sorrow"
12. "Moth into Flame"
13. "Fight Fire with Fire"
14. "Whiskey in the Jar"
15. "One"
16. "Enter Sandman"

One-night sample set list

The following set list was performed at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia on May 7, 2025. It is not intended to represent a majority of the shows throughout the tour.^[38]

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "For Whom The Bell Tolls"
3. "Ride the Lightning"
4. "King Nothing"
5. "Lux Æterna"
6. "Screaming Suicide"
7. "The Day That Never Comes"
8. "Fuel"
9. "Orion"
10. "Nothing Else Matters"
11. "Sad but True"
12. "One"
13. "Seek & Destroy"
14. "Master of Puppets"
15. "Enter Sandman"

Metallica

• James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
• Lars Ulrich – drums
• Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals