Metallica wrapped up the second leg of their M72 World Tour by performing two shows on November 10th and 12th. This was the 4th and 5th time I have seen them live, and the shows have lived up to their billing.
To start with the opening acts on night one, Mammoth WVH and Pantera performed as expected. I frankly didn’t know much about Mammoth WVH, other than that it was fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen, son of the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Their music was standard metal, with nothing to really highlight from them.
Now Pantera is where things get interesting. This was their first tour since 2001 and since the deaths of guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul. A lineup consisting of Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo, alongside touring musicians Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society, and Charlie Benante of Anthrax, Pantera had a good setlist and touching tribute to their fallen members. People were excited to see them perform for the first time in over 20 years, and I thoroughly enjoyed what they put on.
Metallica has a pretty standard concert setlist to cap off the first night with a few exceptions. “Orion” was played spectacularly with Rob nailing the bass solo. “The Day That Never Comes” was another song that blew me away with its intensity and power. The new songs from “72 Seasons” sounded better live than they did on the album, with much more speed and vigor. The Kirk and Rob guitar and bass duet was pretty good, too.
The second night came with a different approach. With opening acts of Ice Nine Kills and Five Finger Death Punch, night two had a lot of potential. I have seen Ice Nine Kills before back in August of 2022, and they were better this time around. They are very theatrical in their performances and integrate that into their music. I was stoked for Five Finger Death Punch. They’re one of my top artists but I was thoroughly disappointed in their performance. The vocalist seemed like he was out of breath and was missing whole verses of songs. The rest of the band was okay, but their live sound was disappointing.
The second night of Metallica was not as good as the first night, but they still sounded great. Songs like “Fight Fire With Fire” and “72 Seasons” were their top songs of that night. I was hoping for more deep cuts and songs they rarely play, but either way, I have left Detroit thoroughly impressed.
Metallica’s songs aren’t just heavy metal, they have significant meaning to them and to me personally. Their songs are powerful, powerful enough to make a grown man cry. I drove 6 hours to see them for these shows, and I had flown to San Francisco to see them because they mean so much to me. Their music brings people together across all races, ethnicities, and abilities. James Hetfield, the lead singer, gave a heartfelt speech about suicide in the middle of “Fade To Black.” Things like that are what bring people to these shows. All of the times that I have seen them were always the highlight of my year. I’ve been to a Metallica show every year since 2021, and knowing that their tour is ending soon is sad, but all of the great times I’ve had were amazing.
