{"id":3701,"date":"2026-07-04T05:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T05:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701"},"modified":"2026-07-04T05:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T05:37:07","slug":"review-metallica-closes-longest-tour-of-its-career-with-epic-london-stand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701","title":{"rendered":"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

LONDON \u2014\u00a0Metallica saved London for last.<\/p>\n

And these four heavy metal heroes are going for broke \u2014 giving it everything they\u2019ve got \u2014 as they finally bring their M72 World Tour to a close with two huge shows (July 3 and 5) at London Stadium.<\/p>\n

Read more Fourth suspect in Watsonville stabbing arrested in Arizona<\/a><\/p>\n

The trek in support of their 11th studio album, 2023\u2019s excellent \u201c72 Seasons,\u201d didn\u2019t quite end up lasting 72 (calendar) seasons. But it did course through 14 seasons, having kicked off in the spring of 2023 and \u2014 more than three years later \u2014 closing up shop during this unseasonably warm summer weekend in London.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s enough to make M72 the longest tour, in terms of duration, of Metallica\u2019s career. Following Sunday\u2019s gig in stadium, the tour will have clocked in at 1,165 days (with plenty of days off in between regional jaunts). That about 100 days longer than band\u2019s old personal longest, which was the WorldWired Tour that ran 1,062 days in 2016-2019.<\/p>\n

As the tour winds up, Metallica will be able to take a few months off the road and get ready for its next live-music adventure \u2014 its highly anticipated and hugely sold-out Life Burns Faster residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas that kicks off in early October and is currently set to run until March. (And, yes, basically everyone is expecting that the band will announce even more Sphere gigs for 2027.)<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s not rush things, shall we? Londoners (and at least one traveling Bay Area music critic) still have Sunday\u2019s tour finale to look forward to \u2014 which, thanks to Metallica\u2019s awesome \u201cNo Repeat Weekend\u201d format, will consist of an entirely different setlist than what was heard on the Friday night kickoff.<\/p>\n

The top-selling Bay Area band of all time \u2014 which consists of vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo \u2014 was in excellent form on Night 1 of the London stand, treating a capacity crowd of highly appreciative metalheads to 16 numbers in a little less than two hours.<\/p>\n

Following sets by Knocked Loose and Gojira \u2014 the latter being the best metal band on the planet not named Metallica \u2014 the headliners took to the stage and hit the crowd with a powerful version of the fan favorite \u201cCreeping Death\u201d from 1984\u2019s iconic \u201cRide the Lightning.\u201d They quickly followed up with another A-plus offering, the body-slamming \u201cHarvester of Sorrow\u201d from the towering achievement known as \u201d \u2026And Justice for All\u201d from 1988.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

And that was all it took, really, for the band and its fans to once again achieve that awe-inspiring synergy, feeding off of each other\u2019s energy and then pushing ever forward to collectively reach such impressive heights.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at all this love for heavy metal in London,\u201d Hetfield said to the fans near the start of the set. \u201cThank you for coming to the show. And I do like to say that it\u2019s great when you support \u2014 you buy the albums, the CDs, whatever you do, buy the T-shirts.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this where it\u2019s at. This is where we get to see the love and care in your faces and we get to give it right back to you. So we are grateful for you coming, taking the time and effort to get here to kick some ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Warriors Summer League: Yaxel Lendeborg wows with perfect shooting night vs. Lakers<\/a><\/p>\n

The setlist was similar to what Bay Area fans witnessed during the first half of the two-night stand at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara back in June 2025. Pretty much all of the big fan favorites made the trek across the pond, but the group did sub in a few different cuts, most notably being a great one-two punch combo of \u201cHolier Than Thou\u201d and \u201cOf Wolf and Man\u201d off 1991\u2019s seminal self-titled album (aka \u201cThe Black Album\u201d) early in the set.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

And, of course, there was the spotlight on Hammett and Trujillo \u2014 which has become known as the \u201cKirk and Rob Doodle\u201d segment \u2014 where Hetfield and Ulrich leave the stage and let the bassist and guitarist do basically anything they want. What they do changes from night to night, with the focus being coming up with something musical that ties in with wherever they are playing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are at it again, celebrating music from your country,\u201d Trujillo said as he huddled in the same area of the stage as Hammett. \u201cAnd there\u2019s so much to choose from.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result was a (very) rough, but pleasant enough mashup of Ian Dury\u2019s \u201cSex & Drugs & Rock & Roll\u201d and The Clash\u2019s \u201cGuns of Brixton.\u201d Here\u2019s hoping that the duo turns to Spice Girls or Roxy Music \u2014 or, even better, both \u2014 for Sunday\u2019s British music picks. As it stands right now, however, the top \u201cKirk and Rob Doodle\u201d moment of the tour may well be when the duo unexpectedly jammed a fun instrumental version of the Dionne Warwick hit \u201cDo You Know the Way to San Jose\u201d right into \u201cCalifornia \u00dcber Alles\u201d from by The Dead Kennedys on Night 2 at Levi\u2019s Stadium. That was most definitely a keeper.<\/p>\n

Ulrich and Hetfield returned to a fray for the striking \u201cRide the Lightning\u201d power ballad \u201cFade to Black,\u201d which featured some of the most exquisite finger work of the night from Hammett. In general, the guitar slinger would once again use the set to underscore why he\u2019s one of the top fret men in all of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll. Few have ever balanced power and purpose in such tastefully restrained manners as Kirk Hammett.<\/p>\n

Metallica continued along its winning ways, moving through the likes of \u201cNothing Else Matters,\u201d \u201cSad but True\u201d and \u201cHardwired\u201d as the four members worked from a huge stage that dominated the middle of the stadium\u2019s floor. The stage is basically one big circular track, with a hollow space at its center dubbed \u201cThe Snake Pit\u201d where even more ticketholders can be housed, and the bandmembers race around the track to entertain fans on different sides of the stadium. Even Ulrich gets in on the fun, working from four different kits that appear (then disappear) along the track. Fans further up in the stands get a good look at the action via eight tall video towers with wrap-around screens.<\/p>\n

The show just kept right on building momentum as the band approached the finish line, moving from the fiery \u201cFuel\u201d right into the equally heavy-hitting \u201cSeek and Destroy,\u201d before finally bringing the evening to a hugely satisfying close with the anthem \u201cMaster of Puppets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then it was time to say \u2014 well, not goodbye, but rather see you soon. Because most of these fans will likely be back on Sunday to hear a completely new setlist of Metallica tunes on what will be the last night of longest tour of the the band\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

Metallica Setlist July 3, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. \u201cCreeping Death\u201d
\n2. \u201cHarvester of Sorrow\u201d
\n3. \u201cHolier Than Thou\u201d
\n4. \u201cOf Wolf and Man\u201d
\n5. \u201cLux \u00c6terna\u201d
\n6. \u201cIf Darkness Had a Son\u201d
\n7. Kirk and Rob Doodle (\u201cSex & Drugs & Rock & Roll\u201d\/\u201cGuns of Brixton\u201d)
\n8. \u201cFade to Black\u201d
\n9. \u201cCyanide\u201d
\n10. \u201cOrion\u201d
\n11. \u201cNothing Else Matters\u201d
\n12. \u201cSad but True\u201d
\n13. \u201cHardwired\u201d
\n14. \u201cFuel\u201d
\n15. \u201cSeek & Destroy\u201d
\n16. \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Webb can\u2019t carry Pitcher of the Month momentum into July as SF Giants blown out by Rockies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Metallica finishes up its three-year-plus 72 Seasons Tour with concerts, also featuring Gojira and Pantera, at London Stadium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nReview: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Metallica finishes up its three-year-plus 72 Seasons Tour with concerts, also featuring Gojira and Pantera, at London Stadium.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-04T05:37:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T05:37:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701\"},\"wordCount\":1231,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701\",\"name\":\"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-04T05:37:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":771},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3701#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand - Next City Digest","og_description":"Metallica finishes up its three-year-plus 72 Seasons Tour with concerts, also featuring Gojira and Pantera, at London Stadium.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-07-04T05:37:07+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand","datePublished":"2026-07-04T05:37:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701"},"wordCount":1231,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp","articleSection":["Things To Do"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701","name":"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-04T05:37:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/78acb04ba1acac1e3e1d227dc55d66ff.webp","width":1024,"height":771},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3701#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Review: Metallica closes longest tour of its career with epic London stand"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}