Live
Metallica
M72 World Tour
year
2023
capabilities
Asset Coordination
Design & Engineering
Fabrication
Integration
LED Integration
Machinery Automation
Show Development & Production
When legendary heavy metal group Metallica was planning to tour its eleventh studio album 72 Seasons, the band decided to do things differently. TAIT helped to realize Metallica’s vision for a uniquely immersive experience, with a radical stage design that makes even the biggest stadiums feel intimate.
For over two decades, Metallica has famously placed a handful of lucky fan club members in a ‘snake pit’ in the center of their stage. But for the M72 World Tour, the band decided to increase the size of the stage and the scale of the snake pit and create four custom lifts for Lars Ulrich to play different drum sets around the 360-degree pit. It was an unforgettable, up-close view for hundreds of Metallica M72 VIP fans each night.
Metallica collaborated with our teams from both sides of the Atlantic to deliver the M72 Metallica tour vision. The 120ft wide, in-the-round stage and fascia were provided by our team in Wakefield, UK. The crew in Lititz, PA did the rest: project engineering, lifts, outer ring shelves, monitor shelves, instrument storage barges, egress tunnel structure, custom video headers, bumpers, light brackets, wind bracing, a rolling performer platform, and a beach ball drop.
The epic, 17-month world tour kicked off in April 2023, with the band playing two different sets – with two different support acts – over two nights in each of the cities on its schedule. The reception was rapturous, with Metal Hammer describing the show as “the world's biggest heavy metal party” and NME commending it as proof that Metallica is “still the greatest metal band around.”
Credits
Production Managers
John “Lug” Zajonic & John Mulder
Creative Director/ Scenic and Production Designer
Dan Braun
Artist Management
Tony DiCioccio
MDLBEAST
Soundstorm
United States Marshals Service