Metallica’s 2023 M72 Tour: The Dream Setlist

“No repeat weekend.” 

That’s how Metallica has branded the setlists for its upcoming M72 stadium tour, celebrating both the band’s new album 72 Seasons (out April 14) and 40 years of thrash-metal dominance.  

Each city stop on the new roadshow — Metallica’s first full trek in four years —  includes two nights promising completely different sets, encouraging Metallica lifers to attend both gigs for a deep dive into the band’s maniacal catalog. 

As the tour kicks off in Amsterdam April 27, we’ve been fantasizing about what a given night will look like — and which songs will make the cut during which show. Surely, as James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo exit a city, there will be a consensus among fans as to which night offered the better gig. 

Of course, it’s a matter of opinion. The most devout diehards would be happy with a set more focused on deep cuts and credence given to ‘83’s seminal Kill ‘Em All debut, celebrating its 40th anniversary this summer, while the multi-generational Metallica families would be down to hear more off 2016’s explosive Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. And of course, there’s the contrarian who actually wants to hear stuff off St. Anger. 

With all of this, here’s our dream setlist for the tour; a best-case-scenario M72 set, taking into consideration the band’s past tours — and leaving enough meat on the bone for night two. The setlist below would clock in around two hours, in step with their massive Hardwired tour that ran from 2017 to 2019. 

Let’s rage!