By Cameron Lee
June 1, 2025
Photo: Daniel Coston
Uptown Charlotte was cloaked in a sea of black on Saturday night as thrash metal titans Metallica stormed the city with their colossal M72 World Tour — an electrifying traveling spectacle decades in the making. The weekend brought Metallica-themed events across the city: charity volunteer opportunities, an exclusive preview of their forthcoming documentary, and even a cigar-and-whiskey tasting at Suffolk Punch. It was more than a concert — it was a takeover of sorts, flexing the band’s four-decade-long dominance and influence in heavy metal.
Wearing a band’s merch to their show — often considered a faux pas in some circles — was practically a uniform. If you weren’t sporting a Metallica tee or patch, you stood out in a crowd unified by decades of unwavering fandom. It’s a testament to the band’s enduring appeal and live shows that keep fans coming back for more.
Since emerging on the scene in the ’80s, Metallica has remained one of the few bands to tour relentlessly for over 40 years. Their last visit to Charlotte was in 2018, and if Saturday night was any indication, their stamina remains unshaken. With a 16-song set delivered with tight, thunderous precision, frontman James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo — now all in their early 60s — showed little sign of slowing down. The four roamed their in-the-round stage like prowling predators, shredding with fierce intensity as flames, strobes, and a kaleidoscope of LED effects erupted around them.
The stage itself featured an unconventional design: a massive circular platform at the center of Bank of America Stadium, surrounded by eight towering pillars crowned with rotating cylindrical LED screens. Nestled inside the circle was the “Snake Pit,” a fan zone that gave die-hards an intimate vantage point. While the production was undeniably impressive, the sheer scale of the pillars at times created visual barriers — occasionally distancing the crowd in the stands from the band’s movements.
True to tradition, the night began with Ennio Morricone’s iconic “The Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — a cinematic overture Metallica has used to open their sets since the ’80s. The band then tore into “Creeping Death,” the first of three songs from their 1984 album Ride the Lightning. Hetfield commanded center stage for most of the night, while Ulrich’s drum kit rotated to accommodate the setup, and Hammett — the most active band member — made his first blazing lap around the platform.
Lights pulsed in hypnotic synchronization with thundering guitar riffs and Ulrich’s seismic drumming. Live video fed into the towering screens, capturing close-ups of both fans and bandmates in animated, frenetic detail. The production was meticulous — at times flashy but never dull. It was immersive without being overwhelming — a progressive, punishing instrumental masterclass that blurred the lines between technical wizardry and primal metal aggression.
The energy mellowed during “Nothing Else Matters,” the evening’s first track from The Black Album. The stadium was awash in moody blue light, providing a melodic reprieve after an intense hour of relentless sonic assault. Hetfield made a point to shout out Charlotte throughout the night, weaving the city’s name into the lyrics of “Seek & Destroy” — “Scanning the scene in Charlotte tonight!” — which sparked cheers as oversized beach balls cascaded from above, injecting a playful charm into the grandiose production.
Unsurprisingly, the set’s most exhilarating moments came in its final stretch. “Master of Puppets,” delivered in its full, eight-minute-plus glory, was nothing short of breathtaking. Hammett’s blistering solo electrified the crowd, elevating what is arguably the band’s magnum opus — a song that encapsulates everything Metallica does best: searing riffs, sweeping melodies, theatrical progressions, all maintaining their hardcore metal roots.
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The evening was, of course, capped off by “Enter Sandman.” The unmistakable riff, etched into the DNA of rock fans across the globe, summoned one last eruption from the crowd. Flooded in waves of blue light and intense, rumbling bass, the stadium trembled — though it had many times before. Predictable? Maybe. But no less triumphant. It was a night that reaffirmed Metallica’s status as legends of the metal genre — not only as masters of puppets, but as masters of the live stadium concert experience.
Setlist:
“Creeping Death”
“For Whom the Bell Tolls”
“Ride the Lightning”
“The Memory Remains”
“Lux Æterna”
“Screaming Suicide”
“Kirk and Rob Doodle”
“The Day That Never Comes”
“Fuel”
“Orion”
“Nothing Else Matters”
“Sad but True”
“One”
“Seek & Destroy”
“Master of Puppets”
“Enter Sandman”
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