Metallica is an American heavy metal band, founded in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield. Aside from Ulrich, the original lineup for some of the 1982 concerts included James Hetfield (rhythm guitar and lead vocals), Dave Mustaine (lead guitar and backing vocals) and Ron McGovney (bass guitar). Cliff Burton replaced McGovney in 1982 and played with the band until his death in 1986. After his death, bassists Jason Newsted (1986–2001), and Robert Trujillo (since 2003) were recruited in the band. The lead guitarist role was taken by Kirk Hammett (since 1983) after Dave Mustaine was fired from the band, who would then go on to form the band Megadeth. During the first years Metallica played in small festivals and as supporting acts on tours for bands such as Venom. Since their first live gig at Radio City, Anaheim on March 14, 1982, Metallica has performed on all seven continents[1] numbering live events every year (with the exception of 2001) in a total of over 1,600 shows. The majority of these were played in the United States, but numerous concerts were also played in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among other countries. The band also went on nine worldwide tours: Damage, Inc. Tour (1986–1987), Damaged Justice (1988–1989), Wherever We May Roam Tour (1991–1992), Nowhere Else to Roam (1993), Madly in Anger with the World Tour (2003–2004), Escape from the Studio '06, World Magnetic Tour (2008–2010), WorldWired Tour (2016–2019), and M72 World Tour (2023–2024). During these tours, South Africa as well as several countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Oceania were visited.
Metallica has played many shows at major rock festivals such as Woodstock '94, Ozzfest, Monsters of Rock, Lollapalooza, Download Festival, Reading Festival, and Days on the Green. They also held numerous concerts in stadiums, some of which featured crowds of over 100,000 people. One of the highest-attendance music concerts in history was held by AC/DC on September 28, 1991, at Tushino Airfield in Moscow, where unofficially 1.6 million people attended. Some of these performances were later released as videos for special box set or DVD releases. Some performances have been held in theaters, including two April 1999 shows alongside the San Francisco Symphony that were released as the album S&M.
Metallica's first official tour was Kill 'Em All for One, which started in 1983 to promote their debut album. Their longest so far have been the Wherever We May Roam and World Magnetic Tours, which lasted 14 months and 20 months, respectively, with each having over 170 concerts.[2] The band is among the most lucrative live bands, selling out half of their first 187 concerts held during the 2000s, and gaining an attendance of over 3.5 million people and a gross of over US$227 million.[3]
| Year(s) | Title | Legs (locations) and dates | Number of shows [4] | Supporting acts[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–1984 | Kill 'Em All for One | US: July 27, 1983 – January 22, 1984 | 52 | Raven, Anthrax, Exodus[6] | |
| This was the first tour played as a band, and it supported their first album, Kill 'Em All. | |||||
| 1984 | Seven Dates of Hell | Europe: February 3–12, 1984 | 6 | Venom (headliner),[7] [8] | |
| Metallica played as supporting act for Venom, performing in front of 7,000 people at the Aardschok Festival in Zwolle, Netherlands.[9] | |||||
| 1984 | Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang | Europe: November 16 – December 20, 1984 | 25 | Tank | |
| The band had its first major European tour, with an average crowd of 1,300. | |||||
| 1985 | Ride the Lightning Tour | North America: January 11 – March 19, 1985 Europe: August 13 – September 14, 1985 US: September 29, 1985 – December 31, 1985 | 57 | WASP (co-headliner), Armored Saint, Tank, ZZ Top, Marillion, Bon Jovi, Ratt, Magnum, Tommy Vance, Exodus[10] | |
| The band went on tour to support their second album, Ride the Lightning, gaining an attendance of 60,000 at a show in Oakland, California, at the Day on the Green festival. During the tour, Metallica played for the first time at the Monsters of Rock festival. The concert was at Donington Park, England, in front of 70,000 people. | |||||
| 1986–1987 | North America: March 27 – August 3, 1986 Europe: September 10–26, 1986 Japan: November 15–20, 1986 North America: November 26 – December 20, 1986 Europe: January 8 – February 13, 1987 | 142 | Anthrax, Metal Church, Sword | ||
| The tour supported the band's third album Master of Puppets in which the headliner of the North American spring and summer portion was Ozzy Osbourne. It was plagued with misfortune for the band, as the guitar technician John Marshall had to fill James Hetfield's place at the rhythm guitar twice due to wrist injury.[11] Later, during the European portion, a bus accident in Sweden killed bassist Cliff Burton. The World Tour that followed introduced the new bassist, Jason Newsted.[12] | |||||
| 1987 | Monsters of Rock '87 | Europe: August 20–30, 1987 | 4 | Bon Jovi, Dio, Anthrax, WASP, Cinderella[13] | |
| The group went on the festival tour for the second time, with concerts in England and West Germany.[14] < | ---Festival tour in which Metallica played in front of crowds numbering 80,000 people.[15] ---> | ||||
| 1988 | Monsters of Rock '88 | US: May 27 – July 30, 1988 | 32 | Van Halen (headliner), Scorpions, Dokken, Living Colour, Kingdom Come[16] | |
| Metallica went on the same festival tour, the second year in a row, and played in front of crowds numbering 40,000 to 53,000 people.[17] [18] | |||||
| 1988–1989 | Europe: September 11 – November 5, 1988 North America: November 15, 1988 – April 21, 1989 Pacific Rim: May 1–27, 1989 North America: May 31 – September 23, 1989 South America: October 4–7, 1989 | 222 | Danzig, Queensrÿche, Faith No More, Mortal Sin, The Cult[19] [20] [21] | ||
| The tour supported the band's fourth album, ...And Justice for All.[22] The August 29 and 30, 1989, shows in Seattle were later released in the box set .[23] | |||||
| Year(s) | Title | Legs (locations) and dates | Number of shows [24] | Supporting acts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Tour 1990 | Europe, North America: May 11 – September 11, 1990 | 12 | Warrior Soul, Dio, Bonham, Aerosmith (headliner)[25] | |
| The tour consisted of several European festivals and stadium shows, as well as a private gig at The Marquee under the name The Frayed Ends.[26] It included two shows in Aerosmith's Pump Tour, along with The Black Crowes and Warrant, with crowds of 60,000 and 30,000 spectators respectively.[27] [28] | |||||
| 1991 | Monsters of Rock '91 | Europe: August 10 – September 28, 1991 | 19 | AC/DC (headliner), Pantera, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche, The Black Crowes | |
| Metallica went on the festival tour a fourth time. The last concert of the tour, held on September 28 at Tushino Airfield in Moscow, was described as "the first free outdoor Western rock concert in Soviet history" and had a crowd estimated between 500,000 and 3,500,000 people,[29] [30] with some unofficial estimates as high over 2,000,000.[31] | |||||
| 1991–1992 | North America: October 12, 1991 – July 5, 1992 Europe: October 22 – December 18, 1992 | 174 | Metal Church - Opened: June 19 – July 5, 1992 | ||
| The tour supported the fifth album, Metallica (also known as "The Black Album") which included a performance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with the band performing a short set list and Hetfield performing with Queen and Tony Iommi. The January 13 and 14, 1992, shows in San Diego were later released in the box set , while the tour and the album were later documented in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica.[32] | |||||
| 1992 | North America: July 17 – October 6, 1992 | 25 | Guns N' Roses (co-headliner), Faith No More, Motörhead[33] [34] | ||
| It was an overlap of Metallica's Wherever We May Roam Tour and Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion Tour. James Hetfield suffered serious burns during a show in Montreal; John Marshall filled the guitar for the rest of the tour.[35] | |||||
| 1993 | Nowhere Else to Roam | North America: January 22 – March 13, 1993 World Tour: March 16 – May 8, 1993 Europe: May 19 – July 4, 1993 | 77 | Suicidal Tendencies, The Cult, Alice in Chains, Kyuss[36] [37] | |
| The shows in Mexico City across February and March 1993 were later released as part of the box set .[38] It is also the first time the band met Robert Trujillo who would join the band almost a decade later. | |||||
| 1994 | US: May 28 – August 21, 1994 | 51 | Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies, Candlebox, Fight | ||
| The tour included a performance at Woodstock '94 on August 13 in front of a crowd of 350,000.[39] [40] | |||||
| 1995 | Escape from the Studio '95 | UK, Canada, US: August 23 – December 14, 1995 | 5 | Slayer, Skid Row, Slash's Snakepit, Therapy?, Warrior Soul, Machine Head, White Zombie, Corrosion of Conformity[41] | |
| During the tour, a song from each of the next two albums were played ("2 × 4" and "Devil's Dance").[42] At the Donington Park concert, Metallica joined the Monsters of Rock for a fifth time. It was the first tour with most of songs in Eb Tuning still used today | |||||
| 1996 | North America: June 4 – August 4, 1996 | 28 | Soundgarden, Cocteau Twins, Devo, Ramones, Rancid, Screaming Trees, Psychotica[43] [44] | ||
| Metallica headlined the festival tour, in front of crowds of about 20,000,[45] [46] with many shows being sold out.[47] | |||||
| 1996–1997 | Poor Touring Me | Europe: September 6 – November 27, 1996 North America: December 19, 1996 – May 28, 1997 | 139 | Corrosion of Conformity, Soundgarden, Korn[48] [49] [50] | |
| The tour supported the recently released album Load.[51] The May 9 and 10, 1997, shows in Fort Worth, Texas, were later released in the video Cunning Stunts.[52] | |||||
| 1997 | Blitzkrieg '97 | Europe: August 22–24, 1997 | 3 | ||
| Metallica plays at European festivals to fulfill earlier contractual obligations. They play three back-to-back shows at the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium,[53] Blind Man's Ball in Germany,[54] and Reading Festival in England.[55] | |||||
| 1997 | Re-Load Promo Tour | US, Europe: November 11–18, 1997 | 6 | ||
| The tour promoted the just-released album ReLoad. Over 120,000 fans called to request a location for the free concert held in November, later named Million Decibel March.[56] | |||||
| 1998–1999 | Poor Re-Touring Me Tour | Pacific Rim: March 21 – May 8, 1998 North America: June 24, 1998 – April 30, 1999 | 65 | Jerry Cantrell, Days of the New[57] | |
| The shows on April 21 and 22, 1999, at Berkeley Community Theatre, alongside the San Francisco Symphony, were released as the album S&M.[58] | |||||
| 1998 | Garage Inc Promo Tour | North America: November 17–24, 1998 | 5 | ||
| The tour supported the album Garage Inc.[59] [60] which saw the band perform only cover songs, while the opening acts were Metallica cover bands. | |||||
| 1999 | Garage Remains the Same Tour | Mexico, South America: April 30 – May 14, 1999 Europe, US: May 21 – December 8, 1999 | 53 | Monster Magnet[61] | |
| The tour supported the album Garage Inc.[62] During the tour, Metallica played two live concerts similar to the one released in S&M; one in Germany with Babelsberger Filmorchester on November 19; and one at the Madison Square Garden, New York City, with the Orchestra of St. Luke's on November 23. | |||||
| 1999–2000 | M2K Mini Tour | US: December 28, 1999 – January 10, 2000 | 10 | Ted Nugent, Sevendust, Kid Rock, Black Sabbath, Creed[63] | |
| The New Year's Eve show in Pontiac, Michigan, was in front of 50,000 people.[64] | |||||
| Year(s) | Title | Legs (locations) and dates | Number of shows [65] | Supporting acts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | US: June 23 – August 9, 2000 | 21 | Korn, Kid Rock, Powerman 5000, System of a Down[66] [67] | ||
| Hetfield missed three shows due to a back injury.[68] Newsted sang most of the songs during these concerts, and the vocals and rhythm guitar were also taken by musicians from the other bands.[69] [70] | |||||
| 2003 | Europe: June 4–28, 2003 Europe, North America: July 4 – August 29, 2003 | 36 | Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Mudvayne, Linkin Park, Lostprophets, The Darkness[71] | ||
| As a tour supporting album St. Anger, it marked the first time the new bassist, Robert Trujillo, played live with the band.[72] | |||||
| 2003–2004 | World Tour: November 6, 2003 – November 28, 2004 | 137 | Godsmack, Lostprophets, Slipknot, In Flames[73] | ||
| Another tour supporting album St. Anger, in which most shows were made available later for purchase as a digital download.[74] Before the show in Download Festival, Lars Ulrich was rushed to the hospital after having an anxiety seizure and was unable to perform, and Metallica played in that gig with guest drummers Dave Lombardo and Joey Jordison, and Ulrich's drum technician Flemming Larsen.[75] | |||||
| 2006 | Escape from the Studio '06 | World Tour: March 13 – August 15, 2006 | 16 | Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, Tool[76] | |
| Two untitled new songs were played, and some portions ended up being featured on the next released album.[77] Tour also featured the album Master of Puppets played in its entirety in its proper sequence for the first time.[78] | |||||
| 2007 | Europe: June 28 – July 18, 2007 | 14 | Mastodon, Him, Joe Satriani, Stone Sour, Incubus, Faithless, Interpol, The Kooks, My Dying Bride, Heaven and Hell, Oomph!, Machine Head, Turbonegro, Volbeat, Mnemic, Diablo[79] | ||
| The tour featured shows at festivals and in stadiums, with crowds numbering 60,000 people.[80] [81] | |||||
| 2008 | North America, Europe: May 14 – August 24, 2008 | 26 | The Sword, Ozzy Osbourne, Serj Tankian, Hellyeah, Jonathan Davis, Cavalera conspiracy, Shadows Fall, Apocalyptica, In This Moment[82] | ||
| Two songs from the upcoming album were debuted.[83] The band played at Ozzfest for the first time in their history, being featured as headliners and playing right after Ozzy Osbourne.[84] | |||||
| 2008–2010 | Europe, Israel: September 12, 2008 – June 27, 2010 US, Canada: October 17, 2008 – December 12, 2009 Latin America: June 4, 2009 – March 14, 2010 Australia, Japan, New Zealand: September 15, 2010 – November 21, 2010 | 187 | Lamb of God, The Sword, Volbeat, Machine Head, Down, Mastodon, Baroness, Avenged Sevenfold, Resorte, Mass Hysteria, Alice in Chains, Glyder, Fear Factory, Gojira, Horcas, Mad, Hibria, Sepultura, High on Fire, Orphaned Land, Criminal | ||
| Tour supporting the album Death Magnetic. The tour was the 16th highest-grossing concert tour ever. The shows on June 4, 6 and 7 at Mexico City, on July 7, 2009, at Nîmes, France and on October 31 and November 1 at Quebec City were released on the DVDs Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México, Français Pour Une Nuit and Quebec Magnetic respectively.[85] [86] The tour ended with concerts in Australia and in New Zealand in November 2010.[87] | |||||
| Year(s) | Title | Legs (locations) and dates | Number of shows [88] | Supporting acts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2011 Vacation Tour | North America, Europe, South America, Asia: April 23 – October 30, 2011 | 17 | Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Biffy Clyro |
| Tour features the first two Big Four U.S. shows in Indio, California,[89] and New York City,[90] [91] respectively, as well as the band's first ever show in India.[92] [93] | ||||
| 2012 | Europe: May 7 – June 10, 2012 | 16 | Gojira, Machine Head, The Kills, Soundgarden, Channel Zero, Mastodon, Ghost | |
| Tour headlining European festivals, such as Sonisphere Festival, Download Festival, Nova Rock Festival, Rock in Rio Lisboa, Werchter Boutique, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park. As a late celebration for The Black Album's 20th anniversary, it was played in its entirety in reverse.[94] | ||||
| 2012 | The Full Arsenal Tour | North America: July 28 – August 29, 2012 | 13 | Jim Breuer |
| Few of the shows were recorded for the band's movie , was the first tour that the band had two songs for the encore rather than three, and included stage antics like the stage falling apart, the Death Magnetic Coffins, and much more. | ||||
| 2013 | Summer Tour 2013 | North America, Asia, Europe, South America, Antarctica: June 8 – September 21, 2013 | 14 | Anvil |
| At the second Orion Music + More festival held in Detroit, the band played under the fake-name "Dehaan" - "Dehaan" being a reference to actor Dane DeHaan, who starred in - and played Kill 'Em All in its entirety, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release.[95] Following the tour, Metallica played a show called "Freeze 'Em All" in Antarctica's Carlini Base, becoming the first band to play on all seven continents.[96] | ||||
| 2014 | Europe, South America and Montreal in North America: March 16, 2014 – August 9, 2014 | 26 | De La Tierra, Raven, Slayer, Mastodon, Ghost, Gojira, Avenged Sevenfold, Alter Bridge, In Extremo, Biffy Clyro, Rob Zombie, Jack White, Robert Plant, Alice in Chains, Volbeat, Placebo, Skrillex, Airbourne, Children of Bodom, Kvelertak, Anthrax, Dropkick Murphys, Apocalyptica | |
| An interactive tour, concertgoers could vote, via internet, which songs Metallica would include on each night's setlist and, at the concert, via SMS, to a song in the encore. Metallica debuted a new song, called "Lords of Summer". Metallica's only stop in North America was in Montreal for the Heavy Montreal festival. | ||||
| 2015 | North America, South America and Europe: May 9, 2015 – September 19, 2015 | 16 | Linkin Park, Faith No More, Tame Impala, Meshuggah, Bring Me the Horizon, Gojira, Baroness, Mötley Crüe | |
| Back-to-back gigs in Quebec City marked both the last concert held at Colisée Pepsi and the first musical performance held at Centre Videotron.[97] | ||||
| 2016–2019 | WorldWired Tour | North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania : September 27, 2016 – August 25, 2019 | 159 | Cage the Elephant, Babymetal, Lang Lang, Hatesphere, Iggy Pop, Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat, Gojira, Kvelertak, Jim Breuer, Ghost, Bokassa, Slipknot Santaferia |
| A concert tour in support of their tenth studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct. | ||||
| Year(s) | Title | Legs (locations) and dates | Number of shows [98] | Supporting acts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | 2021–2022 tours | North America, South America, Europe: September 16, 2021 – December 16, 2022 | 38 | DJ Lord, Greta Van Fleet, Ice Nine Kills, Mudvayne, Raven, Social Distortion, Trivium | |
| A concert tour in support of the 30th anniversary of their self-titled fifth studio album and the 40th anniversary of the band. It was also their first tour after the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||
| 2023–2024 | M72 World Tour | North America, Europe: April 27, 2023 – September 29, 2024 | 54 | Architects, Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Ice Nine Kills, Pantera, Greta Van Fleet, Floor Jansen, Epica, Suicidal Tendencies | |
| An ongoing concert tour in support of the band's eleventh studio album, 72 Seasons.[99] | |||||
| Year(s) | Locations and dates | Number of shows | Supporting acts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1983 | US: March 14, 1982 – May 7, 1983 | 36 | ||
| First gig was at Radio City, Anaheim on March 14, 1982, other gigs during 1982 and early 1983 as a band were not played as a tour, as the new band released several demos and went through a couple of line-up changes, as Ron McGovney was replaced by Cliff Burton as bassist and several months later Dave Mustaine lead guitarist and backing vocalist was replaced by Kirk Hammett.[100] [101] | ||||
| 2000–2003 | California/England: November 30, 2000 – June 1, 2003 | 10 | ||
| Without a bass player, the band played few shows as they auditioned for a bassist.[102] The year 2001 was the first since the band's formation when Metallica played no shows at all.[103] During their only performance of 2002, the band introduced themselves as Bob's Band (after Bob Rock who helped on bass). | ||||
| 2005 | Rolling Stones Gigs 2005 | 2 | The Rolling Stones (headliner), Everclear[104] | |
| The band interrupted its vacation after being invited to open two shows for The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour in San Francisco, California.[105] | ||||
| 2017 | Band Together Bay Area | 1 | Rancid, Dave Matthews, Raphael Saadiq, Dead & Company, G-Eazy | |
| Metallica played this charity concert to raise money for the North Bay fires. | ||||
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