Metallica takes M72 Tour into 2025: 21 new shows and a legacy of impact

Metallica has revealed plans to extend its "M72" world tour into a third year, adding 21 North American shows scheduled for April, May, and June 2025. This expansion builds on the already successful tour, which began in April 2023 in Amsterdam and has since drawn an impressive 3 million fans across multiple continents. The 2025 leg of the "M72" tour will continue the band's celebrated "No Repeat Weekends," a feature that ensures each night of a two-show stand has a completely different setlist and supporting acts.

This unique format has been a hit with fans, adding variety and excitement to the shows. The upcoming 2025 North American leg will include performances from support acts like Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies, and Ice Nine Kills. The M72 tour has been one of the most ambitious undertakings in Metallica’s storied career.

Metallica's Kirk Hammett has said "This is definitely the largest production we’ve ever brought out."

The 2024 tour concluded with four monumental performances at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, where the band played to over 250,000 fans during two separate "No Repeat Weekends." This iconic run will make Metallica one of the few bands capable of selling out such large venues repeatedly over a short period.

Who is Metallica (in case you've been living under a rock)?

Since its inception in 1981, Metallica has been at the forefront of heavy metal, pushing musical boundaries with groundbreaking albums like Kill ’Em All (1983), Master of Puppets (1986, added to the National Registry in 2015) and The Black Album (1991), which remains one of the best-selling albums of all time with over 16 million copies sold in the U.S. alone.

Their influence on rock and metal is undeniable, and their ongoing M72 tour objectively confirms their status as a live performance juggernaut (regardless of what one thinks about the "Enter Sandman" vocal delivery). Metallica has also confirmed that 2025 will see their much-anticipated return to Australia and New Zealand, regions they haven’t toured in years, exciting fans down under.

Metallica gives back

As with previous Metallica tours, a portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit the band's charity, the All Within My Hands foundation. Since its founding in 2017, the foundation has raised over $15 million, contributing significantly to various causes. These include $8.2 million in grants for career and technical education programs, such as the innovative Metallica Scholars Initiative, now in its sixth year.

As frontman James Hetfield explained: "When we launched the Metallica Scholars Initiative, it really spoke to me. A collective goal of breaking the stigma of trade skills. Trade skills are vital to society, and what’s even more important is to support the many folks who are trying to create a career by learning and using these skills."

The foundation has also donated over $3.6 million to combat food insecurity and more than $3.5 million for disaster relief efforts, reflecting the band’s deep commitment to giving back to the communities that have supported them over the decades. Metallica’s 2025 tour continues to emphasize the band's legacy of blending massive stadium shows with meaningful charitable contributions. Whether it's through groundbreaking live performances or efforts to give back, Metallica continues to set the standard for what it means to be one of the world’s most iconic (albeit "mainstream") and influential bands.