Metallica M72 World Tour

Speaking of Ado’s live, I had another recent experience — this time, with a band of once my favorite: Metallica, on their M72 World Tour. My wife’s company (SK Hynix America) has a suite at Levi’s Stadium, and they occasionally hold lotteries for event tickets. This time, luck was on our side — she won tickets to Metallica’s live in Santa Clara. We’d been to a concert at Levi’s before — Karol G — but back then, I barely knew her music, and the entire set was in Spanish, which I couldn’t understand. That night, I mostly enjoyed the fever and the suite (and the food). But this time? It was Metallica: my favorite rock band. This was my second time seeing Metallica live. I first saw them when they came to Korea and played at Gocheok Sky Dome — still the best concert experience I’ve ever had in every way. So when my wife won the tickets this time, I was beyond excited.

We got to Levi’s Stadium around 4 pm, a full two hours before showtime. Since there were two opening bands, we figured Metallica wouldn’t take the stage until around 8. The only reason we went that early was parking — it’s always a mess for big events. At the Karol G concert last time, it took us over an hour and a half just to get out of the parking lot. This time, I did some research using my newly set-up DeepSeek local machine and found what turned out to be the perfect parking spot (I should have a chance to talk about it later). We got out in just 15 minutes after the show — a huge win. The area both inside/outside of the stadium was packed with official merch booths, all swarming with fans. I wasn’t planning to buy anything… but ended up grabbing a t-shirt as a souvenir anyway.

The suite experience was pretty much the same as last time. Not the best spot for a live concert — the distance dulls the energy a bit — but it’s definitely one of the most comfortable ways to enjoy a show, especially with solid food options. I usually don’t go for hotdogs at events, but in a suite? Free hotdogs are hard to beat. Maybe it’s just that I can eat them plain — no complicated toppings, no lines — just the sausage and bun. Simple, and exactly how I like it.

The opening bands were Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera — neither of which are really my thing. Watching them reminded me exactly why I prefer Metallica. Both bands leaned hard into pure heavy sound — loud, intense, and nonstop. It felt more like being hit with a wall of massive sound than listening to music. What I’ve always liked about Metallica is the mix — heavy, yes, but with real melodies and lyrics I connect with. That said, it was still fun to watch the crowd. The moshing, the circle pits — wild energy, and clearly a good time for the fans who were into it (it was great to watch them from over the top).

The main show kicked off just before 8 pm and wrapped up right at 10 — no extra minute, no encore. Even though I’ve always considered Metallica one of my favorite bands, I realized during the show that I’m not really into heavy metal as much as I thought. To be honest, I only recognized three songs from the setlist: One, Enter Sandman, and The Unforgiven II (or maybe III? Still not sure).

Still, I really enjoyed the atmosphere — the energy, the stage, the sound — it was all top-notch. If I had one small complaint, it’s that the ending felt a little abrupt. It would’ve been nice to have just a bit of lingering time — something to let the energy settle and the moment sink in. But maybe that’s just me.