Metallica: M72 World Tour

Metallica bring the M72 World Tour to Dublin on 19 June 2026 at Aviva Stadium. Formed in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo completing the current lineup, the band helped define thrash metal in the 80s with albums like Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and …And Justice for All. The self-titled 1991 release broadened their reach, followed by chapters that pushed their sound in different directions: Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic and Hardwired… to Self-Destruct. In 2023 they returned with 72 Seasons, a record that threads speed, weight and melody.

On stage, Metallica move between tight down-picked riffs, double-time sprints, slower heavy grooves and long instrumental sections. Hetfield’s rhythm anchors the set, Hammett takes the leads, Trujillo drives the low end and Ulrich keeps the shifts in motion. The show leans on 72 Seasons while opening the catalogue, from early thrash cuts to 90s mid-tempo songs and more recent tracks. Riffs, harmonies and tempo changes carry a set shaped by four decades of writing, played with the precision and energy that suit a stadium like Aviva.