Metallica’s Robert Trujillo reveals why they tweaked ‘M72’ tour setlist

nme.com:

Metallica’s Rob Trujillo has revealed why the band tweaked their setlist for the ‘M72’ world tour in a new interview. Trujillo spoke with Classic Rock as part of the magazine’s year-end review about their ‘M72’ world tour, which saw the band perform two dates with completely different setlists in almost every city.

He admitted that several dates into the tour, the metal giants realised that their concerts were not opening impactfully enough, and had to make adjustments to their setlist.“Initially, we thought it would be really clever and exciting to open the show with an instrumental, like ‘The Call Of Ktulu’ or ‘Orion’,” Trujillo said. “We found that an instrumental is very powerful for the set but it sits much better in the middle of a set, it’s a chance for the fan to absorb and embrace the song.

Rather than just coming out throwing a curveball at them, we would rather come out with a ‘Whiplash’ or a ‘Creeping Death’, something that kind of smacks you in the face.”Elsewhere in the interview, the bassist also discussed his favourite songs to play on tour, highlighting tracks off their 2023 full-length, ‘72 Seasons’: “‘You Must Burn!’ is always nice, because it’s a power groove and we get to team up on some vocals there, same thing with ‘Shadows Follow’.

Those two off the new record are fun to play.”He then brought up the instrumental tracks he mentioned earlier, highlighting that they offered opportunities for the band to “[share] the spotlight together”. “‘The Call Of Ktulu’ is fun for any bass player, there’s a lot of melodic statements within that composition that I like,” he continued. “It keeps you on your toes and it’s nice, because usually we always come together and meet on stage at a certain point and.