METALLICA's JAMES HETFIELD Looks Ahead To 2024: 'I'm Really Just Continuing To Try And Improve Myself'

During an appearance on the 22nd episode of "The Metallica Report", the recently launched podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA, James Hetfield was asked for his "New Year's thoughts" as we head into 2024. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I usually don't put a lot of stock into New Year's stuff, but reflecting on the past year, [I'm] super grateful for what I've got, what I've gone through. [I] always really look forward to what the next year will bring. The older I get, the harder and easier it gets. So, I'm always looking forward to getting back out on the road, playing some shows, seeing some faces, familiar faces and new faces at the shows."

He continued: "So, yeah. I don't know what else. I guess the New Year is kind of a cleansing, and I've got a new goal or something. I'm really just continuing to try and improve myself, get better, have a better attitude about life, about other people's lives, and just try to bring as much joy to people as possible."

METALLICA's ongoing "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Snake Pit to center stage, allowing promoters to sell more tickets than usual. And since METALLICA's stage is hollow in the center, there is even more space available to accommodate fans.

According to Billboard, METALLICA's giant ring-shaped stage also includes eight towers of monitors and speakers, with each of the towers is anchored by a raised platform that doubles as VIP seating, with eight folding chairs decorated with the black-and-yellow color scheme of the band's new album, "72 Seasons".

This past August, METALLICA drew nearly 80,000 fans to the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles at the first of the band's two shows at the venue. It was the biggest crowd in the history of the SoCal stadium, which opened in September 2020. The San Francisco Bay Area-based metal legends drew a similarly sized capacity crowd two days later at the same venue.

Fans purchased more than 156,000 tickets for the two-concert stand, which was also part of METALLICA's "M72" world tour.

The "M72" tour launched in late April in Amsterdam.

A portion of proceeds from the shows go to METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation, which seeks to assist and enrich the lives of members of the communities who have supported the band and combat food insecurity; provides disaster relief; and bestows scholarships.

METALLICA's production travels in 87 trucks — 45 for the band and its setup, plus two groups of 21 each for the steel stage and towers. There are 130 people in the band's crew, plus 40 steelworkers, local hires and truck drivers.

METALLICA's manager Cliff Burnstein told Billboard that between 80% and 90% of fans at each concert are attending both shows.

METALLICA's two-night stand at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in August was livestreamed to movie theaters across the globe. It marked METALLICA's first appearance in Texas since November 2021, when the band played before, during and after a Triad Combat event at Globe Life Field.