International. Rock titans Metallica roared to North America this fall for the final leg of their mammoth "M72 World Tour," now elevated by the power and precision of Meyer Sound's 2100-LFC™ low-frequency control elements.
The tour, which began in April 2023, will stop for two nights in each city and feature two sets on "weekends without repeat." Fans will experience a stereo mix at every seat, true to 40 years of studio recordings, explains FOH engineer Greg Price. "Our goal was to bring that intimate atmosphere to a stadium."
The tour, which runs in a circular fashion, is supported by a total of 522 Meyer Sound loudspeakers, including 288 PANTHER™ large-format linear array loudspeakers, 96 2100-LFC low-frequency control elements, 48 VLFC™ ultra-low frequency control elements, 16 1100-LFC™ low-frequency control elements, 22 x ULTRA-X40™ compact speakers and 8 x UPQ-D2™ full-size speakers.
The system, supplied by Clair Global, is configured in three concentric rings. The outer ring assemblies are suspended from eight towers, with two PANTHER assemblies in each tower. Each tower carries six VLFC elements; the 2100-LFC and 1100-LFC elements provide support from the ground. An indoor system consists of eight hung sets of PANTHER speakers. The "Snake Pit" fan section in the center of the stage is covered by internal-firing UPQ-D2 speakers, while the outer side of the ring employs 22 compact ULTRA-X40 speakers as front fills. The MJF-210™ and MJF-212A high-power stage monitors are integrated by 36 Galileo GALAXY network platforms. The system is controlled by 35 Galileo® GALAXY network platforms.
The team swapped 96 1100-LFC elements for 96 2100-LFC elements when the tour returned to the United States in August. "I was the catalyst to make the switch to the 2100-LFC," says Metallica's creative director, Dan Braun. "The results of the PANTHER sets have been amazing from the moment we implemented them, so it wasn't a huge leap for me to think that we could also achieve some major gains in the low frequencies. And the tightest final firing arrangement we can put together allows us to steer this system and get greater fidelity in more seats. It's not about turning up the bass, it's about creating more seats that have that near-field monitor experience."
"When we arrived at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, we put all of my 96 1100-LFCs on a boat, shipped the entire PA system without subwoofers, and had 96 2100-LFCs," Price explains. "I put them in the place where the 1100-LFCs were and turned them on. I changed the subwoofers in the middle of a six-month tour and didn't touch anything in my mix and it was absolutely amazing."
Price and Braun had familiarized themselves with the 2100-LFC at Price's production facility before setting up a test system at Clair Global's headquarters. "I just took a leap of faith and said, 'This is going to be so much better,'" Braun says. "With Clair, we figured out how we could convert from 1100-LFC to 2100-LFC on the fly."
"Of course, we did our due diligence," Price says. "I worked with Bob McCarthy and Josh Dorn-Fehrmann of Meyer Sound and our great systems engineer, Chris Rushin. But at the end of the day, we pulled out a truck, pulled out those subwoofers, put the new ones in, turned it on, and boom! He did everything we expected."
The M72 system works with three Milan nets, designed by Josh Dorn-Fehrmann of Meyer Sound. "Metallica has been using Milan since 2016, when we had the first versions of AVB," says Dorn-Fehrmann. "On this tour, due to its unique size and scale, we have deployed one of the largest, if not the largest, touring AVB networks in the world.
Networks provide multiple levels of redundancy, he explains. "There are Milan's isolated primary and secondary networks for a distributed GALAXY 816 system in each tower. That powers the analog inputs of all the speakers in the system. A third network is what we call the Milan endpoint network, with ten GALAXY 408 platforms in the front of the house."
This seamless integration of cutting-edge technology is what drives the M72 Tour's unrivalled sound experience. Braun and Price agree that premium sound helps forge a deeper connection between the audience and the music.
"What I'm trying to do with Metallica is create the best environment possible for them to be the best they can be," Braun says. "And when the whole production is working and the audience is responding, that's something the band feeds off of, and I know we're doing the right thing. Part of that is absolutely the switch to the 2100-LFC."
"There's a reason we've sold more than a million tickets," Price adds. "People are finding out about this show. We're seeing people coming who I don't think have ever been to a Metallica concert. Fans have been walking in the air the next day. This is the change that John and Helen Meyer have made. They are creating a sound experience that will forever change the concert experience.
"Turning an 80,000-seat football stadium into an intimate club is unheard of," he adds. "And we have an incredible toolbox. Think about it: GALAXY together with PANTHER and 2100-LFC. It's the end of the game."
The M72 tour continues through the spring and summer of 2025 with 21 dates in North America.
