Fun fact of the day: Metallica use or give away 6,000 guitar picks a night

A recent news report has revealed the astonishing numbers behind Metallica’s ongoing M72 world tour.

US news station WCCO–CBS went backstage before the metal juggernauts’ two concerts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 16 and 18. They interviewed tour coordinator Jon-Michael Marino and published some impressive stats about the team that put together the Minneapolis gigs, which was reportedly more than 400-strong. It included 156 of Metallica’s own crew, 40 steelworkers, 148 local production staff and 92 truck drivers.

Metallica used eight video towers for the Minneapolis shows, which, according to Marino, took 36 hours each to build. The stage itself and the audio-visual production took another 12 hours to put together.

Marino also revealed that Metallica take 64 guitars on tour with them, 36 of which need to be ready at all times during live performances. This is so the band can quickly play songs in different tunings, but also in case of technical problems like a string breaking.

In addition, Blabbermouth reports that Metallica get through 6,000 guitar picks at every concert. While some of these are used by guitar players James Hetfield (also vocals) and Kirk Hammett, the vast majority are thrown out into the audience at the end of the night. Meanwhile, drummer Lars Ulrich makes his way through an average of 25 sticks per show.

Metallica play the last two US dates of the 2024 M72 tour this weekend, taking the stage at Lumen Field in Seattle on August 30 and September 1. They’ll then host a four-show residency at Foro Sol, Mexico City, from September 20 to 29. See the full details below. The band haven’t announced any further concerts at time of publication.

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo recently jammed a cover of Rush’s Working Man at an M72 stop in Edmonton, Canada. This month, the band donated $40,000 to Minnesota charity People Serving People, which aids individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Aug 30: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 01: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 20: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 22: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 27: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 29: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.