For the last 13 years, I have carried a Leica D-Lux 5 camera with me on the road. It is a small point-and-shoot camera, inobtrusive and unbelievably hardy. Scratched up and with a couple of minor dents, it has wandered into many backstage spaces and moments (along with the ubiquitous iPhone, I must say). 
I look for small moments that feel definitive in some way; in many senses, I am you. I am peering in from the outside. While I have enjoyed great access to and hearty cooperation from the band guys, I still sometimes feel I’m encroaching on sacred spaces. So, I thought it might be fun to share some of those moments with you.
I found the M72 2023/24 experience to be the most definitive Metallica statement in decades, something I’ll explore via the captions accompanying these photos. As I watched night two in Mexico City, I became aware of one truth: We’re all here, in some way, shape, or form, for life.
Metallica is not going anywhere. They don’t have a choice. They do this because they have to. I’m not even sure if they’ve fully acknowledged that; frankly, whether they have or not is unimportant. They are here to be part of this quartet's collective energy in some fashion until they turn to dust. What I will unequivocally say is that Metallica will be Metallica forever. They need this to get through the days, weeks, months, and years. This is literally their way through the thicket, otherwise known as life, as we will all once again see (and enjoy) starting in just a few weeks when M72 2025 kicks off in Syracuse, New York, on April 19.
Anyway, how about we give this “reflection via pix and captions” thing a shot? And know that there are and will be plenty more of both where these came from…
Steffan Chirazi, March 2025

Amsterdam - April 26, 2023
This is the only snap I’m showing in color.

  I cannot properly explain precisely what the various gasps of awe were like as everyone saw the M72 production “in the steel flesh” for that first time in Amsterdam. Designer Dan Braun had essentially created three shows in one and delivered a production whose scale was beyond everyone’s physical comprehension. The size was daunting; if people are honest, most wondered how it could work. Of course, Dan has earned the band’s trust because this is far—very far—from his first visionary production rodeo. As I sit here writing this in March 2025, I can safely say that not only was his vision for M72 fully vindicated, but it’s hard to imagine a Metallica show NOT being framed by these three events in one setting. I watched the band walking and prodding the stage those first couple of nights, trying to wrap their heads around it. Still, once it all dropped into place and the band got comfortable with all four kits becoming “grouping/centering” areas, this production really enjoyed itself. The lighting, in particular, became a vital performer, creating so many points of visual intrigue and dimension that whether you were in the club-vibe snake pit, the theater-vibe floor, or the arena-vibe upper areas, you were always close to the action, if not via those enormous towers, then simply by the band themselves. The entire crew deserves tremendous kudos, and as M72 went on, it ceased to feel like a stadium and felt more like the most massive, intimate arena ever seen.

Amsterdam - April 20, 2023
These two…brothers…forever. They just “get” each other. M72 saw both take very different directions in terms of how they “found” their performances night after night. Lars became wholly focused and dedicated to doing everything physically and mentally possible to ensure the tightest performances he could produce. James fully embraced the concepts of joy and spontaneity (the word “mistake” was essentially banished to a dark room somewhere back in 1989-93). Subsequently, the band sounded excellent, in part because their different approaches yielded the best possible alchemy for the collective. 

Gothenburg - June 16, 2023
There was a lot of this sort of activity everywhere on M72—a beautiful sight to behold.

Gothenburg - June 16, 2023
I still haven’t quite gotten over the fact that M72 has no central support tower or point…that it was all tensile wires and rigging off points. I don’t quite understand. I spent many nights staring at the sky, the shapes, the cables, the towers, the PA… all of it. If there’s one thing I vow to do before M72 2025 kicks off, it’s get the story on just how the hell the whole magical spider web up in the M72 sky works.

Gothenburg - June 18, 2023
This was a beautiful moment to stumble upon. James in the tuning room, just drifting with some self-guitar-care meditation. It felt like he was engaging in a medicinal moment, which—considering Metallica is absolutely a form of therapy—makes total sense.

Gothenburg - June 18, 2023
Kirk’s motion and free-spirited smile encompass all I saw him be on M72 2023/24. Truly, this guy went with the flow of energy, which he tapped into at each gig. And he seemed to revel in the wandering space and freedom to physically go wherever the fuck he wanted. Funnily, he’d sometimes have to be advised by a nearby band member (usually Rob) that he was standing next to some pyro grate and should move. (Don’t worry; the pyro moment gets cancelled if he doesn’t.) This felt like the freest Kirk has been on any tour since…well, forever…and I think you could sense it through his playing.

Los Angeles - August 25, 2023
M72 marked one of the best, most consistent runs of live performances in Lars Ulrich’s career. He put in tremendous performances night in and night out, and it undoubtedly was his main focus in 2023/24. One thing everyone knows about Lars is that his work ethic is unwavering, and his persistence in pursuing what he wants is limitless. Thus, he dedicated himself in all manner of ways to serving the show and left no room for anything that could distract him from that mission statement. I felt that my personal contribution to that task was to give him as much room as possible in said workspace and especially to keep my Leica and iPhone away from him as much as possible! This photo captures how much he enjoys the shows. My observation is that this was a moment when Metallica—and its demands—were very close (in fact, of vital importance) to his number-one-fan heart. 

Detroit - November 12, 2023
Enter the Thunderdome. It is always an electric moment. And I don’t know if any of us who aren’t James, Lars, Kirk, or Rob will ever admit it, but there’s a small crackle of excitement at the energy these moments generate. It’s not your moment. (Of course it fucking isn’t!) But you get a contact hit, and increasingly, on M72 2023/24, it was almost overwhelming. Many times, I’d follow as a member would head to their “pit station” with the rail fans roaring and thrusting arms and smiling at them as if they were mythical beings, and I’d feel slightly embarrassed to be there. But the electricity of the moment is enormous, and it still defies belief that the four of them haven’t become total and utter wankers in the face of such adulation. The stage configuration and being in the round enhanced the “Thunderdome” vibe more than ever.

St. Louis - November 5, 2023
I love how, on M72, I see so many fans enjoying moments in a vast stadium that are more intimate than anything you’d get in a club! James engaged directly with the fans, and as M72 2023/24 went on, he increasingly enjoyed meeting people in the crowd. Sometimes, in the past, James had felt a slight discomfort at such admiration, but he’s now seemingly able to take it in, be in the moment, and respect the depth of emotion someone is expressing towards him and his work. In my view, this led to him having a greater appreciation than ever of both the fans and his gifts, resulting in such open moments of mutual happiness as this one. I can only see that continuing stronger than ever in ’25.

Detroit - November 8, 2023
Yes, sometimes we do fun stuff on our days off. This particular day with Rob at Motown was a blast. If there’s one thing that makes visiting a citadel of music even more fun, it’s doing so with someone who loves Motown as much as he does! Happy days.

Copenhagen - June 25, 2024
Nothing says “fuck you, no smoking” like a cloud of cigar smoke sitting in your face. M72 is definitely the tour where Het and cigars became truly synonymous with each other. Like many people, I asked him at one point if the cigar smoking would affect his singing voice, to which he said we’d all see. Given that we will enjoy round three of M72 in 2025, I’d say that so far, the only effect cigars have on his performance is that he's happy and relaxed!

Minneapolis - August 18, 2024
Tomfoolery abounds moments before taking the stage. This is one of my favorite moments: watching the goofing and jawing that goes down before entrance, the inner children that never leave and always make sure fun is found at the gig.

Minneapolis - August 18, 2024 
I have many photos of Rob mixed in with the crowd during M72, but this one speaks for itself. The frothy human stew swirls around an invigorated and super-charged RT during that early part of the set, where he wanders the rail to see just what kind of energy he can plug into and feed off of.

Seattle - September 1, 2024
The classic “snooping from behind the tuning room curtain” photo. Tuning is a space (like the dressing room) that feels very much on the border of intrusion unless you have a definitive purpose there. So, I define my “purpose” as capturing moments others wouldn’t otherwise see. That is until I get a slight look, suggesting it’s time to find another place to be!

Location Unknown - Before Virtually Every M72 Show
This photograph has ended up being small, perhaps because it captures an ostensibly small moment that I felt half-guilty “taking.” It’s funny that, for whatever reason, I cannot find the exact date and place this was taken. However, I can say that before every M72 show, James finds a quick moment to center himself and engage in his thoughts. I’ve watched this powerful moment many times and, as I suggested, felt I should not take a picture. But the sheer force of the scene finally compelled me to document it.