Metallica Frontman Names Two Songs That Remain Challenging to Perform Live

James Hetfield pinpointed "Moth Into Flame" and "Master of Puppets" as tracks he struggles with most when Metallica hits the stage. The guitarist revealed this during a chat on The Metallica Report podcast, discussing how the M72 tour tests his stamina.

"We all have our own certain songs that are a little difficult," Hetfield said on the 129th episode of The Metallica Report podcast. "'Moth Into Flame,' 'Master of Puppets,' those are two that are, 'Wow,' those are a little difficult. I'm sure Lars [Ulrich] has his list, we all have our list. But we push through and we help each other with it."

Different musicians in the group wrestle with different pieces. They lean on each other when the going gets tough.

The difficulty of “Moth Into Flame” became obvious at the 2017 GRAMMY Awards when Hetfield performed alongside Lady Gaga. His microphone went dead. Guitar World reported that technical glitches left him voiceless through most of the number, forcing him to crowd near Lady Gaga's working mic just to be heard.

Hetfield discussed how getting older has changed what the band can handle on the road. The number of shows has been cut back, and breaks between legs of the tour are now built in.

"I guess it's a testament of being human and aging, as you're supposed to and having some sense of, 'My body can take this, but it can't take this,'" he said.

M72 puts a circular stage smack in the center of stadiums. This setup expands the front row, which Hetfield says lets him feel closer to fans than when the stages sit at one end.

Spreading M72 across years prevents burnout and keeps them ripping through fast, heavy songs. After wrapping this tour, they'll launch a Las Vegas residency, Life Burns Faster. The Vegas residency will run from October 2026 through March 2027.

"Master of Puppets" still appears in nearly every setlist, no matter how taxing it gets. "Moth Into Flame" came out on Hardwired... to Self-Destruct back in 2016. All Metallica tour dates are listed on their official website.