Lars Ulrich Explains Why Metallica's 'M72' Stage Is Donut Shaped

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich recently explained why the metal band's huge 360-degree stage on their ongoing "M72 World Tour" is "doughnut" shaped, and he uncovered how Metallica devised the concept to better include concertgoers in the show.

But did his need for four drum kits on the gargantuan platform come before or after Metallica approved the design? It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario. Regardless, it's no miniature foam model of Stonehenge that was sketched out on a napkin.

See Metallica's stage in use in the video below.

"This is the first time we've done a 360-degree stage in a stadium setup," Ulrich tells The New York Times in an interview this week (Aug. 16).

"We tried to crack the code on that for years," he adds. "Everything that we had done always had a center point. We were going down this rabbit hole a year ago, and all of a sudden it was like, Well, hang on, why does the band have to be in the center?"

Metallica, "Seek & Destroy" (Live) - Aug. 4, 2023

He says, "It was like, What's the opposite of the band being in the center? And that would be the fans being in the center. And that's when we came up with the doughnut concept, where you play on the doughnut itself and then the fans are in the doughnut hole."

Lars Ulrich + His 4 Drum Kits

Ulrich continues, "And then, well, where do the drums go? Then the concept of the four drum kits — one drum kit in each of the four different directions — came up, and then it sort of went from there."

He concludes, "You know, all this … makes a lot of sense when it's in an email or it looks really good on a napkin. Nine months later you’re in the first venue trying to figure out what … you're doing,"

More Metallica

In April, Metallica released their newest, 72 Seasons. The band is now on tour across North America, with more dates coming next year.

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Metallica M72 World Tour Dates

Aug. 18 – Arlington, Texas @ AT&T Stadium
Aug. 20 – Arlington, Texas @ AT&T Stadium
Aug. 25 – Inglewood, Calif. @ SoFi Stadium
Aug. 27 – Inglewood, Calif. @ SoFi Stadium
Sept. 1 – Glendale, Ariz. @ State Farm Stadium
Sept. 3 – Glendale, Ariz. @ State Farm Stadium
Nov. 3 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Dome
Nov. 5 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Dome
Nov. 10 – Detroit, Mich. @ Ford Field
Nov. 12 – Detroit, Mich. @ Ford Field
May 24, 2024 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion
May 26, 2024 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion
June 7, 2024 – Helsinki, Finland @ Olympic Stadium
June 9, 2024 – Helsinki, Finland @ Olympic Stadium
June 14, 2024 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken
June 16, 2024 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken
July 5, 2024 – Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
July 7, 2024 – Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
July 12, 2024 – Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Cívitas
July 14, 2024 – Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Cívitas
Aug. 2, 2024 – Foxborough, Mass. @ Gillette Stad.
Aug. 4, 2024 – Foxborough, Mass. @ Gillette Stad.
Aug. 9, 2024 – Chicago, Ill. @ Soldier Field
Aug. 11, 2024 – Chicago, Ill. @ Soldier Field
Aug. 16, 2024 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ US Bank Stad
Aug. 18, 2024 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ US Bank Stad
Aug. 23, 2024 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Stadium
Aug. 25, 2024 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Stadium
Aug. 30, 2024 – Seattle, Wash. @ Lumen Field
Sept. 1, 2024 – Seattle, Wash. @ Lumen Field
Sept. 20, 2024 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
Sept. 22, 2024 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
Sept. 27, 2024 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
Sept. 29, 2024 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol