LARS ULRICH Reveals Inspiration For METALLICA's Concert 'Snake Pit'

In a new interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about how he and his bandmates came up with the idea of creating the Snake Pit, a standing-only area built into the center of the stage so that a select group of fans could experience the show on a more human scale. He said: "One of our managers back in New York in the late Eighties/early Nineties [had] the idea that when you would go to a restaurant that the best seat in the restaurant was actually not in the house — [it] was in the kitchen. So in crazy, cool restaurants, if you could somehow get into the kitchen and eat in the kitchen, you were in there where all the action was. So the idea that came out of that for that Snake Pit on the 'Black Album' tour was basically to be in the middle of the stage. So we had a stage that was shaped like a diamond, and there were 30, 40 spots in the middle of that stage. Radio contest winners, friends, family, a few crazy metalheads from around the audience would end up in that snake pit, and they would be onstage with us. And then it morphed. Basically, for, I guess, 30 years now, the Snake Pit has been an integral part of at least a METALLICA indoor show. And then in the stadiums when we've been playing outside, it’s been sort of this extension of the stage. You've seen it, but they've never been, like, crazy big. There's been room for a couple of hundred here, a couple hundred there, whatever."

Ulrich added that the current iteration of the Snake Pit holds 900 to 1,200 people, depending on the rules of the local fire marshal.

Snake Pit ticket packages for METALLICA's "M72" world tour reportedly run from $1,038 up to a whopping $4,398, limited to two per fan, but you can still enter to win them if you're a member of the fan club.

In "A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica", a documentary about the making of the "Black Album", Lars said the Snake Pit was part of a larger plan to push the envelope. "This time around, we really wanted to fuck with the concept of arena rock," he said. "We came up with a stage that was definitely different than what any other bands had done: playing every song in a different formation [where we'd have] drums moving around, James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] moving around, [and] the Snake Pit [with] kids in the middle."

Late last month, METALLICA kicked off its "M72" world tour 2023-2024 with two spectacular performances at Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands with support from ARCHITECTS and MAMMOTH WVH on night one and Floor Jansen and ICE NINE KILLS on night two. The career-spanning sets featured the live debut of "If Darkness Had A Son" and "You Must Burn!" along with songs off their newest album "72 Seasons", including "Screaming Suicide", "Sleepwalk My Life Away" and the title track "72 Seasons". In total, METALLICA performed 32 different songs taken from its 11 studio albums.

METALLICA is visiting a total of 22 different cities around the world and playing two nights in each city.

The trek sees the band playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

Opening acts include FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

METALLICA promises fans who purchase a two-day ticket that they won't see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning the band's 40-plus-year career.

Each weekend offers a variety of "Enhanced Experiences", ranging from access to a meet-and-greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the "Black Box" lounge to early entry into the venue and the Snake Pit. The very popular "Black Laminate" is back, now known as the "I Disappear Ticket", and is the ultimate pass for the fan who wants to run away with METALLICA for multiple weekends.

A single "I Disappear" ticket purchase gives you access to as many of METALLICA's 46 headlining tour dates across Europe and North America in 2023 and 2024 as you choose. You decide how many shows you'd like to attend around the world, and for how long, and METALLICA will make it as easy as possible.