The tour officially kicked off in October 2008 in San Francisco, United States, following three European promotional dates in September and two U.S. rehearsal shows.

A North American leg, their first since the Madly in Anger with the World Tour in 2004, began in Phoenix, Arizona, and wrapped up in late December in Oakland, California.

In between the first and second legs, the band performed a small promotional show in Austin, Texas, U.S. to support the video game release Guitar Hero: Metallica.

In September 2009, the band kicked off a third North American leg, beginning in Nashville, Tennessee, and finishing in mid-November in New York City.

The leg included appearances at the 2010 editions of the Sonisphere Festival, which featured exclusive billings of the "Big Four" of thrash metal: Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, as well as Metallica.

The dates in Mexico City were recorded and later released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray with the title, Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria ("Pride, Passion and Glory").

Additionally, the show in Nîmes, France, was filmed and subsequently released on DVD and Blu-ray entitled, Français Pour Une Nuit ("French for One Night").

The band's performance at the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia was beamed to more than 450 movie theatres in more than 140 markets in the U.S. and select cities in Europe, Canada and South America on June 22, 2010.