Do I want a new Metallica album?

It's easy for me to prod Metallica for doing all sorts of things unrelated to recording an album. I enjoyed reading this nicely summarized (and hilariously titled) article about the "11 things Metallica would rather do than finish their new album" with a grin on my face. All the these years pass by and there's been 5 new tunes (the 4 that became "Demo Magnetic" and 2014's "Lords of Summer."

But then I start to really consider what a new Metallica album means. It's certainly "more" than the desire to hear new music and have the opportunity to see the band on a tour of the United States. Then it occurs to me that few bands have the luxury of being able to let 8 years pass between albums and yet, remarkably, remain in the public eye.

Then my mind realizes the downside of a new Metallica album. It means that a song that I, as a fan, have grown accustomed to hearing if I'm in an arena watching the band play isn't played. Think about it. Ponder it. Doesn't adding a new song to a Metallica setlist mean that there will be songs that fans want to hear that have to be removed from the set list?

Here's a somewhat relevant thought about two bands, one that exists, one that does not.

1. Led Zeppelin. If John Bonham had not died and the band still existed as Page / Plant / Jones / Bonham, they might have 20 albums by now and, if that's true, let's say that they narrow their set list to 20 songs, which actually is a lot. That's an average of playing a single song from each album. That means they chose between "Stairway to Heaven" and "Rock and Roll." That's a shitty choice to have to make.
2. KISS. KISS is releasing a new "KISS in Vegas" DVD. The press release claims that "this Sin City set sizzles with KISS classics from across their 44 album legacy" which is then followed up with this setlist. 

• Where is "Unholy" - one of my favorite tunes? While I really like that there are 5 tunes from Destroyer, "King of the Night Time World" is from that release and isn't on the setlist. What if that was my favorite KISS tune of all time? I'd be upset.

1. DETROIT ROCK CITY
2. CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
3. PSYCHO CIRCUS
4. PARASITE
5. WAR MACHINE  
6. TEARS ARE FALLING
7. DEUCE
8. LICK IT UP
9. I LOVE IT LOUD
10. HELL OR HALLELUJA & TOMMY SOLO
11. GOD OF THUNDER
12. DO YOU LOVE ME
13. LOVE GUN
14. BLACK DIAMOND
15. SHOUT IT OUT LOUD
16. ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT
Acoustic Set:
1. COMING HOME
2. PLASTER CASTER
3. HARD LUCK WOMAN
4. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN
5. GOIN' BLIND
6. LOVE HER ALL I CAN
7. BETH 

Thus, when I return back to whether Metallica should or should not release a new album, does there come a day in the future when "Creeping Death" and "Seek & Destroy" are swapped out for other tunes? What if it's "Enter Sandman" that is removed from the set list to make room for a new tune? My point is simple. Fans may be a lot like customers of software companies in that they think they know what they want but the reality is, they don't like what they get.