On Oct. 1 and 3, the Rock Hall of Famers kicked off their 24-show Life Burns Faster Las Vegas Sphere residency with two huge “No Repeat Weekend” shows.
“The first night of [their] new residency is an immersive plunge into the band’s visual world that showcases the depth of their catalog,” The Guardian raved in a four-star review. “Ulrich is an elastic, fluid drummer, Hetfield’s voice is like a battering ram, and Hammett and Trujillo still look like there’s nowhere they’d rather be than up on that stage, masters of their respective instruments.”
“[They] took full advantage of the Sphere’s hi-tech capabilities, with dramatic animations dwarfing the four band members on stage,” Ultimate Classic Rock noted.
“To call Metallica’s arrival at the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere a residency is to miss the point entirely: it’s a high-tech conquest by a band that has outgrown every traditional stage on Earth,” Louder Sound added.
As for what they took to the stage over the two-show weekend, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo mixed things up a bit.
Set List FM reports that night one saw the heavy metal legends bring “Battery,” “Now That We’re Dead” and “…And Justice For All” to the stage for the first time in years.
Then, on night two, the “Some Kind of Monster” subjects unveiled rarely-performed deep cuts “Devil’s Dance” and “The Outlaw Torn,” according to Set List FM.
Of course, long-time fan favorites “Enter Sandman,” “One,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Master of Puppets” and “Seek & Destroy” all made the cut as well over the weekend.
“Combined, both evenings make for a fascinating, phenomenal and unique experience that’s quite unlike anything else,” Kerrang! gushed. Suffice to say that, long after they conquered the globe, Metallica have now also conquered The Sphere.”
If you’d like to be there for this “fascinating, phenomenal and unique experience,” tickets are available for all 22 remaining Sphere shows — or 11 “No Repeat Weekends” — from now until March 2027.
At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets for any one show was $685 including fees on Vivid Seats.
Prices start at $1,145 including fees for a two-show “No Repeat Weekend.”
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about Metallica’s 2026-27 Life Burns Faster Las Vegas Sphere residency below.
All Las Vegas Sphere single and multi-show dates, concert start times and links to the cheapest tickets are listed here:
A complete calendar including all newly-announced North American tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
On top of the residency, Metallica is also helping Uncasville, CT’s 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena celebrate the venue’s 25th anniversary in November.
This will be the first time the Rock Hall of Famers have performed in the Constitution State since July 1998, when they headlined at Hartford’s Meadows Music Theater as part of their ‘Poor Re-Touring Me Tour.’
If you’d like to see them thrash live, here’s when they’ll be at the Mohegan Sun Arena:
When Metallica isn’t lighting up the Sphere stage, many other exciting shows are headed to Vegas’ premier entertainment destination.
Here’s what’s up next at the one-of-a-kind venue.
If you’re planning a Las Vegas trip, you can find a complete calendar of all upcoming events at Sphere here.
Based on our findings at Set List FM, here’s what Metallica delivered Thursday, Oct. 1.
01.) “Battery” (first time as opener since July 11, 2014)02.) “Creeping Death”03.) “Now That We’re Dead” (first performance since Sept. 24, 2021)
04.) “Sad but True”05.) “The Shortest Straw” (first time with an intro tape)06.) “Wherever I May Roam”07.) “The Day That Never Comes”08.) “…And Justice for All” (first performance since Aug. 9, 2014; clean intro skipped)09.) “Kirk and Rob Doodle” (“Sleepwalk My Life Away”)10.) “Nothing Else Matters” (with extended Kirk solo intro)11.) “The Call of Ktulu” (dedicated to Cliff Burton)12.) “Lux Æterna”13.) “Ride the Lightning”14.) “The Memory Remains” (with extended outro)15.) “Seek & Destroy”16.) “Master of Puppets”
Set List FM reports these were the tracks that Hetfield and co. rocked when they took the Sphere stage on Saturday, Oct. 3.
01.) “Blackened” (first time as an opener since Aug. 9, 2014)02.) “Fuel”03.) “Leper Messiah”04.) “Devil’s Dance” (first performance since June 7, 2008)05.) “72 Seasons”06.) “King Nothing”07.) “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”08.) “The Outlaw Torn” (first performance since September 8, 2019)09.) “Kirk and Rob Doodle”10.) “The Unforgiven”11.) “Orion” (Tribute to Cliff Burton)12.) “Hardwired”13.) “Whiskey in the Jar” ([traditional] cover)14.) “For Whom the Bell Tolls”15.) “One”16.) “Enter Sandman”
On April 14, 2023, Metallica dropped their 11th studio album “72 Seasons.”
The thrumming, high-velocity record quickly sets the tone with the non-stop thrill ride title track and then refuses to let up throughout its healthy 77-minute runtime.
Indisputable highlights include the snaking “Sleepwalk My Life Away,” nakedly raw “You Must Burn!” and unrelenting “Lux Æterna.” Don’t expect a second to breathe; Metallica goes hard the entire time with nary a moment to rest. Just the way it should be.
To hear for yourself, you can listen to “72 Seasons” here.
Can’t make it to the Entertainment Capital of the World to headbang this year?
Here are just five of the biggest heavy metal acts you won’t want to miss live these next few months.
Who else is out and about? Take a look at this list of al the biggest hard rockers on tour to find the show for you.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
