Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Metallica have officially taken over the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The band opened their Life Burns Faster residency on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Las Vegas Sphere. That made them the first metal band to headline the venue. The set reached across their whole career, brought back a few songs fans hadn't heard in years and used every inch of the Sphere's wraparound 16K screen.
"Vegas, do you want heavy?" James Hetfield asked the crowd. After the roar that followed, he answered his own question: "Metallica gives you heavy, baby!"
Metallica Sphere Setlist: Night 1 (Oct. 1, 2026)
- Battery
- Creeping Death
- Now That We're Dead
- Sad but True
- The Shortest Straw
- Wherever I May Roam
- The Day That Never Comes
- …And Justice for All
- Kirk Hammett & Robert Trujillo doodle
- Nothing Else Matters
- The Call of Ktulu
- Lux Æterna
- Ride the Lightning
- The Memory Remains
- Seek & Destroy
- Master of Puppets
The visuals are a big part of the show. During "Now That We're Dead," a gothic cathedral climbed the venue's walls, complete with stained-glass windows showing each band member. "Wherever I May Roam" sent fans on a virtual train ride past world landmarks that ended at the Sphere itself. The closer, "Master of Puppets," filled the dome with the album cover's famous field of crosses.
Throughout the night, the screen also showed lightning storms, flying guitar picks, album artwork, memorabilia and a giant monster.
Metallica Sphere Dates Through March 2027
Metallica are playing 24 shows in total: 11 in 2026 and 13 in 2027. After the rest of the October run, the remaining dates are:
- November 2026: 5, 7
- January 2027: 28, 30
- February 2027: 4, 6, 18, 20, 25, 27
- March 2027: 4, 6, 11, 13
Tickets are on sale now through the Sphere and Ticketmaster.