Metallica Ignites Las Vegas Sphere Debut With High-Octane Rock Showcase

Metallica kicked off its highly anticipated “Life Burns Faster” residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Thursday night, Oct. 1, delivering an electrifying 16-song set paired with immersive, eye-popping visuals.

The heavy metal icons became the first hard rock group to headline the state-of-the-art venue.

Stage Setup and Visuals

The Sphere’s production placed the band on a central circular platform surrounded by the venue’s signature “Snake Pit” general admission area. Nine microphone stations were positioned around the perimeter, allowing frontman James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo to move freely across the stage. Drummer Lars Ulrich’s mobile drum kit appeared at multiple fixed locations throughout the venue during the performance.

A high-definition camera system mounted on an overhead track captured the band and audience, projecting real-time 360-degree visuals onto the Sphere’s 160,000-square-foot wraparound LED display.

Several selections featured custom visual sequences tailored to the band’s history. “Sad But True” was accompanied by gothic cathedral architecture with stained-glass windows depicting guitars and band iconography.

For “The Shortest Straw,” the display rendered massive playing cards and slot machine reels. “The Day That Never Comes” featured hourglasses rising from a desert landscape, while “…And Justice for All”—appearing in a Metallica setlist for the first time since 2014—depicted Lady Justice under surveillance before the surrounding structure collapsed.

During “Ride the Lightning,” animated lightning arcs illuminated a violet sky above a virtual electric chair suspended over the stage. “The Call of Ktulu” transformed the interior into an underwater environment as a mythical sea creature expanded across the screen. Hetfield dedicated the instrumental track to the band’s late bassist, Cliff Burton.

Check out this fan video of the band performing “Wherever I May Roam.”

Setlist Highlights and History

An AC/DC track, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll),” preceded Metallica’s traditional intro piece, “The Ecstasy of Gold,” signaling the band’s stage entrance at 8:48 p.m.

The group opened with “Battery,” marking the first time Metallica used the track as a concert opener since July 2014.

The 16-song set drew from nine of the band’s 11 studio albums, with only Load and St. Anger unrepresented. Tracks from The Black Album included “Sad But True,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Nothing Else Matters.” Ride the Lightning was represented by “Creeping Death,” “The Call of Ktulu,” and the title track.

The main set concluded with “Master of Puppets,” accompanied by visuals depicting rows of white crosses extending toward a red-orange horizon in an homage to the 1986 album cover art.

Metallica’s residency utilizes a two-night structure each week, with Thursday and Saturday performances featuring entirely different setlists. No songs are repeated between the two nights, continuing the “No Repeat Weekend” format the band established during its M72 World Tour, which began in 2023 and runs through June 2027.

Oct. 1 Setlist

1. Battery
2. Creeping Death
3. Now That We’re Dead
4. Sad But True
5. The Shortest Straw
6. Wherever I May Roam
7. The Day That Never Comes
8. …And Justice for All
9. “Sleepwalk My Life Away” (Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo Doodle)
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. The Call of Ktulu
12. Lux Æterna
13. Ride the Lightning
14. The Memory Remains
15. Seek & Destroy
16. Master of Puppets