Metallica Opens 24-Show Sphere Residency in Las Vegas

Metallica opened its Life Burns Faster residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas on October 1, launching a 24-show run with a 16-song set that began with Battery. The residency is scheduled to continue through March 2027, with performances listed for Thursday and Saturday dates. The opening-night set drew on songs from across the band’s catalog. It included Creeping Death, Sad But True, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters and Master of Puppets, alongside later material such as Now That We’re Dead, The Day That Never Comes and Lux Æterna. The Call of Ktulu was dedicated to late bassist Cliff Burton, according to one account. The set also included the title track from 1988’s ...And Justice for All. One report said it was the song’s first performance since 2014. The published setlists identify Battery as the opener and list the 16 songs, though some reports include additional descriptions of the presentation and the song sequence. The venue’s large-scale visual displays formed part of the show. Before the performance, images of flags representing the band’s international fan base appeared on the Sphere’s interior screens, according to an opening-night account.