The 24-show Las Vegas run opened October 1 and 3 with separate setlists and songs returning after years away. It continues through March 13, 2027.
A two-night Sphere weekend gives Metallica a strict rule to work around: no song can return for the second show. On October 1 and 3, the band played entirely different setlists, drawing nearly 40,000 fans across the opening weekend.
Called Life Burns Faster, the Las Vegas residency is scheduled to run for 24 concerts across 12 No Repeat Weekends. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo played songs from across the band’s catalog, accompanied by visuals created specifically for Sphere. The format means songs do not repeat between the two concerts of a weekend.
The October 1 opening show lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes and included 16 songs, according to Parade.
Songs returning to the stage
On October 1, “…And Justice for All” returned for the first time since 2014. “Now That We’re Dead” had not been played since 2021, while “Battery” opened a concert for the first time since 2014.
Two days later, “Devil’s Dance” returned after last being played in 2008. “The Outlaw Torn” had been absent since 2019, and “Blackened” opened the show for the first time since 2014.
Each night also honored late bassist Cliff Burton. The October 1 set included “The Call of Ktulu”; on October 3, the band played “Orion.” Adele also paid tribute to Matthew Perry during her Caesars Palace residency.
On October 8, Metallica debuted “Fade to Black” at the residency; the 16-song set ended with “Master of Puppets,” Ultimate Classic Rock reported. At the fourth concert, on October 10, “Until It Sleeps” made its Life Burns Faster performance debut, according to Chaoszine.
Opening weekend setlists
October 1: 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 and Rob Doodle (“Sleepwalk My Life Away”); Nothing Else Matters; The Call of Ktulu; Lux Æterna; Ride the Lightning; The Memory Remains; Seek & Destroy; Master of Puppets.
October 3: Blackened; Fuel; Leper Messiah; Devil’s Dance; 72 Seasons; King Nothing; Welcome Home (Sanitarium); The Outlaw Torn; Kirk and Rob Doodle; The Unforgiven; Orion; Hardwired; Whiskey in the Jar; For Whom the Bell Tolls; One; Enter Sandman.
Residency and tour dates
After the opening weekend, Metallica played paired shows on October 8 and 10. Both were listed as sold out on the band’s official tour page. The schedule continues with paired shows on October 15 and 17, October 22 and 24, October 29 and 31, and November 5 and 7.
The band returns to Sphere in 2027 for shows on January 28 and 30; February 4 and 6, 18 and 20, and 25 and 27; then March 4 and 6 and 11 and 13. The residency is scheduled to end March 13.
Metallica is scheduled to resume its M72 World Tour after the Las Vegas run, with a 12-date North American stadium trek starting May 8, 2027, at BC Place in Vancouver. The remaining stops are May 13 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego; May 18 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso; May 22 at the Alamodome in San Antonio; May 26 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville; May 29 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City; June 2 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh; June 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis; June 8 at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo; June 12 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison; June 15 at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland; and June 19 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
