Metallica opened its residency at Sphere. On the first night, it brought out ...And Justice for All after 12 years

On Thursday, October 1, Metallica became the first metal band to perform at the Sphere arena in Las Vegas. With this first concert, it launched the Life Burns Faster residency, which will run until March of next year. Loudwire ↗

Sphere stands next to the Venetian hotel complex. It opened in September 2023 with a series of U2 concerts. Viewers are surrounded by a screen with 16K resolution, and the arena holds 17,600 people. The MetalList ↗ After U2, Eagles, No Doubt and Phish also held residencies there. TASR ↗

Metallica announced the residency in February with eight concerts. Due to high demand, it added sixteen more in March in two waves, bringing the total to 24, with the last one set for March 13, 2027. The shows are performed in a "No Repeat Weekend" format: two concerts in a row, each with a completely different setlist. Wikipedia ↗

The first night featured sixteen songs. It opened with Battery, which Metallica had last used to open a concert on July 11, 2014. Next came Creeping Death, Now That We're Dead — which the band hadn't played live since September 2021 — and Sad But True. Loudwire ↗

The biggest event for fans was the title track of the album ...And Justice for All. The band last played it live on August 9, 2014, twelve years ago. Loudwire ↗ Ultimate Classic Rock ↗ It was preceded by The Shortest Straw from the same album, Wherever I May Roam and The Day That Never Comes. After Justice came a short joint interlude by guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, the so-called doodle, this time based on the song Sleepwalk My Life Away from the latest album. The band then slowed the tempo with Nothing Else Matters. Loudwire ↗

The band dedicated the instrumental The Call of Ktulu to bassist Cliff Burton, who died almost exactly 40 years ago. Ultimate Classic Rock ↗ Burton died on September 27, 1986 in a bus accident during a tour in Sweden, and The Call of Ktulu is one of the songs he co-wrote. Wikipedia ↗

The screen accompanied the band all evening. During Now That We're Dead, the arena turned into a gothic cathedral with stained-glass windows depicting the band's four members. During Wherever I May Roam, it took viewers on a train ride past famous places around the world. Loudwire ↗

What it looked like during Wherever I May Roam was captured by one of the audience members. Below it is the official teaser with which the band announced the residency in February.



The closing belonged to proven hits. After Lux Æterna, Ride the Lightning and The Memory Remains came Seek & Destroy, and the concert closed with Master of Puppets. Loudwire ↗

Drummer Lars Ulrich attended U2's opening concert at Sphere in 2023 and admitted he left stunned, inspired and full of energy. Loudwire ↗ Yet he called the band's own performance at this arena a challenge that is "overwhelming and intimidating." Ultimate Classic Rock ↗ In August, the band asked fans to send in photos from older concerts that it wants to project onto the arena's screen. Wikipedia ↗

Metallica today consists of singer James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. The band was formed in 1981, and released its latest studio album, 72 Seasons, in 2023. TASR ↗

Metallica in Warsaw during the M72 tour in 2024. Photo: Iron.secrets / Wikimedia Commons, license CC0