{"id":870901,"date":"2026-10-04T22:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T22:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/870901\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T22:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T22:02:11","slug":"metallicas-life-burns-faster-las-vegas-sphere-residency-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/870901\/","title":{"rendered":"Metallica’s Life Burns Faster Las Vegas Sphere Residency Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tForget Sin City\u2019s \u201cWelcome to Fabulous Las Vegas\u201d sign. This past weekend, visitors should have been greeted with one that said, \u201cWelcome to Planet Metallica<\/a>.\u201d Everywhere on the strip you\u2019d see folks wearing black Metallica T-shirts \u2014 in casinos, on pool decks, even in the Venetian hotel\u2019s gondolas. Tickets for the band\u2019s Life Burns Faster residency<\/a> at the city\u2019s ginormous Sphere sold out quickly<\/a>, so folks who managed to score tickets wanted to show off.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe band themselves called the Vegas residency a \u201ctakeover,\u201d<\/a> sort of a lifestyle-branded convention including special bars for fans, a giant pop-up store, and even a blood drive in addition to the concerts. And while Metallica and their fans have colonized cities with these sorts of events many times, this time felt different.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI had this dream last night that we were playing the Sphere,\u201d singer-guitarist James Hetfield told the crowd on Thursday. \u201cIt was so cool. This is like a dream come true and beyond. \u2026 After 45 years, there\u2019s still a lot more fun to be had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMetallica have always striven to be the biggest band in the land, and the Sphere gave them their biggest production ever. The photos and video people have posted to Instagram do not do justice to what it actually feels like to have the group\u2019s visuals literally surround you while they play. Sometimes it was disorienting. The virtual-reality\u2013style roller coaster ride they created for \u201cWherever I May Roam\u201d \u2014 which sped through New York, Hollywood, Stonehenge, and the Nashville record store Grimey\u2019s \u2014 seemed so real I felt motion sickness. (\u201cHow many of you have already thrown up?\u201d Hetfield asked the crowd at one point on Thursday.) And the moon-like orb that crashed down on the band during \u201cEnter Sandman\u201d on Saturday looked like a real Planet Metallica (complete with a spiky \u201cM\u201d on it) as it grew in size.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeff Yeager*<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than half a century has passed since Pink Floyd invented the larger-than-life concert spectacle, and Metallica may have perfected it at the Sphere. It was a joyous experience for the lucky thousands who got tickets, Jack White and Matthew McConaughey among them. \u201cThis is historical,\u201d one fan proclaimed to the venue\u2019s men\u2019s room on Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s worth the price.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the residency\u2019s kickoff gigs, on Thursday and Saturday nights, the band played two unique set lists for what they\u2019ve dubbed a \u201cNo Repeat Weekend,\u201d drawing heavily from Master of Puppets, which turned 40 this year<\/a>, and the Black Album<\/a>. The 30 songs they played included their biggest hits (\u201cEnter Sandman,\u201d \u201cOne,\u201d \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d), as well as a few numbers they rarely play \u2014 \u201cDevil\u2019s Dance,\u201d off their recently reissued ReLoad<\/a> and the 10-minute behemoth \u201c\u2026 And Justice for All\u201d \u2014 all to their fans\u2019 delight. The band sounded excellent, too, performing each song with precision since they had to match the sound up to the visuals. Those computer generated scenes, in a weird way, became the true star of the event.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeff Yeager*<\/p>\n

\n\tFor once, fans in the nosebleeds were better positioned than those on the floor. On Saturday, one fan told me he had completely missed the expansive imagery of Metallica-branded flags that covered the screens all the way up to the top. During every song, you have to decide whether to watch the screen or squint down to see where Lars Ulrich\u2019s drums are or if Hetfield is kneeling. The band still put on a stadium-worthy performance, and sometimes the Sphere showed them on the screen, but largely, they provided a great soundtrack for sometimes astonishing visuals. \u201cFor modern technology and old guys playing loud music, this is pretty fucking awesome,\u201d Hetfield commented on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe imagery worked best when it played off the song. For the Ride the Lightning<\/a> instrumental, \u201cThe Call of Ktulu,\u201d they showed H.P. Lovecraft\u2019s Cthulhu monster climbing out of an ocean eventually transplanting him to the Vegas strip to wreak havoc. \u201cFor Whom the Bell Tolls\u201d took Ernest Hemingway\u2019s narrative about Spanish Civil War soldiers looking to the sky just before they die and literally showed a bombed-out church and the view from a fighter plane\u2019s cockpit. The similarly war-themed \u201cOne\u201d depicted soldiers marching until an explosion turned them into walking skeletons. And the ways they brought their album art to life<\/a> (showing a prison riot around Lady Justice for \u2026 And Justice for All, placing fans in the electric chair for Ride the Lightning, and burying them under charred debris for 72 Seasons<\/a>) felt immersive. (Fortuitously, they didn\u2019t animate Load.)<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrett Murray*<\/p>\n

\n\tNot all of the visuals were so stunning, though. \u201cSad but True,\u201d one of the band\u2019s heaviest songs, merely got disembodied hands wielding hammers and men walking to accompany it. And \u201cOrion,\u201d an instrumental ostensibly about a badass mythic Greek giant<\/a>, got a replica of regular concert truss lighting and screens showing the band members. Also, it felt strange to hear Hetfield sing, \u201cGimme fuel, gimme fire\u201d with no real pyro.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 17,000-or-so concertgoers didn\u2019t mind, though, since it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the display. The band\u2019s fans live, breathe, and, for those who participated in the blood drive, literally bleed Metallica. So experiencing a one-of-a-kind event like this, and being part of a community like Metallica\u2019s, was genuinely moving for some. The man next to me on Saturday air-drummed the entire show, and a couple behind me kept commenting about how happy Hetfield looked on the big screen during every song. And of course there was the one fan who made it clear Christmas had come early for him by wearing a full Santa Claus suit both nights and waving regally like St. Nick at the band members from the \u201cSnake Pit\u201d in front of the stage.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut the specialness of the event wasn\u2019t confined only to the Sphere, as fans visited Metallica\u2019s many experiences. The pop-up shop offered more than band T-shirts and posters; it featured photo ops placing fans in the artwork (like sitting in the Ride the Lightning electric chair) and a replica of the infamous Metallica Mansion \u201cgarage\u201d where the band wrote Master of Puppets, well peppered with empty beer cans. Fans who spent a little extra money on VIP experiences could visit the Black Box, a specialty bar that also included a replica \u201ctuning room\u201d where they could play Hetfield\u2019s, Hammett\u2019s, and Trujillo\u2019s real guitars and pose with Ulrich\u2019s drums (signs posted said they wouldn\u2019t give fans drumsticks, since that would be chaotic), tour a Metallica museum (which featured the late bassist Cliff Burton\u2019s instrument behind glass and handwritten lyrics), and listen to rare demos and songs at a music \u201cbar\u201d (notably the contentious \u201cleaked Napster version\u201d of \u201cI Disappear\u201d). These extra things to do made Vegas a destination for Metallica fans.<\/p>\n

\n\tRobert Slayback, a fan from New York, allowed his son, Jake, to miss a few days of ninth grade to make the trip to Vegas for Metallica. \u201cThat\u2019s a good reason to miss class, right?\u201d Robert said as he and his son stood in line to get into the Black Box, where a Sirius XM broadcast was scheduled to take place. \u201cWe listen to [Metallica\u2019s Sirius station] all the time in the car. He said, \u2018[Metallica archivist] Spider-Dan\u2019s gonna be there.\u2019 I said, \u2018He\u2019s not in the band,\u2019 but he\u2019s pumped.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrett Murray*<\/p>\n

\n\tI also spoke with fans from all over the country who made the concert a destination event. A group of friends outside of the pop-up shop told me that they variously flew in from Chicago, Philadelphia, Indiana, and Minneapolis to hang out at Life Burns Faster. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for us at this age, in our 40s, with kids to be able to get out and do something like this,\u201d one of the fans, Dave Leopold, told me. \u201cSo we had high expectations. Everything we heard about the Sphere made it sound like it was going to be incredible, and [the show] exceeded everything. This was 100 percent worth it.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe band made it clear on Saturday that it is well aware of the impact they have on people\u2019s lives. \u201cWe are super grateful that all of you have taken the time, the effort, and the cash to show up here live to celebrate this very moment with us,\u201d Hetfield told the crowd after playing the deep cut \u201cLeper Messiah\u201d on Saturday. \u201cWe don\u2019t take it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut perhaps more meaningful is what he said at the start of Saturday\u2019s show right after they opened with the fan favorite, \u201cBlackened\u201d: \u201cAre you with us? We are Metallica, and so are you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNowhere was that fact clearer than after each concert in the casino where rivers of black Metallica T-shirts flooded the pit. Much like how photos and video can\u2019t properly capture what it\u2019s like to see Metallica at the Sphere, it\u2019s impossible to replicate the sense of camaraderie among the fans. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, as the saying goes, and Metallica and their fans will be staying here off and on at least for a few more months. Viva Planet Metallica.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeff Yeager<\/p>\n

\n\tMetallica \u201cLife Burns Faster,\u201d Night One set list:<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBattery\u201d
\u201cCreeping Death\u201d
\u201cNow That We\u2019re Dead\u201d
\u201cSad but True\u201d
\u201cThe Shortest Straw\u201d
\u201cWherever I May Roam\u201d
\u201cThe Day That Never Comes\u201d
\u201c\u2026 And Justice for All\u201d
Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo \u201cDoodle\u201d
\u201cNothing Else Matters\u201d
\u201cThe Call of Ktulu\u201d
\u201cLux \u00c6terna\u201d
\u201cRide the Lightning\u201d
\u201cThe Memory Remains\u201d
\u201cSeek & Destroy\u201d
\u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tNight Two set list:<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBlackened\u201d
\u201cFuel\u201d
\u201cLeper Messiah\u201d
\u201cDevil\u2019s Dance\u201d
\u201c72 Seasons\u201d
\u201cKing Nothing\u201d
\u201cWelcome Home (Sanitarium)\u201d
\u201cThe Outlaw Torn\u201d
Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo \u201cDoodle\u201d
\u201cThe Unforgiven\u201d
\u201cOrion\u201d
\u201cHardwired\u201d
\u201cWhiskey in the Jar\u201d
\u201cFor Whom the Bell Tolls\u201d
\u201cOne\u201d
\u201cEnter Sandman\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Forget Sin City\u2019s \u201cWelcome to Fabulous Las Vegas\u201d sign. This past weekend, visitors should have been greeted with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":870902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,19854,216],"class_list":["post-870901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-metallica","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/870902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}