Metallica kicked off their Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas on Thursday night (October 1), launching a 24-show run that will continue into March 2027.
The opening night saw Metallica deliver a set spanning much of their catalog, including the first performance of “Now That We’re Dead” since 2021 and the return of “…And Justice for All” for the first time since 2014.
The band opened the performance with “Battery,” marking the first time the song had kicked off a Metallica show since 2014. Other highlights included “The Shortest Straw,” “The Day That Never Comes,” “The Call of Ktulu,” “Ride the Lightning,” “The Memory Remains” and “Seek & Destroy,” before Metallica closed the night with “Master of Puppets.”
“The Call of Ktulu” was dedicated to late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.
The Las Vegas residency follows Metallica’s No Repeat Weekend format, with different setlists planned for the Thursday and Saturday performances within each weekend.
Life Burns Faster continues Saturday, October 3, with additional shows scheduled throughout October and November before the residency resumes in January and runs through March 13, 2027.
Check out the opening-night setlist, upcoming Sphere dates and fan-filmed footage from the show below.
Metallica – Sphere, Las Vegas – October 1, 2026 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. Kirk and Rob Doodle (“Sleepwalk My Life Away”)
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
Metallica – Life Burns Faster at Sphere:
October 3, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 8, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 10, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 15, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 17, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 22, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 24, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 29, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
October 31, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
November 5, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
November 7, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
January 28, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
January 30, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
February 4, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
February 6, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
February 18, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
February 20, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
February 25, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
February 27, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
March 4, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
March 6, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
March 11, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
March 13, 2027 – Las Vegas, NV – Sphere
Photo by asaf barlev
