Metallica kicked off their highly anticipated “Life Burns Faster” residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere on Thursday night with mesmerizing visuals and an electrifying 16-song set. The residency will run for a total of 24 dates on Thursdays and Saturdays through March 2027. The Thursday setlist is completely different from the Saturday setlist, meaning no songs are repeated from one show to the other each week.
Metallica shared video of just about every song on their official Instagram page, showing an absolutely spectacular setting, with stunning imagery appearing on the Sphere’s giant interior wall. The visuals corresponded to each song, showing memorabilia, lightning and thunder, flying guitar picks, album artwork, a giant monster, and more.
Setlist and Visuals
The legendary metal band kicked off the evening with “Battery” (first time leading off a show with the Master of Puppets track since 2014), and followed that up with “Creeping Death” off Ride the Lightning.
The setlist represented 10 of the band’s 11 studio albums, with only St. Anger excluded. “The Black Album” (“Sad But True,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Nothing Else Matters”) and Ride the Lightning (“Creeping Death,” “The Call of Ktulu,” and “Ride the Lightning”) got the most love with three songs each.
Elsewhere, Metallica played the title track from …And Justice for All for the first time since 2014, and ended the night with the one-two punch of “Seek & Destroy” and “Master of Puppets,” with the latter’s visuals featuring a field of crosses from the artwork of the Master of Puppets album.
Upcoming Tour Dates
For fans wondering why Metallica didn’t play classics like “Enter Sandman,” “One” and “Fade to Black,” those will surely make the set on Saturday. Again, it’s a “no repeat” setlist from Thursday to Saturday each week of the residency. The band is also setting out on a new North American leg of their long-running “M72 World Tour” next year. Pick up tickets to both the Sphere and the tour at this location (use code COS20 for $20 off a first-time order of $200 or more).
Setlist:
Battery (first time as opener since 2014)
Creeping Death
Now That We’re Dead (first performance since 2021)
Sad but True
The Shortest Straw
Wherever I May Roam
The Day That Never Comes
…And Justice for All (first performance since 2014)
Kirk and Rob Doodle (“Sleepwalk My Life Away”)
Nothing Else Matters (with extended Kirk solo intro)
The Call of Ktulu (dedicated to Cliff Burton)
Lux Æterna
Ride the Lightning
The Memory Remains (With extended outro)
Seek & Destroy
Master of Puppets
In conclusion, Metallica’s “Life Burns Faster” residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas is off to an incredible start, with a unique setlist and stunning visuals that are sure to impress fans. With the band’s “M72 World Tour” also on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to be a Metallica fan. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see one of the most iconic metal bands of all time perform live – get your tickets now and experience the thrill of Metallica’s music for yourself.
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