Metallica at Sphere Las Vegas: Dates, Setlists, No Repeats

Metallica at Sphere Las Vegas is the rare residency where seeing two shows makes more sense than seeing one. The Life Burns Faster run puts 24 Metallica concerts inside Sphere, always a Thursday and the Saturday after it, and nothing played on the Thursday comes back on the Saturday. The room holds 17,600. Metallica usually plays stadiums that hold several times that.

Life Burns Faster: what a Metallica night at Sphere is

Metallica at Sphere opened on October 1, 2026, and the format showed itself on night two. The band played 16 songs that Saturday and none of them had been in Thursday's set. "Enter Sandman" and "One" closed it. It's the No Repeat Weekend idea Metallica ran on its M72 stadium tour, moved indoors under a 16K screen that wraps over the crowd, with Sphere's HOLOPLOT sound system pushing the guitars from every direction. Lars Ulrich's reaction after his first visit to the building was that it's "completely uncharted territory." The draw is simple: the biggest metal band alive, a room a fraction of its usual size, and a picture that wraps over your head.

Metallica at Sphere Las Vegas, Life Burns Faster residency

Venue: Sphere at The Venetian Resort, east of the Strip. Run: 24 shows, Thursday and Saturday pairs, through March 13, 2027. Format: two different setlists in every pair. Best for: fans who know the deep cuts as well as the hits.

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One night or the full pair

The catalog goes back to 1981, and two nights give it room. Night two of the residency reached for "The Outlaw Torn" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" alongside "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and the band dusted off "Devil's Dance" for the first time in 18 years. One night is a full show. It comes with its own run of anthems. Two-night passes for a Thursday and its Saturday are part of the ticketing, and they're built for the fans who want both halves of the setlist.

Who it suits, and who might pass

Book this one if Metallica is the band you'd cross the country for, or if you've seen them in a stadium and want to know what the songs do inside a screen. First-time Sphere visitors fit too. The building is half the show. One song can't be promised, though. With no repeats inside a weekend, the song you came for may land on the other night of your pair, so a single ticket bought for one song is a gamble the full pair removes.

Before you book

The October 31 show falls on a Saturday. That's a rare double. Halloween in Las Vegas comes with Metallica attached. Our Las Vegas haunted houses guide covers the rest of that weekend, and the Halloween in Las Vegas page lists what else is on. Sphere's daytime tenant is a different world entirely: our look at The Wizard of Oz at Sphere explains the 16K film playing between concert nights. For anything else in town on your dates, see what's happening in Las Vegas this weekend.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Metallica Sphere dates?

Metallica's Sphere residency runs from October 1 to November 7, 2026, then picks up again from January 28 to March 13, 2027. Every show is a Thursday or a Saturday, and they come in pairs, for 24 concerts in all.

What does No Repeat Weekend mean at Metallica's Sphere shows?

It means the Thursday and Saturday concerts of each weekend share no songs. If you go to both nights of one pair, you hear two complete, separate setlists. Metallica first used the idea on its M72 world tour, where each city got two different shows.

What did Metallica play on opening night at Sphere?

On October 1, 2026, Metallica opened with "Battery" and played 16 songs, among them "Creeping Death," "Sad But True," "Nothing Else Matters," "The Call of Ktulu" and "Ride the Lightning." The night ended the traditional way, with "Seek & Destroy" and then "Master of Puppets."

Is Metallica at Sphere worth it?

For a Metallica fan, yes. Sphere puts the band in a 17,600-seat room with a screen that covers the ceiling, which no stadium tour can match, and the no-repeat rule makes every pair of nights a different pair of shows. It's a bigger spend than a tour stop, so it pays off most for people who care about the setlist.

Where is Sphere in Las Vegas?

Sphere stands at 255 Sands Avenue, just east of the Strip behind The Venetian Resort and The Palazzo. A pedestrian bridge links it to The Venetian, so guests staying there or at The Palazzo can walk over without going outside onto the Strip.