Metallica began thinking about a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere after Lars Ulrich attended U2’s opening night there, he revealed.

The Irish band opened the 20,000-capacity venue in 2023 with a 40-date run. After considering the possibility for a while, Metallica will commence their own run in the fall, delivering 24 performances between Oct. 1 and March 13.

“I was there [on the] opening night and was so just fucking awestruck, inspired, energized, all of it,” Ulrich recently told the Edge on the U2 guitarist’s SiriusXM show. “It was just, like, ‘Holy shit, this is somehow another frontier.’”

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Ulrich said he hoped Metallica could create an equally “incredible” experience but admitted there are some nerves to be calmed before the opening night.

“It’s gonna be challenging,” he said. “And obviously, like everybody else I’ve talked to about it, it’s overwhelming and fucking intimidating. But … that’s a place maybe we don’t end up in often enough, because we have a tendency to put ourselves in environments that we completely control and know. And so I think it’s really good to be able to throw yourself for a loop like that.”

Metallica Plans to Film During Sphere Residency

Ulrich confirmed that Metallica were in talks to film the Life Burns Faster residency, named after a lyric from classic track “Master of Puppets.”

After announcing eight initial dates, the run now includes 12 “No Repeat Weekends” in which the band will play entirely different sets on each Thursday and Saturday. There are no plans to add further dates.

“Life Burns Faster set lists will span the entire catalog, enhanced by the venue’s immersive technologies that will allow you to experience the ’Tallica sound in new experiential dimensions,” the band said when the first Sphere shows were announced.

“Whether you’ve seen us from the upper reaches of a stadium or arena, at an intimate club or theater gig, or from the Snake Pit, Sphere’s technology will present an entirely new live experience for everyone in the house … including us!

Watch Metallica’s Sphere Residency Trailer

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