Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has opened up about the band’s highly anticipated residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. He shared his thoughts in an interview on SiriusXM, joining U2 guitarist The Edge on his U2 X-Radio series Close To The Edge to discuss what the upcoming Sphere shows mean for Metallica.
Ulrich spoke candidly about the excitement and intimidation surrounding the project. He acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead while crediting U2 for paving the way.
“We’ll take a couple weeks [after the completion of Metallica’s ‘M72’ world tour] to chill out, but then we gotta start thinking about scaling the Sphere mountain and conquering that,” Ulrich said. “We’ve been working on this for a year, year and a half. And certainly, thank you to you guys [in U2, which was the first to play at the Sphere in 2023]. I was there opening night [of the U2 residency] and was so just f*cking awestruck, inspired, energized, all of it. And it was just, like, ‘Holy shit, this is somehow another frontier.'”
Ulrich went on to reflect on what makes the Sphere a uniquely different experience compared to anything Metallica has done before.
“We’re all fortunate enough to be able to do these shows, to connect with these audiences, to play with the configuration and to sort of reinvent the staging and all of it all the time,” he continued. “But this is something else. This is another level. And so to be able to do that here is so exciting.”
He also acknowledged the weight of following in U2’s footsteps and the challenges that come with filming and production at the venue.
“And, obviously, you guys were the first ones in, and it was just so incredible to see that night. And so in that spirit, three years later, when we start here in a few months, we’re so excited and definitely have heard from a few folks about the filming and all of it. And it’s gonna be challenging. And, obviously, I think like everybody else I’ve talked to about it, it’s overwhelming and f*cking intimidating.”
Despite the pressure, Ulrich expressed that stepping outside of their comfort zone is exactly what the band needs.
“But hopefully when we step out on stage that first night, we’ll have it somewhat together,” he said. “And as you know, 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’s Sphere residency in Las Vegas is set to begin in the coming months, following the conclusion of their massive ‘M72’ world tour.
The scale of what Metallica is stepping into is now fully clear. The residency is officially titled Life Burns Faster. It is one of the most ambitious hard rock live events ever staged, and the details confirm just how seriously the band is treating this undertaking.
The Life Burns Faster residency spans a total of 24 shows at the Sphere at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. It runs from October 1, 2026, through March 13, 2027. The 2026 portion alone features 12 performances across October and November, with shows scheduled on October 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, and 31, followed by November 5 and 7. The residency was later expanded from its original eight-show plan, with 16 additional dates added to extend the run deep into early 2027.
Metallica is bringing their signature “No Repeat Weekend” format to the Sphere. This is a concept they pioneered during the M72 World Tour. Under this format, Thursday and Saturday shows within the same weekend feature entirely different setlists, meaning no song is repeated across a single weekend. For fans attending multiple nights, every performance delivers a distinct experience — both musically and visually, given the Sphere’s immersive interior LED canvas.
The band has also made provisions for the most dedicated fans, offering a “Full House” package for those wishing to attend all 24 shows. Tickets for the residency start at $388, reflecting both the premium nature of the Sphere experience and the demand surrounding one of rock’s biggest names taking on the venue’s unique technological demands.
The expansion of the residency to 24 shows makes Life Burns Faster one of the most substantial hard rock residencies ever mounted at the Sphere. With the M72 World Tour wrapping up and this Las Vegas chapter beginning in October, Metallica is treating the Sphere not as a one-off spectacle, but as a full-scale creative statement. It is one that Ulrich himself admits has been in the works for well over a year.
