Metallica Announces Major Tour News, but There's a Big Catch for Fans

Metallica, the first band to perform on all seven continents, announced some major news for its fans on Wednesday, Feb. 25 coming on the heels of a tease from drummer Lars Ulrich in August 2025.

During an interview, Ulrich refused to speculate on a potential residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. “It’s something that we’re looking at, at some point, when the 2026 tour is done,” Ulrich said in an interview with Howard Stern. “I’m not going to [expletive] you; I would [expletive] love to do it, let there be no question about it. It’s not signed, sealed, and delivered, but speaking to me and asking my opinion, I would [expletive] love to do it.”

Metallica Finally Confirms Las Vegas Residency

Six months later, Metallica announced a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

“About 12 seconds into the opening night of Sphere with U2 back in ’23, I thought ‘We have to do this, it’s completely uncharted territory!’ Ulrich said in a statement confirming the residency. “This residency gives us another chance to reinvent how we interact with our fans in a live setting. We are beyond excited to share this with the world in six months time, and way [expletive] psyched to go next level!”

The catch for fans? The residency is for eight shows only and only in the month of October.

The residency dubbed Life Burns Faster (a lyric from “Master of Puppets”) is coming to the Sphere in the fall. The concerts, grouped in two-night sets, will take place Oct. 1 and 3, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, and 29 and 31. Like the band’s “No Repeat Weekends,” Metallica promises unique set lists, including live staples and surprises.

The band is still touring in support of its 2023 album, 72 Seasons, and concerts scheduled around Europe this summer with the last two-night stand at England’s London Stadium on July 5.

After a stint in Europe Metallica heads back to the United States for its October residency.

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