Metallica Sphere residency confirmed: eight October dates, SiriusXM presale announced
Metallica will play eight shows at the Las Vegas Sphere this October in a "Life Burns Faster" residency, and metallica sphere presales for SiriusXM listeners open next month. The run preserves the band’s "No Repeat Weekend" approach and will use the venue’s immersive audio-visual systems.
Metallica Sphere shows, dates and ticketing
The eight-show Life Burns Faster residency is scheduled for October 2026. Dates listed for the run are October 1, 3, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31. SiriusXM listeners can access a special presale beginning Thursday, March 5 at 10 a. m. PT (1 p. m. ET) and running through Thursday, March 5 at 10 p. m. PT (1 a. m. ET on March 6) using the code SIRIUSXM. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 6 at 10 a. m. PT (1 p. m. ET).
Why the venue’s rig requirements shouldn’t slow Metallica
The Sphere’s onstage environment has forced other guitarists — John Mayer, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio and The Edge — to change rigs, ditch tube amps, bury amps offstage or adopt modelers and pedal-based setups when they played at the venue. Those restrictions have made loud tube amp stages impractical.
Metallica, however, moved to an all-digital live rig years ago, switching to Axe-Fx around 2013, which should allow the band to integrate its existing setup into the Sphere’s quieter stage without the same headaches other guitar players have reported.
Tallica Talk presale window and how fans can tune in
A new monthly call-in show, "Tallica Talk, " will offer exclusive programming about the residency on the band’s satellite channel. The premiere episode focuses on the Sphere announcement and airs Wednesday, February 25 from 4–5 p. m. PT / 7–8 p. m. ET. The show is hosted by Spider Dan and Steffan Chirazi, and fans can call 844-TALLICA to share stories. SiriusXM listeners are the first to access presale tickets as noted above.
Immersive tech, production partners and the live experience
The residency promises live staples and surprises spanning the Metallica catalog enhanced by the venue’s technologies: the world’s highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience; Sphere Immersive Sound delivering audio to every guest; and multi-sensory 4D technology. The band members named for the run are James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.
Life Burns Faster at Sphere is produced by Live Nation and presented by inKind. inKind is described as a dining rewards company that gives diners special offers and credit back when they use the app at thousands of restaurants and provides financing to participating restaurants to help sustain operations.
How the residency ties to Metallica’s recent touring approach
The run continues the "No Repeat Weekend" tradition that began with the 2023 kick-off of the band’s M72 World Tour: no songs will be repeated on each Thursday and Saturday throughout the course of the residency. The band has said the Sphere dates will give them a chance to expand and reinvent how they interact with fans in a live setting; Lars Ulrich has said that about 12 seconds into the venue’s opening night with U2 in 2023 he thought, "We have to do this. "
Next confirmed steps: SiriusXM presale access opens Thursday, March 5 at 1 p. m. ET for code SIRIUSXM users, the general onsale begins Friday, March 6 at 1 p. m. ET, and the residency opens October 1, 2026.
