The rare ‘Load’ gem certainly did not disappoint
Metallica are keeping the surprises coming during their new residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. Back on October 3, the band pulled out the Reload deep cut “Devil’s Dance.“ Metallica had not performed the fan favorite live since 2008. The band also played “The Outlaw Torn” for the first time in 7 years, after opening with “Blackened” for the first time since 2014.
Last night (October 10), Metallica treated fans to the rare Load gem “Until It Sleeps. They have played the song just 30 times since 2000, according to setlist.fm. The visuals consisted of blood and semen splattered across Sphere’s massive screens, a nod to the album’s cover by Andres Serrano.
Check out the fan-filmed footage of “Until It Sleeps” below.
Metallica’s massive residency as Sphere is officially in full swing. The first four shows are in the books, and the setlists did not disappoint. On Night 1 (Thursday, October 1), the band opened with a blistering version of “Battery.“ The rest of the 16-song set included hits like “Creeping Death,” “Sad But True,” “The Memory Remains,” “Seek & Destroy,” and more. Metallica didn’t stick to the script completely, though. They dig deep into their catalog and pulled out some deep cuts like “The Shortest Straw” and “Ride the Lightning.” They also played “…And Justice for All” – the title track to their 1988 masterpiece – for the first time since 2014. Just over half way through the show, Metallica performed their instrumental track “The Call of Ktulu.” They dedicated the song to bassist Cliff Burton. Last month marked the 40 years since Burton’s tragic death in a tour bus accident on September 27, 1986.
After much anticipation, Metallica announced their Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas back in March. The band initially announced 8 concerts at the revolutionary venue, joining the likes of U2, Eagles, Dead & Company, and more. The run continues the band’s No Repeat Weekend tradition that began with the 2023 kick-off of the band’s M72 World Tour, with no songs repeated on each Thursday and Saturday throughout the course of the run.
Shortly after the announcement, the band added 16 news shows due to unprecedented demand, stretching the run into 2027.
Metallica’s standing at the vanguard of new and unique live experiences has seen the band play to millions of fans across all seven continents in every shape and size of venue imaginable. Their current M72 World Tour has played to more than 4 million fans from Europe and North America to the Pacific Rim and Middle East since its spring 2023 kick-off, its performances and production universally hailed as among the best of Metallica’s 40-plus years of traversing the globe.
The band’s Sphere residency will see live staples and surprises spanning the Metallica catalog enhanced by the venue’s immersive technologies that will allow fans to experience the sound and fury of the band’s live performance in new experiential dimensions. Whether you’ve seen Metallica from the upper reaches of a stadium or arena, at an intimate club or theater gig or from the famed Snake Pit surrounded by the 360-degree M72 stage, Sphere’s technology, including the world’s highest resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience; Sphere Immersive Sound, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest; and multi-sensory 4D technology, will present a wholly unique and entirely new Metallica experience for all who attend — including James, Lars, Kirk and Robert.
Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich stated, “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!’ 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 fuckin’ psyched to go next level!”
In addition to their Sphere shows, Metallica have confirmed a series of new North American stadium dates that extend the band’s massive M72 World Tour into 2027. Having played 99 shows in 26 countries since its April 2023 kick-off, the monstrous M72 World Tour will resume May 8, 2027 at BC Place in Vancouver – hitting a dozen new cities for the first time on this run throughout the American southwest, midwest and beyond – and will conclude June 19, 2027 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Check out the full tour itinerary HERE, plus a link to grab tickets.
From its launch in 2023 through its most recent two-night engagement July 3 and 5, 2025 at London Stadium, Metallica’s record-breaking M72 World Tour has been celebrated as among the best of the band’s 40-plus years of traversing the globe, with nearly five million members of the Metallica family having attended. The M72 will resume following Metallica’s Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, which will run from October 1, 2026 through March 13, 2027.
Revisit our review and live photos from the band’s return to Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field last summer.