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Lars Ulrich on Metallica’s Upcoming Sphere Residency: “It’s Overwhelming and F**king Intimidating”
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has described the band's upcoming residency at Las Vegas's Sphere venue as "overwhelming and fucking intimidating" in a new interview with U2 guitarist The Edge. The comments come shortly after Metallica concluded their three-year "M72 World Tour", with the band now shifting their attention to the futuristic venue, which presents a very different technical and creative challenge from their usual touring setup.
The residency, titled "Life Burns Faster", will run for 24 shows between 1 October 2026 and 13 March 2027. Ulrich told The Edge the band had been preparing for the Sphere show for around a year and a half, citing U2's pioneering residency there as a source of inspiration, and admitted the scale of reinventing their staging for the venue felt like "another level" compared with previous tours. The interview forms part of The Edge's "Close to the Edge" SiriusXM programme, premiering on U2 X-Radio.
In short
- Lars Ulrich calls Metallica's Sphere residency "intimidating" in new interview.
- "Life Burns Faster" residency runs 1 Oct 2026 to 13 Mar 2027, 24 shows.
- Follows conclusion of Metallica's three-year M72 World Tour.
Explained simply
Metallica, one of the world's most successful heavy metal bands, is embarking on a new venture following the conclusion of their three-year world tour. The band will perform a 24-show residency at the Sphere, a state-of-the-art entertainment venue in Las Vegas, between October 2026 and March 2027, under the title "Life Burns Faster".
A residency differs from a traditional tour in that the band will perform multiple shows at a single venue rather than travelling between cities. The Sphere is a technologically advanced space with distinctive visual and staging capabilities, presenting demands quite different from conventional concert setups. U2 previously pioneered residencies at the Sphere, establishing it as a destination for major artists seeking an innovative performance environment.
For Metallica, this represents a shift from their familiar touring model. The band has spent considerable time preparing for this new format, which presents technical and creative challenges that differ significantly from their traditional touring experiences.