Metallica are reportedly in talks for a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The futuristic state-of-the-art venue opened in 2023 and has since hosted residencies from the likes of U2, Phish, The Eagles and the Backstreet Boys. It was also recently confirmed that a new Sphere venue will be constructed in Abu Dhabi.
Now, it has been reported that Metallica may be the next to announce a stint at the Sphere. Local publication Vital Vegas said the band are “ready to ink a deal for a Sphere residency” in the city.
The site suggests that the heavy metal icons “could play Sphere in the fall of 2026”, following their ‘M72’ world tour, concluding, “but specifics haven’t been confirmed or announced yet.”
In April, Kirk Hammett said the band would love the chance to play the Sphere, saying it was a “great example of how venues are changing”. He added: “That’s using modern technology to the fullest, to really up the levels of production and entertainment, connected to AI and making it a crazy experience.”
The metal icons will be playing a string of stadium shows in the UK and Europe in 2026, including dates in Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff and London. Opening sets will come from Gojira, Pantera, Knocked Loose and Avatar. See the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
In a four-star review of Metallica’s ‘M72’ tour opener in Amsterdam, NME wrote: “Metallica have always been a gateway band for heavy music, but there’s a renewed excitement around them now. Tonight’s surprising, ambitious and giddy gig matches that energy at every turn.”
U2 were the first band to play at the Sphere. NME give their performance a glowing five-star review, sharing that it “truly takes your breath away”.
“They pull off a dazzling series of technological tricks right from the outset as whirring drones whizz past the audience while everything from giant helicopters, falling letters, widescreen desert landscapes and even a projection of the Sphere itself come hurtling towards the audience,” it read.
The Sphere recently made headlines when Beyoncé removed images of the venue from the visuals of her ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour after being hit with a cease-and-desist from the owners.
In other Metallica news, the band appeared at Black Sabbath’s ‘Back To The Beginning’ farewell show last month, playing Sabbath’s ‘Hole In The Sky’ and ‘Johnny Blade’. The band paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who died last month (July 22), only weeks after the concert, and they attended his funeral last week.
Metallica also provided new parts for Tomorrowland’s main stage last month, after the original was destroyed during a fire, which broke out less than 48 hours before the dance festival in Boom, Belgium, was set to kick off.
Elsewhere, they forced the US government to withdraw a social media video that made use of ‘Enter Sandman’ without authorisation.
NEWS
Celebrated playwright and comedian Ben Elton has approached Noel Gallagher about creating an “Oasis jukebox musical”.
The two recently crossed paths at the Queen Budapest premiere at London’s BFI Imax. During their conversation, the We Will Rock You writer expressed his interest in building a stage production around Oasis’ songs.
The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column reported that the guitarist laughed and pointed him towards his brother Liam, saying: “You better ask our kid.”
Someone close to Liam suggested casting the singer would be a challenge, claiming no actor could "match" his "swagger".
Built around Queen’s songs, We Will Rock You enjoyed an impressive run, becoming the Dominion Theatre’s longest running musical and earning a place among the West End’s longest running productions. It also received the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Popular Show.
Interest in Oasis remains enormous, with 11 million people signing up for the Oasis Live ’27 ticket ballot.
After the Live Forever band returned to touring last year for the first time in 16 years, their famous rivalry with Blur became the subject of a stage comedy.
In The Battle, Gavin and Stacey actor Mathew Horne portrayed Andy Ross, the Britpop music executive who found himself in the middle of one of British music’s most memorable feuds.
He said: “This play is right in the sweet spot of my teenage cultural experience. I’m thrilled to be exploring this iconic era in music on stage with such a talented creative team involved.”
The production revisited August 1995, when Blur and Oasis went head to head by releasing Country House and Roll With It on the same day, each hoping to reach Number One.
Blur secured the victory with sales of 274,000 copies, compared with 216,000 for Oasis.
That chart contest fuelled years of public jabs between members of both groups, although relations have become less hostile over time.
A UK tour had been planned for the production, but its remaining performances were cancelled following the Birmingham and Manchester engagements in February and March this year.
Oasis Live ’27 begins on May 21 at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, with 42 concerts scheduled, including a record six performances at Knebworth.
