Metallica repeats only the power at Sphere — PHOTOS AND SETLIST
The texts and DMs rolled in during the opening weekend of Metallica’s “Life Burns Faster” residency at Sphere. Questions abounded about the awesomeness of the production (extreme), the set list (extensive), and how the band sounded (explosive).
One message stood out, from a friend who grew up in Eastern Europe and has been a performer in Las Vegas for more than a decade.
“Whenever I listen to them it brings me back to my childhood,” they offered. “I didn’t even speak English, but I was rocking that ‘Master of Puppets’ album.”
Yes, thrash metal is the universal language. At least in this band’s hands.
James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo and Lars Ulrich polished off their first no-repeat weekend at the Bulbous Wonder, covering Thursday and Saturday night. The images from opening weekend are at once vivid and an hastened blur:
— The towering throne in “King Nothing.” The muddy combat scenes, with planes soaring overhead, in “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “One.” “Master of Puppets” treks through a graying graveyard and a sea of tombstones. A Vegas casino-designed slot machine set for “The Shortest Straw.” A radioactive-green rain shower in “Creeping Death.”
— The pre-show ritual held together, set to AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” followed by Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold” from the western classic “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” This is the the cue that turns 17,500 grown-ups into teenagers in a parking lot.
— The run that followed reads like a fan-club wish list. “Fuel” brought the heat (literally, in the 4D sense). “Leper Messiah” was a gift to the “Master of Puppets” faithful, fitting for that album’s 40th anniversary year. “Devil’s Dance” crawled out of the “Reload” vault. “72 Seasons” planted the flag for the new stuff, “King Nothing” was among the many sing-alongs, and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” was one of several moments where the visuals and the music felt like the same idea.
But the take-home was “The Outlaw Torn.” Nearly 10 minutes of slow-burn, blues-metal from the “Load” era is not an obvious Saturday-night-in-Vegas play. Vegas residencies often run on familiar hits. But Metallica bet on long odds and cashed out, big-time.
All that said, Metallica is the first Sphere residency headliner not to play from a fixed stage at the back of the floor. Instead they went completely no-frills. The fist-tight band played at several positions along the in-the-round, “M72” stadium stage encircling The Snake Pit GA section.
It was a bold decision to go with zero set design, and (we interpret) an intended message that this was a show starts organically and is rooted in pure musicianship. It was a great call.
“Life Burns Faster” resumes Thursday and Saturday, a run that has extended into March, with 22 more shows scheduled. Saturday night’s no-repeat set list:
— “Blackened”: The opening track from 1988’s “… And Justice for All,” the band’s fourth studio album. Only 19 tempo changes (20 would seem excessive) and 190 BPM. A rousing lid-lifter.
— “Fuel”: “Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire!” is Hetfield’s opening, a cappella, poetic intonation. The opening track, and message, from 1997’s “Reload.”
— “Leper Messiah”: The searing sixth track from the 1986 masterpiece, “Master of Puppets.” A heavy-groove, thrash assault that examines control through the prism of unchecked religious devotion. A far cry from, say, “The Wizard of Oz” experience.
— “Devil’s Dance”: Sinister and (naturally) heavy, the third song from “Reload.” Guitars tuned low and a high-torque tempo, atypical of some of the band’s higher-velocity tracks.
— “72 Seasons”: The opening of the 2023 album of the same name, how a childhood shapes a person’s adult life. Hetfield has explained the 72 seasons represent a person’s 18 years of life.
— “King Nothing:” One of the most successful singles off 1996’s “Load” (No. 6 on the Billboard mainstream rock charts).
— “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”: The haunting track and another from “Master of Puppets,” a fan favorite performed more than 1,000 times since it’s 1986 debut. A power-ballad epic with thrash-metal muscle.
— “The Outlaw Torn”: The closer of “Load,” nearly 10 minutes of raw, ambitious commentary on grief and loss and coping after someone treasured leaves your life.
— “The Unforgiven”: Off “The Black Album,” another emotionally gripping, power ballad. The intro is iconic with its faint, eerie horn intro moves into Hetfield’s acoustic guitar.
— “Orion”: The landmark instrumental track from “Master of Puppets.” The classic was written primarily by late bassist Cliff Burton, alongside Hetfield and Ulrich. It was named after the Orion constellation due to the “spacey” feel of the song’s bridge.
— “Hardwired”: Written and performed at a frenetic pace, the lead single for 2016’s “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.” The final track written and recorded for the album, just over 3 minutes and a wild 178 BPM.
— “Whiskey in the Jar”: The band’s first commercial single, released Feb. 1 1999. The covers compilation pays tribute to the ‘72 arrangement by Thin Lizzy. The crossover hit won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
— “For Whom the Bell Tolls”: Or “Bellz” by fans, the third track from the 1987 “Ride the Lightning,” the distorted bass intro shook the seats without haptic effects. A real anvil is struck to sound like a tolling bell. Another of Burton’s brilliant contributions.
— “One”: The most famous thrash-metal song ever inspired by Dalton Trumbo’s 1939 anti-war novel, “Johnny Got His Gun.” The musical adaptation of story of a World War I soldier who survives a landmine explosion, only to lose his limbs, sight, speech and hearing. The sonic cornerstone of the band’s fourth studio album, 1988’s “… And Justice for All.”
— “Enter Sandman”: The two-night opening series seemed building to this crescendo. The anthem based on a child’s nightmare was a dream realized for fans, and as Hetfield said, the band itself. The red, Metallica-branded beach balls were a bonus.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
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