Metallica Turned the Sphere Into a Giant Heavy-Metal Horror Screen

The band opened its Las Vegas residency with an 18-song set backed by monsters, ruins and apocalyptic imagery.

Metallica opened its Las Vegas Sphere residency by treating the venue's enormous curved display like a heavy-metal movie screen. Pitchfork reports that the 18-song opening-night set paired the band's catalog with oversized imagery including ruined landscapes, horror visuals and a multidimensional creature during The Call of Ktulu. The residency is scheduled for 24 performances through March 2027, with Thursday and Saturday shows billed as No Repeat Weekends. The spectacle is the story: a band built for stadium scale has found a room where the screen can become another member of the production.