LARS ULRICH On METALLICA's Upcoming Sphere Residency: 'It's Overwhelming And Intimidating'

During an appearance on U2 guitarist The Edge's U2 X-Radio series "Close To The Edge" on SiriusXM, Lars Ulrich spoke about METALLICA's upcoming residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. METALLICA originally announced eight dates at the venue between October 1 and October 31, but later added shows in November (November 5 and 7),January (January 28 and 30),February (February 4, 6, 18, 20, 25, and 27) and March (March 4, 6, 11, and 13).

The METALLICA drummer said: "We'll take a couple weeks [after the completion of METALLICA's 'M72' world tour] to chill out, but then we gotta start thinking about scaling the Sphere mountain and conquering that.

"We've been working on this for a year, year and a half," he explained. "And certainly, thank you to you guys [in U2, which was the first to play at the Sphere in 2023]. I was there opening night [of the U2 residency] and was so just fucking awestruck, inspired, energized, all of it. And it was just, like, 'Holy shit, this is somehow another frontier.'"

Lars added: "We're all fortunate enough to be able to do these shows, to connect with these audiences, to play with the configuration and to sort of reinvent the staging and all of it all the time. But this is something else. This is another level. And so to be able to do that here is so exciting. And, obviously, you guys were the first ones in, and it was just so incredible to see that night. And so in that spirit, three years later, when we start here in a few months, we're so excited and definitely have heard from a few folks about the filming and all of it. And it's gonna be challenging. And, obviously, I think like everybody else I've talked to about it, it's overwhelming and fucking intimidating. But hopefully when we step out on stage that first night, we'll have it somewhat together. And as you know, that's a place maybe we don't end up in often enough, because we have a tendency to put ourselves in environments that we completely control and know. And so I think it's really good to be able to throw yourself for a loop like that."

During the same chat, Lars spoke about his working relationship with METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, with whom he formed the band in 1981. He said: "I would like to think that we each bring a different energy and a different focus and a different — I don't know — maybe a skillset or whatever word you wanna use to it. Obviously, not discounting what Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] and Robert [Trujillo, METALLICA bassist] bring, but we are all different. And certainly James and I are different. We're... Fuck, we're 45 years into this — that's insane. So 45 years, and we know each other so well. Not quite [to the same extent as] you guys [in U2] — I think you went to the same school and kind of grew up in the same neighborhood and all that. Obviously, James and I have pretty significantly different backgrounds, me being from Denmark and him from Southern California, et cetera, et cetera. But, yes, I'd like to think that the differences that all of us bring and the different influences, inspirations and the way we grew up and just our sort of attitudes and approaches is what makes this work."

The Las Vegas Sphere is a 17,600-capacity venue which has transformed live entertainment since opening in September 2023.

Known for its immersive entertainment experiences, including concerts and films, featuring a state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and a powerful sound system, the Las Vegas Sphere is nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sphere has already hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

Sphere's next-generation technologies include the world's highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. The venue also features the world's most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest.

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 four 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 Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.