SLASH Says GUNS N' ROSES Was 'Talking About' Doing Las Vegas Sphere Residency But Opted Against It

In a new interview with longtime radio host Abe Kanan of Audacy, Slash was asked if GUNS N' ROSES would be open to doing a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The GN'R guitarist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm gonna go see METALLICA over there. That's one of those things — I think Joe Walsh turned me off of it. [Laughs] Because it's not set up where you can set up a bunch of amps and really play live like the way we normally do. It's really about the production, and it's not so much about the band, although the band is playing. It's really about the visual and all that kind of stuff. And we were talking about doing it last year before this tour, this U.S. tour that we just did, and we opted for just doing a U.S. tour and not just focusing on that one thing."

Slash continued: "Anyway, so it might happen down the road, but it's not something I'm aspiring to because I think it might be a little bit too controlled. But I'm dying to see METALLICA do it. It's hard to be beholden to a whole theatrical thing like that, especially for us. And also, the way Joe was telling me, is you have to put your amps somewhere else. The METALLICA guys use the — what do you call it? Amps. They're not real. And so we don't do that. And they gotta figure out some place elsewhere to put the amps and all that kind of stuff, and the more we talked about the details of it, the more, like, ugh. I don't know."

After Kanan noted that METALLICA's Sphere residency includes 24 performances presented as 12 "No Repeat Weekend" engagements, with each Thursday and Saturday pairing featuring entirely different setlists, with no songs repeated between the two nights, Slash said: "Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] told me about this. I went to a party a few months ago, and he was telling me this whole thing that those guys are doing, which is really cool. I love that METALLICA's always doing something new. It's great."

METALLICA's "Life Burns Faster" residency runs from October 1 through March 13, 2027.

METALLICA originally announced eight dates at the Sphere 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 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 had previously hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

When METALLICA announced it was playing the state-of-the-art venue earlier this year, Ulrich said he was convinced he and his bandmates had to perform at the Sphere after seeing U2 open the venue three years ago.

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.