Metallica Revives '...And Justice For All' After 12 Years at Sphere Residency Kickoff

'...And Justice For All,' last performed in full twelve years ago, rang out once again inside the massive wraparound screen of Las Vegas's Sphere. Metallica officially kicked off their residency, dubbed "Life Burns Faster," on the night of Thursday, October 1. The show opened with 'Battery' — a track the band hadn't used as an opener since July 11, 2014.

Next up was 'Creeping Death,' followed by 'Now That We're Dead,' which hadn't been played since September 24, 2021. James Hetfield and the band powered through 'Sad but True,' 'The Shortest Straw,' 'Wherever I May Roam,' and 'The Day That Never Comes,' before finally dropping the biggest surprise of the night: the title track from their 1988 album, '...And Justice for All,' last performed on August 9, 2014 — a full twelve years ago.

Guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo delivered their customary mid-set improv, this time working off an arrangement of 'Sleepwalk My Life Away' from '72 Seasons.' The band then returned with 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'The Call of Ktulu,' dedicated to late bassist Cliff Burton, followed by 'Lux Æterna,' 'Ride the Lightning,' 'The Memory Remains,' and 'Seek & Destroy,' before closing out the night with 'Master of Puppets.'

The residency runs through the end of October, with additional dates added on November 5 and 7. Next year's shows are scheduled for January 28 and 30, February 4, 6, 18, 20, 25, and 27, and March 4, 6, 11, and 13. Tickets are now on sale.

Drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about how the residency came together: "About 12 seconds into U2's opening show at the Sphere in 2023, I was like, 'We have to do this, this is completely uncharted territory.' This residency gives us a chance to rethink how we connect with fans live, and six months from now we get to share this with the whole world — we're super excited and super motivated to take it to another level."

Beyond the Sphere residency, Metallica has also confirmed a 2027 tour with Limp Bizkit, and revealed they've already stockpiled 767 new riffs for their next album — hinting the record might bring them "back to a '90s sound."