Metallica spark 2026 Las Vegas residency rumors at Sphere

Metallica are rumored to be "ready to ink a deal" for a residency at Las Vegas' Sphere in 2026.

This claim has been made by Sin City publication Vital Vegas after lead guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed the heavy metal legends are eager to play at the state-of-the-art venue.

Even though the "specifics haven't been confirmed or announced yet,” it has been suggested they “could play Sphere in the fall of 2026,” after they wrap their M72 world tour.

Recently, when asked about the possibility of Metallica taking the Sphere stage, Hammet told The Hollywood Reporter: "Oh, heck, yeah! That’s a great example of how venues are changing.”

“That’s using modern technology to the fullest, to really up the levels of production and entertainment, connected to AI and making it a crazy experience,” he added.

Metallica has always been one of the groups that embraced the evolution of technology, including appearing in Fortnite and staging an immersive concert with Apple Vision Pro.

Hammet said: "The formats and venues just keep on coming. Ten years ago, I didn’t know we would be characters in a Fortnite game or that Apple would create VR headsets that can bring you literally right in front of the performer or the athlete. We didn’t see any of this coming.

"We came up in a very traditional fashion where the platforms were albums, cassettes, CDs. You had nightclubs and theaters and arenas and stadiums. And you had radio. Then MTV showed up, and that became a different format,” the Enter Sandman talent further mentioned.

He continued, "But for decades and decades, that’s all you had. Now every decade that comes by, there are four new platforms and new venues. Even the venues themselves are changing.”

"It’s important to pay attention to all this stuff, because if you don’t apply yourself in a responsible fashion, someone else is going to do it for you, and you’re going to be on the exploited end. If you’re not paying attention, then stuff like Napster happens. It’s not for me to say, but that’s something to ponder,” Kirk Hammet concluded.