Lars Ulrich has confirmed the rumors that Metallica have been looking into playing the Sphere in Las Vegas next year.
Ulrich appeared on Howard Stern's show Wednesday morning to announce Metallica's new SiruisXM channel, and he said, "I'm not going to confirm anything, because there's nothing to confirm. But I'm not going to deny it, because we're all such fans of this venue.
"All of our managers and our production people have been there and looked at it. It's something that we're considering, [but] nothing is etched in stone or green-lit. It's something that we're looking at at some point when the 2026 tour is done."
Ulrich said he went to U2's opening night at the venue in September 2023 and said, "I was completely blown away, and felt that was the beginning of another chapter in live performances."
Ulrich was also asked about Metallica playing the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California at the home of the San Francisco 49ers in February. Ulrich said, "First of all, we would do it. Second of all, to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit. [But] we haven't been approached."
Metallica's SiriusXM channel, Maximum Metallica, will launch on August 29th, and the band will play a special show at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York the night before to celebrate the launch.