Metallica frontman James Hetfield told the crowd at the band’s Saturday, Oct. 10 show at Sphere in Las Vegas that the band isn’t there to sway fans with political messages. He spoke between songs during the band’s Life Burns Faster residency.
“Unless you live in Vegas, you’ve come a long way to spend some time with Metallica,” Hetfield said, according to Contact Music. “We’re grateful for that – your travels, the money you spend, the time it took, thanks for coming to celebrate with us.”
He then said, “And I just gotta say, Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their …, OK? We are here…no …we’re here to forget about all the outside …, OK?” He closed with, “Metallica’s agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby!”
Other opening acts on Sheeran’s bill, including Finneas and Aaron Rowe, quit the tour, and so did his backing band. Zach Bryan later wore a “Free Palestine” shirt at two shows at Gillette Stadium. One week before Hetfield spoke, Tom Morello put on the Power to the People festival.
Hetfield has kept politics out of his public comments for years. He told La Tercera in an interview, “My opinion stays with me. I’m a singer and guitar player in a rock band. I hate politics. I don’t wanna talk about politics. It’s not important to me. What’s important to me is connecting people with music. Politics, religion… they separate people.”
Drummer Lars Ulrich spoke on the topic in 2016. “I swear to you, I talk to James Hetfield about most things on this planet, but I don’t think I’ve ever wilfully had a political conversation with him,” Ulrich said in an interview with Vulture. “We’ve spent 35 years together.”
The band changed its set on Saturday, Oct. 10, too. For the first time in the residency, Metallica played “Until It Sleeps” from the 1996 album Load, according to setlist.fm.
The residency totals 24 shows at Sphere. The band plays Thursdays and Saturdays on select weeks, and each night of a pair gets a different set. The next show falls on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Four weekends are left at Sphere in 2026, with shows every Thursday and Saturday through Nov. 7. After that, the band heads to Uncasville, Conn., for two shows on Nov. 19 and 21. More Sphere dates run through March 13, 2027. Fans can buy tickets on the band’s website.
