Even with a highly planned visual production, Metallica have still found ways to keep fans guessing during their residency at Sphere in Las Vegas with some rare song performances.
The band has inserted one-off songs into their usual setlists during the 2026 portion of their residency, which wrapped up on Nov. 7. The 2027 half of the residency begins Jan. 27. Most of the 2026 shows during the Life Burns Faster residency saw Metallica pull from as many as nine albums each night, making the inclusion of certain rarities particularly notable.
Here is a look at which songs they played the least during the Sphere shows.
'Fade to Black'
Times played during residency: one
Last time played before residency: July 3, 2026 (London, England)
'Harvester of Sorrow'
Times played during residency: one
Last time played before residency: July 3, 2026 (London, England)
'Of Wolf and Man'
Times played during residency: one
Last time played before residency: July 3, 2026 (London, England)
'Until it Sleeps'
Times played during residency: one
Last time played before residency: June 21, 2026 (Dublin, Ireland)
'King Nothing'
Times played during residency: three
Last time played before residency: June 25, 2026 (Glasgow, Scotland)
The list of Metallica's most played songs during Life Burns Faster at Sphere is much longer, likely due to the nature of the residency. Each week of the residency includes two shows with a promise of "no repeats" during either night. A similar tactic was used during Metallica's M72 World Tour when they had two dates in one city in the same weekend. Of course, you also need to have the visuals ready to roll well before the band steps onstage and we can assume they didn't create those for every song in Metallica's catalog.
The most Metallica have played any song during the residency is six times, or once each weekend of the run. That includes the following songs:
- 72 Seasons
- ...And Justice for All
- Battery
- Blackened
- The Call of Ktulu
- Creeping Death
- Devil's Dance
- Enter Sandman
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Fuel
- Hardwired
- Leper Messiah
- Lux Æterna
- Master of Puppets
- The Memory Remains
- Nothing Else Matters
- Now That We're Dead
- One
- Orion
- The Outlaw Torn
- Ride the Lightning
- Sad but True
- Seek & Destroy
- The Shortest Straw
- The Unforgiven
- Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
- Wherever I May Roam
- Whiskey in the Jar
In all, Metallica played a total of 34 different songs across their 12 shows at Sphere in 2026. And while many of the hits were expected, there were a few songs that popped up that fans hadn't heard live since at least the early 2000s.
