Metallica’s Lars Ulrich
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Metallica’s Lars Ulrich addressed rumors that the band is circling a Las Vegas Sphere residency — as well as angling for the halftime show at next year’s Super Bowl — in an interview Wednesday with Howard Stern.
Earlier this week, rumors emerged out of Las Vegas that Metallica was eyeing a residency at the state-of-the-art Sphere venue in the fall of 2026, after their current M72 World Tour ends next July.
Speaking to the Howard Stern Show on Wednesday on Sirius XM, Ulrich admitted the Sphere residency is something the band is considering, but “nothing is etched in stone” yet. “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,” Ulrich said.
“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… I’m not going to bullshit you; I would fucking love to do it, let there be no question about it. It’s not signed, sealed, and delivered, but speaking to me and asking my opinion, I would fucking love to do it.”
Ulrich added of the venue, “I was there seeing U2 the first night. When they took that stage, I wanted to see it for myself before I saw it on YouTube or read about it. I was there, like everybody else that was there that night, I was completely blown away, and felt that was the beginning of another chapter in live performances.”
Another gig Ulrich is hopeful about: The halftime show at the 2026 Super Bowl, which will be played at Levi’s Stadium outside of the band’s native San Francisco. When asked by Stern whether Metallica would play the Super Bowl if asked, Ulrich responded, “Fuck yeah, of course, we would.”
“First of all, we would do it,” the drummer said. “Second of all to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit… Certainl,y as somebody who’s represented San Francisco all over the world and shouted for decades about San Francisco and our love for the Bay Area, that part of it is the right fit. Ultimately it’s not our decision.”
However, Ulrich cautioned, “We haven’t been approached.”
Ulrich’s appearance on Stern — who returned from his summer break to conduct the interview — was to promote the new Sirius XM channel Maximum Metallica, launching at the end this month. To celebrate the new channel, Metallica will perform an intimate one-off gig at Amagansett, New York’s Stephen Talkhouse, a 250-person venue, on August 28. The lottery for tickets is now open to Metallica’s fan club.
From Rolling Stone US.
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