Las Vegas Mixtape v58: Metallica’s Sphere Extravaganza, New Mexican Hotspot, and Carlotta Champagne’s World

Track #1 (of 5): Metallica @Sphere

A winning performance on every level. (Image: Vegas 411)

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“We’re in our sixties but inside we feel like we’re 16,” James Hetfield announced from the stage on Halloween night at the Sphere, where Metallica has sold out 24 scheduled shows through March 13. Hetfield wasn’t kidding. Metallica is the sound of eternal youth—loud, restless, and agitated.

For this “No Repeat Weekend,” the foursome delivered two completely different set lists—both volcanic—on Thursday and Saturday nights. It was thrilling to hear and see the band’s music artfully framed with dazzling visuals (mostly dark and apocalyptic) on the giant wraparound screen at the Sphere; the all-enveloping presentation gave their live performance new layers of power and sophistication.  At these two shows, I experienced a great band—who celebrated their 45th birthday on October 28–become even greater.

Metallica took the audience around the world on a virtual train ride, via a film depicting their song “Wherever I May Roam,” winding up, of course, at the Sphere. (Image: Vegas 411)

Hetfield distinctively shouted and growled, like someone pushed to the end of his rope; guitarist Kirk Hammett poetically wailed on his instrument; and bassist Rob Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich mind-blowingly deployed those machine gun rhythms with brute force and precision. They all jumped headlong into classics and deep cuts, playing with both meaning and joy. The stellar sound at the Sphere enabled me to put their songs, particularly the lengthier ones like “The Call of Ktulu,” under the microscope and hear their subtleties and intricacies—which I don’t remember hearing as vividly when I saw them years ago at a stadium (Ozzfest, Texas, 2008) and a festival (Power Trip, CA, 2023).

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Mind-bending—and wonderfully disturbing—imagery.  (Image: Vegas 411)

It’s amazing to think that the combination of music, psychedelic light projections, and arty experimental films trace back 60 years ago to Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground’s “Exploding Plastic Inevitable” happenings in NYC. Spectacles at the Sphere are the most elevated modern example of how far live shows have come. Experiencing Metallica here was like being magically suspended inside a snow globe that someone was constantly shaking.