“No other heavy rock band has done this”: Robert Trujillo weighs in on Metallica’s potential residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere

Robert Trujillo of Metallica in 2024 — (Image credit: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)

Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has weighed in following rumours that the heavy metal titans will play a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Talking to Howard Stern of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation, Trujillo, who joined Metallica in 2003, says that he’d welcome the opportunity to perform at the famous audio-visual venue, believing the atmosphere would suit their music and that the shows would mark an unprecedented achievement for a heavy band.

“I’m already thinking like, imagine this, imagine that, imagine, you know, because Metallica’s music is so visual,” the bassist says. “I mean, imagine a song like [1986 instrumental] Orion and what you can do with that, you know what I mean? The possibilities are endless.

“So for me, it’s again, like a dream come true. We’ll see what happens. I know we’re talking about it and hopefully this is gonna happen.”

Trujillo goes on to point out, “No heavy rock band has done this,” referring to performing at The Sphere. He adds: “There’s a lot of history with our music and a lot of, I think there’s potential for a lot of visual stimulation on this. And I can’t wait to be a part of it. So let’s see what happens, yeah.”

The Sphere, a concert venue equipped with 4D visual effects, opened in September 2023 and has hosted residences by Phish, Dead & Company and the Eagles. Rumours of Metallica joining that list began to swirl in July, when Viral Vegas reported that the band were ready to “ink a deal” and host a number of concerts there in the autumn of 2026.

Metallica’s drummer and co-founder, Lars Ulrich, addressed the rumours when he appeared on Trunk Nation last week. He said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports, but revealed (via NME), “All of our managers and our production people have been there and looked at it.”

He added: “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.”

Metallica have plenty to keep them busy between now and the start of their supposed Vegas residency. On August 28, they’ll play one of their smallest-ever shows at the 250-capacity Stephen Talkhouse venue in Long Island, New York. The concert celebrates the launch of the band’s own SiriusXM channel, Maximum Metallica, and will be broadcast on the channel on September 1.

In November and December, the band will perform in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. They’re also booked to play a European tour that kicks off in May. Select dates on the run will see the return of the ‘M72 weekend format’, where the band play the same venue twice with different setlists and support acts. Gojira, Knocked Loose, Pantera and Avatar will act as support.

Robert Trujillo on Potentially Playing at Sphere - YouTube

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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