Metallica’s James Hetfield Takes Aim at Fellow Entertainers During Sphere Concert: “We’re Not Here To Influence You”

Metallica is keeping politics out of music. As more and more artists including Macklemore, Zach Bryan, and Jason Aldean make headlines for discussing political issues at their shows, Metallica frontman James Hetfield told the crowd at the Sphere in Las Vegas that his band will do no such thing.

“Unless you live in Vegas, you’ve come a long way to spend some time with Metallica. We’re grateful for that,” he began. “Your travels, the money you spend, the time it took, thanks for coming to celebrate with us.”

“And I just gotta say, Metallica is not here, like some other ‘entertainers,’ to influence you with their bulls**t. No bulls**t,” Hetfield continued. “We are here to forget about all the outside sh**t. Metallica’s agenda is love, energy, and heavy music, baby.”

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#Metallica at #Sphere #LasVegas #Vegas #JamesHetfield Oct 10, 2026

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What to Know About Metallica’s Sphere Residency

The band began their Sphere residency earlier this month, and has shows scheduled through March 2027. Drummer Lars Ulrich first got to experience the venue during U2’s stint there, and was blown away by the possibilities.

“I was there opening night and was so just f**king awestruck, inspired, energized, all of it. It was just, like, ‘Holy s, this is somehow another frontier,’” he said on SiriusXM. “We’re all fortunate enough to do these show, to connect with audiences, to play with the configuration, to sort of reinvent the staging, all of it all the time, but this is something else.”

“This is another level. To be able to do that here is so exciting,” he continued. “… It’s going to be challenging, and obviously, I think like everybody else I’ve talked to about, it’s overwhelming and f**king intimidating. But hopefully when we step out on stage that first night, we’ll have it somewhat together.”

Making the band’s show particularly unique is their No Repeat Weekend. During select weekends of their residency, the band has vowed to play two totally different set lists, giving fans. in attendance at more than one concert a completely unique experience.

The last show of Metallica’s Sphere run is currently scheduled for March 13, 2027.

Photo by Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns