In Metallica's hands, Sphere is a totally brutal Vegas vacation

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred LAS VEGAS, NV. — Metallica had a tender moment at Sphere on Thursday, just after a wretched sea monster mangled the Las Vegas skyline.On the opening night of its “Life Burns Faster” stand, Metallica had a 16k-resolution arsenal to match the bombast of its music.While the quartet — the first metal band to perform at Sphere — tore through the instrumental deep cut “The Call of Ktulu,” that drippy leviathan swatted at life-sized fighter jets on the screen.When the leathery beast slunk off, singer James Hetfield dedicated the track to the band’s founding bassist, who died in a tour bus crash in 1986.

“In honor of our fallen brother, Mr.Clifford Lee Burton,” Hetfield said, to a bellowing crowd.

“We love you, and we miss you, brother.” Metallica, the biggest band in metal, thrives in that tension between the genre’s outrageous grandeur, grimy nihilism and outlaw camaraderie.At “Life Burns Faster,” a series of two-night engagements that stretches into March next year, they stayed fleshy and ferocious as a band beneath the digital carnage.

Music Bad Omens’ slam-packed Thursday night show reaffirms that they’re one of the most ambitious and skilled young bands in rock.Metal, even when siloed off from broader music culture, has always been a commercial powerhouse.Metallica remains its flagship live act.

In 2023 alone, they closed out the all-star Power Trip festival at the Empire Polo Grounds, and still played two in-the-round nights at SoFi Stadium.They’ve been enormous for generations, and made no bones about their ambitions.The band’s ongoing “M72” tour is hovering around the 10 highest grossing tours ever.

So it was only a matter of time before the band - Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich - got curious about the rare ...