Metallica review – metal titans on fine form in spectacular rarities-focused show

Sphere, Las Vegas The first night of a new residency is an immersive plunge into the band’s visual world that showcases the depth of their catalog Las Vegas’s Sphere takes on the characteristics of whatever it’s advertising on its exterior.

Depending on when you look, you might see Orbi, the Sphere mascot, winking at you, or an ad for one of their Wizard of Oz showings, or maybe a roiling mass of red flames and shocks of lightning announcing the arrival of Metallica for their residency Life Burns Faster. Looking at it feels like staring at the end times. It’s like a huge black hole, sucking in the jittery sun-blasted energy of Vegas and transmuting it into an ominous ode to the renegade titans of thrash, but, you know, an older, wiser, therapized version of the band. This is the first night of Metallica’s 24-show residency, and it features the return of their “no repeat” format, meaning they play twice a…