Metallica have put ‘Fade To Black’ back in the spotlight, releasing professionally filmed footage of the Ride The Lightning classic from their Las Vegas Sphere residency.
Recorded on October 8th, the video captures the song’s first appearance at Sphere. It was the band’s third show at the venue, with ‘Fade To Black’ arriving seven songs into the set, between ‘Wherever I May Roam’ and ‘…And Justice For All’.
The song wasn’t part of Metallica‘s October 1st opening-night set. For the second Thursday performance, it took the place of ‘The Day That Never Comes’, while ‘Orion’ replaced ‘The Call Of Ktulu’.
Those switches are part of the band’s No Repeat Weekend format, carried over from their M72 world tour. Each Thursday and Saturday pairing features two different setlists, with no songs repeated across the weekend. For fans attending both nights, there’s plenty of reason to come back.
The footage also offers a closer look at what Metallica have built around the music. According to the band’s official show notes, production studio Treatment created the visuals for ‘Fade To Black’. Industrial Light & Magic handled visuals for other songs that night, including ‘Orion’ and ‘Sad But True’ (per Lamb Goat).
Metallica ‘Fade to Black’ live at the Sphere
Originally released on 1984’s Ride The Lightning, ‘Fade To Black’ remains one of Metallica’s most recognisable changes of pace, moving from its quiet guitar introduction into a heavier final stretch. Hearing it inside a venue designed around immersive sound and enormous wraparound screens is another proposition entirely.
The new clip joins a growing collection of official Sphere footage. Metallica have already shared performances of ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’, ‘Devil’s Dance’, ‘…And Justice For All’, ‘The Call Of Ktulu’ and ‘Lux Æterna’.
Their Life Burns Faster residency consists of 24 shows across 12 No Repeat Weekends, with the band returning to Sphere on October 29th and 31st, followed by November 5th and 7th.
Further dates are scheduled throughout January, February and March 2027, with the final performance currently booked for March 13th.
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