By The Riff Report Blog – August 2025

Oi oi, metal maniacs! 🥁🎸 You know when your mate at the pub says, “Got something big in the works, but can’t tell you yet” — and then proceeds to totally tell you anyway? That’s basically Lars Ulrich this week. The Metallica drummer’s been yapping about not confirming things… while confirming just enough to make the internet collectively lose its head. 🤯

🎡 The Las Vegas Sphere: Metallica-Style

After being “blown away” by U2’s run at the Las Vegas Sphere, Lars admitted he’d love to see Metallica bring their sonic apocalypse to the venue. The idea? Possibly a residency in 2026, once the M72 World Tour wraps up.

Lars to Howard Stern:

“It’s not signed, sealed and delivered… but speaking to me, and asking my opinion, I would love to do it. I mean, fuck yeah.”

Picture it, mun — Master of Puppets synced to a billion-pixel immersive light show, pyro that melts your face from three blocks away, and Lars shouting “YESS MUN!” to a crowd of 18,000 headbangers every night. 🏴🔥

But hold your horses, butt. There’s no official announcement. Yet.

🏈 Super Bowl Halftime? Bring. It. On.

Lars also tossed petrol on the fire of another rumour: Metallica playing the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2026. With the big game in San Francisco — the band’s spiritual stomping ground — it seems like a perfect fit.

“It would be a dream come true… but nobody’s asked us,” Lars teased.

Classic. They want to do it, they’re ready to do it, and they’ve got enough hits to turn 12 minutes into a stadium-wide mosh pit. But as of now, the NFL hasn’t come knocking. Someone get Roger Goodell on the blower.

🎟️ But First… The Teeniest Gig Ever

While plotting to conquer Vegas and the NFL, Metallica are also going full back to basics. They’ve booked a 250-capacity gig at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, Long Island for August 28, 2025.

Why so tiny? It’s to celebrate the launch of their brand-new SiriusXM channel, Maximum Metallica. Tickets aren’t on sale — you either win via fan club lottery or SiriusXM sweepstakes. For the rest of us, we’ll hear it on August 29 when it broadcasts nationwide.

So, from playing for millions at a potential Super Bowl to squeezing into a venue smaller than your local Wetherspoons, Metallica are proving they can go big and small — and still melt your face clean off.

⚡ Riff Report’s Final Word

This is all very Metallica:

  • Huge ambitions (Sphere & Super Bowl) 🤘
  • Keeping it real (tiny club gig) 🎤
  • Lars teasing the hell out of us (as always) 😏

If both the Sphere and Super Bowl happen, 2026 could be one of the biggest years in Metallica’s history — right up there with the Black Album era, the Big Four gigs, and the time Lars somehow survived St. Anger.

Until then, we’ll be waiting, refreshing news feeds, and maybe selling a kidney for that Talkhouse ticket.

💬 What do you reckon, butt? Sphere residency or Super Bowl Halftime — which would you rather see Metallica conquer first? Drop your thoughts below and let’s have a mosh-pit of opinions.