Metallica Finally Bring Back a Long-Missed Favorite—and It Hits Hard at Sphere
Ever wondered what happens when Metallica bring a long-missed song back into a room built for spectacle? At Sphere in Las Vegas on October 3, 2026, one of the evening’s biggest talking points came from a track that had spent more than eighteen years outside the band’s live set.
The song was “Devil’s Dance.” Its return put the spotlight on a different kind of Metallica heaviness: a slow, insistent groove, a thick low end, and a vocal built around tension rather than speed. For listeners drawn to the band’s darker material, that combination is the whole attraction.
A return eighteen years in the making
According to Metallica’s official concert notes, the song had last been performed at Rock am Ring in Germany on June 7, 2008. The October 3 appearance also marked its first performance in Las Vegas. This was a return to the stage, rather than the song’s live debut.
Placed fourth in the set, after “Blackened,” “Fuel,” and “Leper Messiah,” it gave the opening stretch a change of pace. There is a particular appeal to hearing a band make room for a track that lives beyond its most familiar concert staples. A setlist can tell a story through the songs it brings back as much as through the hits it keeps.
The darker side of Metallica
Originally released on ReLoad in 1997, “Devil’s Dance” belongs to the band’s groove-heavy chapter. Its pull comes from repetition and space: the riff keeps circling, leaving room for the vocal to carry the menace. It is music that invites you to settle into its weight.
Sphere supplied another layer. Metallica credit Industrial Light & Magic with the visuals created for this song, connecting its atmosphere with the venue’s large-scale production. Yet the reason to revisit the performance remains simple: an overlooked corner of the catalogue had finally returned to the live set.
Watch the October 3 performance
The fan-filmed recording below captures the song’s comeback at Sphere.
