James Hetfield Calls Out ‘Other Entertainers’ With an Agenda

A Metallica's concert at the Las Vegas Sphere on Saturday (Oct. 10), James Hetfield took a moment to call out "other entertainers" who use their musical platform to further an agenda, urging that his band will never do such a thing.

What Did James Hetfield Say to the Sphere Audience?

During his brief comments between songs, the frontman told the crowd, "Unless you live in Vegas, you've come a long way to spend some time with Metallica. We're grateful for that — your travels, the money you spend, the time it took, thanks for coming to celebrate with us."

In footage shared below by YouTube account @RealityRedemption1, he then added, "I just gotta say, Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit, okay? We are here... no bullshit... we're here to forget about all the outside shit, okay? Metallica's agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby!"

Metallica's James Hetfield Addresses Las Vegas' Sphere Crowd (Oct. 10, 2026)

What Has James Hetfield Previously Said About Politics in Music?

Back in 2016, James Hetfield made it a point while promoting the Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct album to note the band's policy toward delving into divisive subject matter.

Speaking with the BBC at the time, he shared, ""There's a lot of polarization going on in the [United] States, and I see it other places as well. But it just seems like you have to get more extreme to balance out the other extreme."

He continued, "We've got to find some balance in the middle here somewhere. We stay away from politics from religion. That just seems to polarize people even more. We all have our own beliefs but, at the end of the day, we're trying to connect with people and it seems like political views don't do that as much as music does."

What Else Metallica Fans Got at Saturday's Sphere Show

While James Hetfield's calling out of "other entertainers" made headlines, there was another significant song addition to the band's residency performance in Las Vegas. For the first time since the run started at the beginning of October, Metallica added the hit song "Until It Sleeps" from their 1996 album Load into their setlist, per setlist.fm.

Using the Sphere's visual technology, Metallica made it look as though the controversial artwork from the album was floating throughout the venue.

The band played two different sets on their first weekend and that seems to be the plan moving forward, though with a few changes. During their third Sphere performance last Thursday (Oct. 8), the band debuted "Fade to Black" as part of the residency run. The setlist was almost identical to the opening night show, though "Fade to Black" replaced "The Day That Never Comes" and "Orion" slotted in where "The Call of Ktulu" had initially been.

There are four remaining weekends at the Sphere for 2026 with shows each Thursday and Saturday through Nov. 7. The band also has a pair of shows in Uncasville, Ct., on Nov. 19 and 21 to round out the year. More Sphere shows are also scheduled for 2027 along with additional tour dates.

Stay up to date on all of the stops and get ticketing information through the band's website.

Below, see the favorite Metallica album of 45 big rock and metal musicians.