Metallica have turned their Las Vegas residency into a blood drive. The band are working with the American Red Cross on a donation campaign tagged BleedMe, aimed at the fans coming to their Life Burns Faster run at the Sphere.
The drive is not a table in a lobby. From 28 September to 19 March, a Metallica-themed pop-up donation centre operates at the Fashion Show Las Vegas mall on the Strip, built to replicate the backstage area of one of the band's shows, with a replica of Lars Ulrich's stage kit that donors can sit behind.
The incentives are unusually specific. Refreshments are served in what the campaign calls the Delta Backstage Lounge, donors receive a limited-edition shirt designed by the artist Squindo while supplies last, and everyone who gives is entered into a draw for Ulrich's actual Tama drum kit.
None of this is new territory for the band. Metallica have been pushing blood and plasma donation for years through their All Within My Hands foundation, including across the M72 tour in Europe, and this brings the same programme to a fixed American location rather than moving it city to city.
That is the practical advantage of a residency. A touring blood drive has to rebuild itself in every market; a six-month pop-up in one mall lets the Red Cross schedule appointments months out and gives donors a reason to come back.
Appointments can be booked through the campaign's own website, the Blood Donor App or by calling the Red Cross. The residency itself runs at the Sphere on 1, 3, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31 October, with further dates in 2027.
More on the band sits on our metal hub, and the residency dates are on the tour guide. We also covered a Metallica song landing on the Gears of War: E-Day soundtrack in August.
The facts
- Metallica are running a blood drive with the American Red Cross.
- It runs from 28 September to 19 March at a pop-up centre on the Las Vegas Strip.
- The centre is built to replicate the backstage area of a Metallica show.
- It includes a replica of Lars Ulrich's stage drum kit.
- Donors get a limited Squindo-designed shirt while supplies last.
- Donors are entered into a draw to win Ulrich's Tama drum kit.
- The drive is tied to the Life Burns Faster residency at the Sphere.
- Residency dates run 1 to 31 October with further shows in 2027.
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