The American Red Cross and Metallica will open a pop-up blood donation centre in Las Vegas on 28 September, which will stay open for the whole of the band’s residency at the Sphere.
The “Red Cross x Metallica Blood Donation Experience” operates until 19 March 2027 at the Fashion Show Las Vegas, at 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. S. — three days before the first show of the residency and almost a week after the last. Until mid-November it accepts donors Monday to Friday, 12:00 to 18:00, with a revised schedule for the rest of the period.
The space is set up like Metallica’s backstage at a show. Anyone who gives blood can sit behind a replica drum kit based on the one Lars Ulrich played and is automatically entered into a draw to win it; the kit was built by Tama and corresponds to the one made for Ulrich on the “WorldWired” tour. Every donor also gets a limited-edition T-shirt designed by Squindo, while stocks last.
The centre is sponsored by Delta Air Lines, which also runs the Delta Backstage Lounge for resting after donating, while the project is carried out with the band’s foundation, All Within My Hands. It continues an effort that began in April 2025, with blood drives at selected US stops of the “M72” tour. That campaign evolved into “Give Where You Live”, open to people who weren’t going to shows too, and gathered more than 25,000 donations in the US — around 93,000 worldwide, including the overseas legs. The Las Vegas centre changes the model: instead of following the band from city to city, it stays in one spot for about six months.
The “Life Burns Faster” residency at the Sphere runs from 1 October to 13 March, with 24 shows across twelve pairs of Thursdays and Saturdays and under a No Repeat Weekend format, meaning no song is played twice within the same two-day block. It is the first metal band to take a residency at the venue, after U2, Phish, Dead & Company, the Eagles and No Doubt. Appointments are booked at RedCrossBlood.org/Metallica, by phone on 1-800-RED CROSS, via the Blood Donor app or with the Blood Donor Skill on an Alexa device. A donor card, driving licence or two other forms of ID are required, along with a minimum age of 17 — 16 with parental consent where the law allows — and a minimum weight of 50 kg.
See also: Gojira: They sold out a $30 charity show in a few hours | Metallica’s residency at The Sphere will not be extended further
Source: https://metal-stop.com/metallica-and-american-red-cross-to-open-las-vegas-blood-donation-center-for-sphere-residency/
