Entertainment · Music · 4 hrs ago
Pearl Jam Is Unlikely to Play Las Vegas’s Sphere Soon
Pearl Jam is not expected to perform at Sphere, the large entertainment venue in Las Vegas, anytime soon.
Guitarist Mike McCready said he would be open to it, but he is unsure whether the rest of the band agrees.
He also said the large upfront cost of staging a residency could be difficult to recover without playing many shows.
McCready joked that the band is “kind of cheap” and said he was comfortable spending two days in Las Vegas.
Guitarist Stone Gossard has been more firmly opposed, saying in a 2024 interview that the show would involve considerable work and require carefully adjusted in-ear monitors.
He also worried that Sphere’s elaborate visuals could limit the spontaneity of the band’s jam performances.
The band has not announced plans to play there.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready said the band may not agree on whether to perform at Las Vegas’s Sphere.
McCready said the cost of staging a residency and the number of shows needed to recoup the investment could be obstacles.
McCready said he was open to the idea but would be content with two days in Las Vegas.
Fellow guitarist Stone Gossard strongly opposed playing the venue in a 2024 interview.
Gossard said Sphere’s production could interfere with the band’s preference for spontaneous performances.
- Who
- Pearl Jam, including guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard.
- What
- The band is unlikely to play a residency at Las Vegas’s Sphere soon.
- When
- McCready discussed the idea recently on Watch What Happens Live; Gossard addressed it in a 2024 interview.
- Where
- Sphere, a venue in Las Vegas.
- Why
- McCready cited the investment and number of shows required; Gossard raised concerns about the venue’s production and its effect on spontaneity.
Mike McCready
Stone Gossard
Attitude toward playing Sphere
Mike McCready
McCready said he was for it, though he was unsure everyone in the band agreed.
Stone Gossard
Gossard said, “No, God, no.
Practical and musical concerns
Mike McCready
McCready said the upfront investment and number of shows needed to recoup the costs could be a challenge.
Stone Gossard
Gossard said the venue required work to get in-ear monitors right and that its visual production could undermine spontaneous playing.
Stone Gossard said in an interview that he did not want Pearl Jam to play Sphere.
Mike McCready discussed the possibility of playing Sphere as a guest on Watch What Happens Live.
- Venue
- Sphere, Las Vegas
- McCready’s view
- He was open to playing Sphere but unsure the whole band was.
- McCready’s Las Vegas preference
- Two days
- Gossard’s view
- He said he did not want to play Sphere.
- Main concerns
- Upfront investment, the number of shows required, in-ear sound and visual production
What people are saying
I’m for it… I’m not sure everyone in my band is
We’re kind of cheap
I’m good with Vegas for two days.
No, God, no. Personally, as soon as people started talking about it, I thought, ‘Please don’t… don’t ask me.’
Sources
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