an englishman in las vegas Nov. 13, 2024

Sting Won’t Make the Sphere His Hive

Portrait of Devon Ivie

By Devon Ivie, a staff writer covering classic rock and TV

Lo-fi. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Clearly, a cameo in Bee Movie was enough to fill Sting’s lifetime allotment of a globular and otherworldly realm. Despite some of his peers eagerly flocking to Las Vegas’s unnatural wonder of a new performance venue, the Sphere, for musical residencies, the former Policeman isn’t sold on the concept and doubts he ever will be. When asked by the Los Angeles Times about his experience with the Sphere, Sting said “early on” he saw the very first concert residency, which was U2 performing 1991’s Achtung Baby in full. “I loved the show but I thought it was difficult for the band to really appear out of all of that,” he admitted. “It was so much to see. I don’t want to be overpowered by visuals, so I’m not sure it’s the place for me.” Since U2 ended their residency earlier this year, Phish, Dead & Company, and the Eagles have all rotated through shows with grandiose and precisely executed imagery, so much so that the Sphere had the foresight to build a sensory-deprivation room for attendees whose bodies couldn’t handle the trip to hyperspace. But come on. We all know Sting only needs his bass guitar and a very tight T-shirt for the stage.

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Sting Won’t Make the Sphere His Hive

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