PHIL COLLEN Says DEF LEPPARD 'Would Love' To Play At The Sphere, But Expresses Concern About Production Overshadowing Band

During a June 2 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen spoke about the possibility of him and his bandmates staging a run of shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Asked if he has seen any shows at the Sphere yet, Phil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have. Well, I only saw 'The Wizard Of Oz' [immersive experience] in there, but I've seen lots of stuff [online about it]. And this isn't a diss or anything, but it seems that it's the Sphere featuring whatever band it is. It could be anyone. And that's what we'd be a bit scared of. I mean, I'd love to play there — it'd be awesome, it's incredible, and it'd be a great experience — but I think that people focus on just the production as opposed to the band. So we'll see. I don't know. I mean, I could be wrong. But, yeah, I'd love to play there, absolutely. We definitely would. So we'll see."

Reflecting on his own experience at the Sphere, Phil said: "We were there, obviously, [for] 'The Wizard Of Oz', and [my son] Jackson caught one of those apples that come out of the sky, which was kind of cool. But it's fascinating. It's amazing. I just wondered [what it would be like to see a band there], 'cause I wasn't quite sure. I haven't seen a band in there, and that's always a concern that you'd come out there and it'd be, like, 'Yeah, the Sphere was great. Oh yeah, and I saw U2 or THE EAGLES there as well,' type of thing. Or it doesn't matter, whether the whole experience kind of overshadows one or the other. It depends. But, yeah, I guess we'll find out."

The Las Vegas Sphere is a 17,600-capacity venue which has transformed live entertainment since opening in September 2023.

Known for its immersive entertainment experiences, including concerts and films, featuring a state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and a powerful sound system, the Las Vegas Sphere is nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sphere has already hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

U2 opened the building with 160,000-square-foot LED screens and 4D features, playing to more 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024. The shows commemorated one of U2's most successful albums, the chart-topping 1991 release "Achtung Baby", played in its entirety, along with select tracks from other U2 LPs.

Sphere's next-generation technologies include the world's highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. The venue also features the world's most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest.

During a question-and-answer session at last year's "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas", KISS frontman Paul Stanley said the prospect of performing at the Sphere in Las Vegas didn't appeal to him because he felt the technology that is used overshadowed the music.

"From the time the Sphere opened, people would say to us, 'You guys are a natural for the Sphere,'" Stanley said at the time. "I'm not really so sold on the idea because KISS has always been about being larger than life, and at the Sphere, the band is on a postage stamp. For my money, I think you don't even need a live band there. People are watching the screens, which are amazing — what's being programmed, the content, is incredible, but I want the band to matter. You forget that there's a band on that little stage, so I'm not really sure how we would do it."

This past March, METALLICA added 16 dates to its Sphere residency, tripling the number of shows for the engagement, which begins in early October and now extends into 2027. All 24 "Life Burns Faster" shows will continue the "No Repeat Weekend" tradition that began with the 2023 kick-off of the band's "M72" world tour, with no songs repeated on each Thursday and Saturday.

METALLICA originally announced eight dates at the venue between October 1 and 31 October, but later added shows in November (November 5 and 7),January (January 28 and 30),February (February 4, 6, 18, 20, 25, and 27),and March (March 4, 6, 11, and 13).