Pearl Jam Probably Aren’t Going to Play Sphere

Metallica recently kicked off their residency at Sphere, becoming the first heavy metal band to perform at the multibillion-dollar Las Vegas venue. While other rock acts, including No Doubt, U2, Dead & Company, and Eagles, have also staged shows at Sphere, don’t expect Pearl Jam to follow suit anytime soon.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready recently appeared as a guest DJ on Watch What Happens Live, where host (and friend of upcoming Sphere performer John Mayer) Andy Cohen asked whether the band would consider performing at the venue.

“I’m for it… I’m not sure everyone in my band is,” McCready said. McCready also suggested that the considerable upfront investment required to stage a Sphere residency would be a challenge, particularly given the number of shows the band would need to play to recoup those costs.

“We’re kind of cheap,” McCready joked, before adding, “I’m good with Vegas for two days.”

Fellow Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard was considerably more emphatic when asked about the prospect of playing Sphere during a 2024 interview on Kyle Meredith With…

“No, God, no. Personally, as soon as people started talking about it, I thought, ‘Please don’t… don’t ask me.'”

“I hear there’s some work involved. I hear you’ve got to really get the in-ears working just right for you to hear yourself, and it’s not a musical,” Gossard continued. “That’s not one of those clubs where you step in and go, ‘Hey, it sounds good in here right now, this is great.'”

Gossard also expressed concern that Sphere’s elaborate visual production would interfere with Pearl Jam’s preference for spontaneity.

“Or like, cameras are on you, but it’s also on this giant grouper fish that they’ve got sort of imaged over the top of you! And yeah, for the spontaneity of a jam show, I guess that kind of goes out the window. You can’t really pull…”

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Why we haven’t seen Pearl Jam at The Sphere yet… #WWHL

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