Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen has admitted he’s torn about the idea of the band playing Las Vegas Sphere, saying the venue’s jaw‑dropping visuals could end up stealing the limelight.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Collen said he’s been impressed by what he’s seen of the Sphere so far – but also a little wary.
He said: “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.”
He explained that while the band would jump at the chance to perform there, the sheer scale of the production could risk pulling focus away from the music
Collen said: “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.”
He also shared a moment from his visit to the venue, recalling how his son got swept up in the immersive effects.
Collen 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.”
Despite the likes of U2 and The Eagles pulling in the crowds at the state-of-the-art venue, he’s unsure how a rock show would translate in such a visually dominant environment.
He continued: “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.”