Brian May says Queen are discussing Las Vegas Sphere residency
" I'm very keen on the Sphere," says Brian
Brian May says Queen are “having conversations” about a “stupendous” residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Queen + Adam Lambert haven’t performed live since the Japanese leg of The Rhapsody Tour in February 2024, and 78-year-old Sir Brian told Planet Rock at the time that touring was “getting harder and harder to do”.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Brian said he’s mooting the idea of a Queen residency at the groundbreaking Sphere venue after he witnessed the Eagles playing there.
" I’m very keen on the Sphere,” Brian enthused. “It’s got my mind working. I sat there watching the Eagles, thinking, ‘We should do this. The stuff that we could bring to this would be stupendous.’
"So, yeah, I would like to do it. We’re having conversations."
Brian went on to explain that a residency would be beneficial for him and Queen drummer Roger Taylor as they wouldn’t have to travel between shows.
" I’ve had 50 years of touring and there's a part of me that thinks it's enough. I don’t like the idea that you wake up in your hotel room and you’re trapped,” Brian said.
"I had a few experiences recently where stuff happened at home with my family and I could not go home. It got under my skin and I just thought, 'I'm not sure if I want this anymore.'
"I feel like I’ve given up my freedom too many times. So my feeling at the moment is I don’t want to tour as such. I still want to play shows. I still want to innovate.
“I don’t think we’re done. And I don’t think we’re gonna say, you know, final farewell tour or whatever. 'Cause it never is, is it?"
U2 kicked off the first residency at the $2.3 billion Sphere venue in Las Vegas in October 2023, and since then Phish, Dead & Company, Eagles, and the Backstreet Boys have all performed runs of shows there.
The Sphere at the Venetian Resort is located at Sands Avenue near the Las Vegas Strip, and it features 18,600 seats inside its spherical auditorium.
The inside of the venue features a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies, and 4D physical effects.
112 metres high and 157 metres wide, the equally impressive exterior of the Sphere has 580,000 sq ft (54,000 m2) of LED displays.
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