Sphere phantasm sparks fear
Country music star Zac Brown’s phantasmagorical show at the Sphere in Las Vegas may have polarized his own fans as well as terrified small children, but the musician isn’t changing a thing.
exposing thousands of “unsuspecting rodeo fans to ‘demonic imagery’”
Brown’s incendiary set on Friday set social media alight, with many alleged fans calling the imagery satanic or akin to a demonic ritual. Las Vegas Locally took to X with a highlight and teased that Brown stands accused of exposing thousands of “unsuspecting rodeo fans to ‘demonic imagery’”:
While the local influencer giant said demand for tickets since the show has “skyrocketed,” some of Brown’s followers on social media have reacted badly to the Sphere show, with one asking: “Why is there a satanic vibe?”
According to Vegas entertainment columnist John Katsilometes, however, a spokesperson for the band said the message stays and “the creative themes and narrative structure will remain as intended.”
Country meets metal
In terms of pyrotechnics and dramatic, haptic-involved visuals, the Zac Brown Band Show once again showcased the Sphere’s capability to surprise, with the band stating later: “We’ve played a lot of shows, but nothing like this.”
The band posted the comment on X along with stills of the show, but not everyone was happy. Social media user Cheryll Blanton responded with: “Why does it look so demonic? I remember when you had a simpler message. What happened???”
Parade magazine picked up on the social media anxiety, citing “a graphic of a skeleton underwater” and a video of Brown wearing what appeared to be a crown made of horns or bones,“ with a skeletal head in the center,” posted on TikTok.
The most dramatic sequence was for the band’s “Heavy is the Head” number, in which a giant Gothic phantasm rises over the audience before Brown arrives wearing the crown with “the whole scene bathed in crimson.”
Not the dark arts
Katsilometes, however, has a much more practical explanation that may be more about a tribute to another band than to the devil, citing a conversation he had after Friday’s show with rock journalist Eddie Trunk.
reminded him of an Iron Maiden show
The columnist reportedly told Trunk that the Zac Brown Band Sphere segment featuring the skeleton reminded him of an Iron Maiden show, to which Trunk responded that Maiden’s front man Bruce Dickinson told him in August that “the band had no interest in playing Sphere.”
Whether or not Zac Brown was paying a tribute to a band that might never play the Sphere, Katsilometes stated that commenting on the segment of the show “without context is ignoring what Brown has achieved.”
“He has created a show that traces an emotional journey. Fear is part of that voyage, as is love,” and even forms the title of Zac Brown’s latest album “Love & Fear.” The showbiz columnist essentially likened the overall Sphere experience to a work of art, rather than the dark arts.
