Eagles Announce Sphere Residency

The Eagles, after months of rumors, have finally confirmed they will be taking to the Sphere in Las Vegas for a series of residency shows.

The Eagles Sphere residency shows will begin on Friday, September 20 and wrap on Saturday, October 19. So far, eight shows in total have been announced over four weekends within the aforementioned time period. The exact show dates are as follows:

-September 20, 21, 27 and 28
-October 11, 12, 18 and 19

Per the Sphere, "Oct. 19. Advance presale registration is available now at Eagles.com. Artist presale begins Tuesday, June 18 at 10am PT and general on sale begins Friday, June 21⁠ at 10⁠AM⁠ PT via Ticketmaster.com.

Rumors of an Eagles Sphere residency first began in February. At that time, the band was in talks about playing the Sphere, but a deal was not finalized.

In March, The New York Post reported the Eagles booked a residency that will stretch over 10 weekends from September through December. Obviously, that report was a bit exaggerated, since the actual residency is four weekends.

The Eagles are still in the middle of their farewell tour. When the farewell tour was first announced, the Eagles noted they would be rolling out dates and venues once they are confirmed. As of publishing, the only show's the band has scheduled are the Sphere dates. However, The New York Post's report back in March said the residency is expected to follow the end of their "The Long Goodbye" farewell tour.

Whether or not the Eagles Sphere residency shows will be the official end to their farewell tour has yet to be confirmed.

Considering the newness and the technology offered by the Sphere, many would assume bands would be jumping at the chance to book the venue. Believe it or not, that's not the case.

In March, Jon Bon Jovi told Ultimate Classic Rock that Bon Jovi was asked to be the second band after U2 to perform a residency at the venue. The singer said he was at the opening night of U2's residency and was in awe of the Sphere's technology and scope.

However, Bon Jovi expressed uncertainty about how long it would take to develop a Sphere show and what a Bon Jovi inside the Sphere would even look like. This appears to be a large part of why the band turned down the residency offer.

He said, "I was there on opening night, and, of course, that's the first thing that goes through your mind, 'How would I present this?' ... I don't see, necessarily, how I could pull that one off."

Sphere in Las Vegas is one of the coolest venues to open in decades. There truly hasn't been anything like it, especially when it comes to its many visual aspects.

To begin with, its sheer presence as a building just off the Vegas Strip is awe-inspiring. Your eyes are just drawn to it, regardless of what it projected on its external surface. Sphere's website notes the "Exosphere" features 580,000 sq feet of LEDs that are so bright they can be seen from space.

Its interior is also magical, and we don't just mean its spatial audio system. Sphere's website states, "Events at Sphere are immersive experiences that, depending on the event, may include elements such as seat haptics, movement sensations, flashing lights, intense lighting, visual effects, loud noises, and atmospheric simulations including fog, scent and wind."

In other words: There are seemingly few limits to what can be done with Sphere's remarkable technology.

After breaking ground in Sept. 2018, Sphere opened in Sept. 2023. U2, of course, was the first artist to perform a residency at the new Vegas venue, which cost $2.3 billion to build. In December 2023, The Hollywood Reporter noted the 17 shows U2 performed through Nov. 30 generated $30.7 million in revenue, which is an average of $1.8 million per show.

Additionally, Sphere has screened Darren Aronofsky's film Postcards From Earth. Through Nov. 30, the state-of-the-art venue has hosted 111 screenings of the film, which has resulted in $44.5 million in revenue. This averages to $400,000 per screening. Altogether, these two attractions have generated over $75 million in revenue for the new venue.

After U2 wraps their residency on March 2, Phish will be the next band to perform at The Sphere. Their show dates are currently April 18-21. After Phish, Dead & Company's "Dead Forever" residency will begin on May 16.

This all has us asking ourselves a very important question: Who should be next to occupy Sphere? After some thought, we think these five rock acts would make very interesting use of the unique space.

Gilmour doesn't perform much anymore, so having him do a Sphere residency would be really special. He undoubtedly has enough of a catalog to warrant such a grand venue. Also, you just know he could really bring an impressive visual experience, too. A Gilmour Sphere residency would continue to make the venue the most in-demand attraction in Vegas.

Let's just say it: Maynard James Keenan is a f---ing weirdo. (Yes, we do mean that in a positive way.) It would be fascinating to see how he would play to such a larger-than-life venue. As far as visuals go, their existing music videos could be projected on the massive screens, and it would be outstanding! The video for "Vicarious" alone would be trippy AF. Of course, Tool would likely create original visuals for the performance just because they could.

How do you make a larger-than-life rock figure even larger? Have them take on Sphere! If anyone could do it, it's obviously Sir Paul. Like with Gilmour, there's an ample catalog to play with. Plus, he'd be able to sell out countless nights at the venue. Nothing but wins all around for this one!

Giving Trent Reznor the kind of visual freedom Sphere could offer would be interesting, to say the least. It would just be fascinating to see what he would do with all of the technology. He would surely come up with a concept literally only he could dream up. Let's hope a NIN residency will eventually become a reality.

Remember how we noted Sphere is capable of "atmospheric simulations including fog, scent and wind"? Just imagine how Slipknot would utilize scent in a venue. Sure, there's a good chance it would be gross, but it's not like you'd want some earthy patchouli incense at a Slipknot show. Plus, their visuals are overwhelming at their shows already. Just think of what they would do with those screens!