“What’s the point of even being there, if you’re a band?”: Bruce Dickinson hates the idea of Iron Maiden playing the Las Vegas Sphere
Reports suggest Metallica are currently eyeing up a residency at the immersive Las Vegas Sphere, but it seems not every legendary metal band is keen.
To clue you in, the MSG Sphere is a spherical $2.3 billion venue that opened in Las Vegas in 2023, and features around 1.2 million LED lights covering the interior which can be configured to display any light or graphical show an artist wishes.
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But according to Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden has no interest in joining the growing list of bands to perform at the venue, suggesting that he wants Maiden shows to remain performances with focus on the band members, rather than on a light show that might be going on around them.
“No. It’s not Maiden,” Dickinson tells Eddie Trunk in a new interview. “Maiden’s about the relationship between the band and the audience, and the show, whilst it’s a show, is an enhancement to what we do.
“The Sphere, as far as I can gather… I mean, I appreciate what you’re saying about it – it’s all encompassing, it’s this and that, it’s the other – but I think the band would be very uncomfortable with the idea.”
He continues: “I mean, we just do a lot of stuff: we run around, we go around, and at the Sphere, what’s the point? What’s the point? In fact, what’s the point of even being there, if you’re a band?”
While Bruce Dickinson asserts that an Iron Maiden show should be about the performance from the band members, first and foremost, one can’t help but imagine how spectacular it would be to have Eddie (the band’s mascot) in various scenarios on the Sphere’s gigantic dome roof.
While he sounds pretty adamant that Maiden won’t sign up to play there any time soon, for what it’s worth, Bruce, we’d love to see it…
So far, the Sphere has hosted the likes of U2, Dead & Company and Eagles, as well as electronic artists including Anyma and Kaskade.
While the venue has generally attracted overwhelmingly positive reviews from those who have attended, it has, as Bruce Dickinson suggests, called into question whether the intensity of the experience detracts from the artists who play there.
Naturally, though, for bands and artists with a strongly defined visual theme, the Sphere perhaps presents the best opportunity yet to bring their artistic world to life.
View all of Iron Maiden’s upcoming tour dates via their official website.
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