Harry Styles Nears Deal for Sphere Residency [UPDATE: Not So Fast]
Much to our chagrin, the New York Post has scooped us about the next residency at Sphere: Harry Styles.
We aren’t too familiar with him, but he’s quite popular and could be a much-needed shot in the arm for the struggling venue.
Styles’ residency will reportedly consist of 35 shows. By comparison, U2 did 40 shows at Sphere.
Details are a smidge thin because the residency hasn’t been officially announced or confirmed yet, but it could happen “as early as the second half of the year,” according to the New York Post.
Sphere needs a good run by a solid artist to try and overcome it’s financial situation, and by that we mean bleeding money due to operational losses and hefty debt.
Sphere’s net loss from the last quarter (three months to you and me) of 2024 was $231 million.
Due to wildly generous deals with artists (U2 got a guaranteed $4 million a show), Sphere doesn’t make as much as you’d think from residencies. Sphere actually makes more from its glorified IMAX movies, “Postcards from Earth” and “V-U2: An Immersive Concert Film.”
Apparently, Sphere couldn’t match Beyonce’s demands, as contract negotiations fell through.
Kenny Chesney is set for 18 shows mid-2025, a glimmer of hope for Sphere, as we’re told he’s popular.
Backstreet Boys are doing nine shows in 2025 as well.
We’ve cheekily called Sphere the “Bankruptcy Bulb” from day one, and there’s been some chatter Sphere and a sister business entity, MSG Networks, may have to file for bankruptcy protection.
Sphere and MSG Networks are under the Sphere Entertainment umbrella. Madison Square Garden Entertainment cleverly spun those endeavors off to protect the company’s main assets in case the inevitable happened. Why inevitable? Because Sphere cost $2.3 billion to build, more than twice the original budget. That’s a lot of Orbi bucket hats. Long story.
Anyway, Sphere has become an unmistakable element of the Las Vegas skyline and a must-see tourist attraction.
A Harry Styles residency would be awesome, despite our not really knowing what he’s done, but ChatGPT has decided to help; “Harry Styles is an English singer, songwriter and actor who first gained fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, which was formed on ‘The X Factor UK’ in 2010. After the band went on hiatus in 2016, Styles launched a successful solo career. His debut solo album, ‘Harry Styles’ (2017), featured hits like ‘Sign of the Times.’ His subsequent albums, ‘Fine Line’ (2019) and ‘Harry’s House’ (2022), earned critical and commercial success, with songs like ‘Watermelon Sugar’ and ‘As It Was’ topping charts worldwide. In addition to music, Styles has acted in films such as ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’ He is known for his eclectic fashion sense, gender-fluid style and strong fanbase.”
Hey, we watched “Dunkirk,” so we are familiar with his work.
We also recognize this song, we just didn’t know it was Harry Styles.
Our reputation as a maven of pop culture is secured.
Also on the Harry Styles setlist: “Daydreaming,” “Golden,” “Adore You,” “Keep Driving,” “Daylight, “Stockholm Syndrome,” “She,” “Little Freak,” “Matilda,” “Falling,” “Satellite,” “Late Night Talking,” “Cinema,” “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” “Treat People With Kindness,” “Best Song Ever,” “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Grapejuice,” “Fine Line,” “Sign of the Times,” “Medicine,” “Kiwi” and others.
Anticipate the requisite hoopla when the Harry Styles residency at Sphere is announced.
If the New York Post could leave the Las Vegas scoop to us, that’d be great. We did break the Backstreet Boys story, the “V-U2: An Immersive Concert Film” story and the $80 million “Wizard of Oz” story, but still. Las Vegas is our town, the New York Post is just borrowing it.
Update (3/13/25): In an odd twist, Billboard reported rumors of a Harry Styles residency at Sphere are baseless. A Sphere rep said to Billboard, “To set the record straight, there has never been plans for Harry Styles to perform at Sphere.” The New York Post story was oddly specific to have been completely fabricated, but Sphere minced no words in clarifying the story is not based in fact.
Among the publications scrambling to now share the fact the story was false? The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The ever-useless publication actually “confirmed” the residency was happening in a story on March 7, 2025. “Friday morning, a source with knowledge of Sphere’s booking plans indicated to the Review-Journal the reporting is accurate. An announcement could come as early as next week.” That’s known as doubling down in Las Vegas, and the rag of record never fails to fail.
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