No Doubt Confirms Mini Residency at Sphere
No Doubt, a popular band with the olds, has confirmed plans for a six-show stint at Sphere.
The band, featuring lead singer Gwen Stefani, who once told a mutual friend we were “cute,” will perform at Sphere on May 6, 8, 9, 13, 15-16, 2026.
The story was broken by TMZ the day before the official announcement. TMZ stands for “thirty-mile zone.” If you get nothing else from the Internet today, you got that and you’re welcome because that “Jeopardy” question wasn’t going to answer itself.
TMZ (“thirty-mile zone”) got its name from an industry term referring to a “studio zone” in California, 30 miles in radius from the intersection of Beverly Blvd. and La Cienega Blvd. in L.A. It is called the “studio zone” because of the concentration of movie and TV studios within those boundaries.
We are sharing this because some have referred to this blog as the “TMZ of Las Vegas,” and we never knew how to take that. From what we hear, TMZ gets its scoop by paying sources, sometimes referred to as “checkbook journalism.” We have never paid anyone for scoop, although the idea of “tipping for tips” doesn’t sound like a terrible business model.
We don’t want to be TMZ because they stepped on the No Doubt announcement when it was timed to happen on the 30th anniversary of the release of No Doubt’s seminal album “Tragic Kingdom.” That was October 10, 1995. In case you were offended by the “olds” joke.
Yes, “seminal” can refer to semen. In this case, it means “a work strongly influencing later developments.” Just like semen, but please grow up.
That said, we are supposed to be writing about the No Doubt residency at Sphere.
The term “residency” is used loosely in Las Vegas now. Six shows is right at the cut-off of what’s considered a residency, as opposed to just “several shows in the same venue.” The term “residency” is just sexier for marketing purposes.
This will be No Doubt’s first extended run of shows in nearly 14 years.
“Extended run” is a good way of putting it. That’s also how we describe moving between two casinos on The Strip if one wants to avoid being pestered by buskers.
Let’s now provide some perfunctory back story for No Doubt, since many of our fellow kids have no idea who we’re referring to.
No Doubt is a Southern California ska-punk band formed in 1986 in Anaheim by Gwen Stefani, her brother Eric, bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young.
Stefani had a long-term relationship with a bandmate. We are not going to mention his name in this paragraph because we want you to think for a moment, “Wait, her brother was her bandmate!”
No, it was Tony Kanal, the bassist. Their breakup was the inspiration for several No Doubt songs, most famously “Don’t Speak.”
No Doubt’s music blends ska, new wave, reggae and pop. The group carved out a unique niche in the 1990s alt-rock scene.
Their breakthrough came with the previously referenced 1995 album “Tragic Kingdom,” which sold more than 16 million copies and produced hits like the aforementioned “Don’t Speak,” “Just a Girl” and “Spiderwebs.”
The band’s energetic style, colorful fashion and Gwen Stefani’s unmistakable voice made them MTV staples. After several hiatuses in the 2000s, No Doubt reunited for the 2012 album “Push and Shove” but has largely focused on individual projects since.
Gwen Stefani became a pop-culture icon in her own right, known for her platinum hair, red lipstick and bold fashion sense. She successfully crossed into pop with a 2004 solo album, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.,” which included the chart-topping “Hollaback Girl.”
A “hollaback girl” is someone who responds to insults or challenges instead of rising above them. The song was reportedly inspired by a comment from Courtney Love, who once dismissed Stefani as a “cheerleader.” Stefani turned Love’s insult into a song with a cheerleader rhythm and the defiant theme of being loud and proud rather than just reacting pettily.
Stefani was previously married to Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale. She is currently married to country star Blake Shelton. The two met on a TV show, “The Voice.”
Shelton is currently printing money with his Ole Red restaurant and bar on the Las Vegas Strip.
Just because we know how you are, we will provide additional details about the time Gwen Stefani told a friend we were cute. When we worked at the Writers Guild of America, we helped organize networking parties for screenwriters, TV writers and members of the media. At one such gathering, Gwen Stefani was in attendance. Our mutual friend, an attorney at the WGA, was chatting with Stefani (they were longtime friends) when we happened to walk by (with the specific intention of meeting Gwen Stefani in her prime) and our friend introduced us to Stefani. We were incredibly charming back then due to heavy drinking, and after we walked away, Stefani whispered something into our friend’s ear. We were later informed she said, “You should date him, he’s cute.” Have we desperately clung to this memory for decades? Yes, yes we have. Would Gwen Stefani have any memory whatsoever of us, or of that interaction? Definitely not. Did our friend take Stefani’s advice? No. But our friend was definitely in love with us, though.
This is probably a good time to share another music video.
Anyway, blah blah tickets for No Doubt at Sphere blah blah.
Performing at Sphere opens up a whole new world of creative expression for bands. It’s expensive to create custom visuals for the venue’s massive screen, but they can magnify the impact of music and provide a transformative experience for fans.
We’d have seen this show back when we were cute. Asshats didn’t stand up at concerts. And while we’re at it, get off our lawn.
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