Tool may be playing the Las Vegas Sphere once they finish their next album. “I think we’re the perfect band for that.”
Tool are not the first band that come to mind when you think of Vegas acts. Wayne Newton, sure. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and even some artists who aren’t dead, like Celine Dion and Elton John. But Tool may be entering their lounge lizard era soon, with drummer Danny Carey hinting pretty strongly that the band would not balk at a gig at the Las Vegas Sphere.
Carey talked about a possibility during an interview with Spiral Out last week, while giving an update on the status of Tool’s long-awaited follow up to 2019’s Fear Inoculum. With the new album currently slated for a 2027 release, Carey said that “We’re hoping when we release the new record, maybe do a stint at the Sphere, ’cause I think we’re the perfect band for that. We’ve been talking to those guys.”
Acknowledging that a Sphere residency would be a massive undertaking, Carey described the preparation as “pretty intense”, saying, “It’s a very expensive endeavor, and it takes a while to get into the black. I think quite a few shows before you make any money.”
Which sounds like negotiations are well underway. If and when Tool’s Las Vegas Sphere residency happens, they’ll join the likes of U2, Phish, Dead & Company, and The Eagles – previous headliners who have packed the 17,600-capacity venue since it opened in September 2023. The Sphere is famous for its state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and bowel-shaking sound system, and let’s face it – it’d be pretty sweet to catch a Tool show in such a venue. And they wont be the only heavy act making the scene on the strip, with negotiations for Metallica’s own 2027 Sphere residency reportedly all but done.
