“I Try To Ignore It”: Vince Gill on the Distractions That Come With Playing at the Sphere With the Eagles

With a career dating back to the 1970s, Vince Gill understood the pressure of performing in front of thousands of fans. But again, given the length of his career, the musician and singer quickly found his footing. And over the years that followed, he performed on some of the biggest stages in the country. Still, Gill was somewhat shocked when he started to perform with the Eagles at the Las Vegas Sphere. Due to the massive amount of technology surrounding the venue, it seemed the famed musician struggled when it came to keeping his attention on the music. 

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Appearing on Shred With Shifty, a podcast hosted by guitarist Chris Shiflett, Gill opened up about what it was like to play the Sphere with the Eagles. Joining the Eagles back in 2017 after Glenn Frey passed away, Gill found himself part of the famed rock band. Finding his groove with the band, it appeared the struggle came with the venue. “I try to ignore it. I try not to watch any of the content, because it’s pretty distracting. And it makes me get a little bit wobbly. Things are moving and tilting, and it’s pretty neat.”

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Vince Gill Not The Only One Mesmerized By The Sphere

Not wanting to be the reason the band missed a beat or botched a performance, Gill loved the idea of how the audience always looked at the technology and massive screens. “I jokingly tell people it’s the most people I’ve ever been ignored by at a gig. But you know, they’re there to see the bells and whistles, and that’s the point of it all.”

The Eagles kicked off their residency at the Sphere back in September 2024. Since then, the band has performed at the venue over 30 times. And even with that many shows, Gill and Joe Walsh fought not to look up. “I’ll find myself, if I start watching it, forgetting to come back in and sing, and this and that, and get distracted. Joe [Walsh] always says every night, he says, ‘I look back and I never knew how big my nose was.’”

Continuing their run at the Sphere, the Eagles will close out their residency this fall. But before that, Gill prepared to hit the road himself with a solo tour running through the summer.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)