AUDIOJUNKIE: No Doubt live at The Sphere
Published Jun 22, 2026 10:23 am
No Doubt during rehearsals for The Sphere
“Las Vegas…are you ready? Ok Las Vegas you got your seatbelts on? Cause I’m about to tell you a story…”
With those words, No Doubt launched into the first song of their set for The Sphere. No front acts, just straight to the party at Las Vegas last July 3. Now this falls on the exact day as my wife’s birthday which is why we’re here enjoying the show. So, first time to see No Doubt, first time in Las Vegas and first time at The Sphere. Which is big by the way and at least three-fourths of it is covered in screen. Every inch of it seems to be moving, that's why I’m looking forward to this show.
No Doubt has been active for the past 26 years (on and off) and there's a lot to pack in there: first their 1986-2004 run that saw their debut and into the global success of “Tragic Kingdom.” Then their 2008-2015 comeback in which they pushed and promoted their album “Push and Shove,” and into their current iteration and residency which makes all of this all the more exciting.
No Doubt performs at The Sphere
Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young, with trombonist Gabrial Macnair and saxophonist Stephen Bradley, wasted no time pumping out the music. Starting with “Tragic Kingdom,” which is the first time I saw The Sphere in action with all videos, and I must say, is all you’ll ever need to see there inside! The seats are vibrating, the sound is big and images are down right into your face!
But hey, it’s a No Doubt show right? So when “Spiderwebs” came on, memories of when we were covering it came flooding back, but here’s the real deal, that comes complete with Tom Dumont’s guitar and the brass band back up. “Underneath It All” was subdued, with Tony Kanal’s bass playing taking the lead on one of the many times it did. Drummer Adrian Young, it should be mentioned, was wearing a dress, but that didn’t keep him from playing in time on “Bathwater” and “Ex-Girlfriend.”
Deep cuts like “Excuse Me Mr,” “Different People,” “Total Hate ‘95” and the like went on one by one without a hitch. It was a homage to No Doubt’s ska-punk roots as well as new wave (“Happy Now?”) alternative rock (“The Climb”) and pop rock (“Hella Good”) that it didn’t matter which song came on.
Gwen Stefani didn’t age. She kept No Doubt looking great and she sounded awfully good as well. By the time “It’s My Life” (originally by Talk Talk) I was ready to pack it in and was convinced that I was here to watch this particular song! Tony Kanal, playing the main lick, was perfect on this song and so was the rest of the band come to think of it!
“Don’t Speak” ably helped with the videos, provided nostalgia and some oranges with it as well! Well, fake oranges if you will, but the way it was blended and came on during Tom Dumont’s solo was well worth the wait!
Gwen Stefani’s singing was spot on! “Just A Girl,” “Sunday Morning” and “Underneath It All” all followed suit. Come to think of it, the way these songs get played one by one, right beside one another, only one thing came to mind: Welcome to the greatest hits show! You’re going to love it here! So it is, with No Doubt exhibiting mastery of songs from their early days to their most recent romp, all you can say is “Hey baby, hey baby, hey!”