Gwen Stefani calls No Doubt's vibrant Sphere reunion a 'crazy exchange of love'
Gwen Stefani calls No Doubt's vibrant Sphere reunion a 'crazy exchange of love'
Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAYThu, May 7, 2026 at 4:13 PM UTC
0
LAS VEGAS – “You got your seatbelts on?” Gwen Stefani asked in a voice over, moments after a 10-minute countdown clock struck zero.
It was posed as a question, but should have been a warning considering the rollicking ride No Doubt steered for the next two hours at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The band – the effervescent Stefani, bassist Tony Kanal, drummer Adrian Young, guitarist Tom Dumont and two prodigiously talented utility players on horns, keyboards and backing vocals – landed at the technological unicorn of a venue May 6 for the first of an 18-show residency.
No Doubt opened its Sphere residency in Las Vegas May 6, 2026.
The reunion of one of the most innovative groups of hitmakers of the 1990s and early 2000s is ostensibly to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their landmark “Tragic Kingdom” album. That point was acknowledged immediately with the title track – not played since 2009 – opening the show as motion-simulating video tilted and zipped through a vibrant carnival.
But the bigger purpose of this residency is to celebrate not just an album, but a career that survived romantic breakups, solo stardom for Stefani, tentative reunions and now, a deserved victory lap.
“I’m getting a little emotional up here,” Stefani said a few songs into the concert as she looked in awe at a sold-out crowd dotted with combat boots, checkerboard ensembles and pink-streaked hair in homage to No Doubt’s ska-pop-punk motif.
More: All the No Doubt songs on their Las Vegas Sphere setlist
Gwen Stefani praises 'crazy exchange of love'
Stefani, 56, was an age-defying whirlwind. Whether scampering across the stage, black-tipped blond ponytail flying during “Excuse Me Mr.” or fluttering Elphaba-esque fingernails and pogoing in her banana-yellow shorts over fishnets and black and white boots on “Different People,” her joy was palpable.
No Doubt opened its Sphere residency in Las Vegas May 6, 2026.
Though No Doubt reunited briefly the past couple of years – in 2024 at Coachella and last year at the FireAid benefit concert – this residency is the first proper spate of shows the band has played since a seven-night stand in Los Angeles in 2012.
Taut performances of the loping 2002 hit “Underneath It All” and their faithful, yet notable, rendition of Talk Talk’s 1984 classic “It’s My Life” demonstrated that the band remains a formidable live unit.
Advertisement
Stefani’s voice, a touch of huskiness blended with her identifiable vibrato, escalated to a full belt during “The Climb” – a true deep cut not performed since 1997 – and turned honeyed for “Running,” its sweet undercurrent of hopefulness complemented by the pop-up story book enveloping the room.
Kanal, who bopped around in a sleeveless “Purple Rain” T-shirt, Dumont, whose guitar close-ups elicited cheers, and Young, the rhythmic anchor in a plaid vest, seemed to relish revisiting the thick backbeat and snappy riffing of “Hella Good” and “Happy Now?”.
A nonstop current of energy zigzagged through the crowd and Stefani expressed the band’s gratefulness numerous times, calling the feeling, “this crazy exchange of love that never ends.”
Considering how easy it can be for artists to get overwhelmed by the Sphere wizardry – floating TV sets, tumbling towers of soup cans and animated No Doubt tour posters were well integrated into the show – the band managed to insert personal touches.
Stefani pulled fans on stage a couple of times, once for a hug and to help her lead the crowd through the side-to-side arm wave synonymous with “Spiderwebs” and another at the start of “Bathwater.” They were moments not often seen at the Sphere and reminded that along with her high kicks, arm flailing and effortlessly cool outfits, Stefani knows the meaning of those small interactions.
No Doubt opened its Sphere residency in Las Vegas May 6, 2026.
More: Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the acts that are playing and how to get tickets
No Doubt never goes out of style
Before No Doubt barreled into a home stretch that included their 1992 debut single, “Trapped in a Box,” which they hadn’t played since 2002, and the giddy “Just a Girl,” the band unspooled their biggest career smash.
A peaceful camera stroll through an orange grove belied the anguish that Stefani spills in “Don’t Speak,” her voice still imbued with a wrenching ache in each word. Fans should be on the lookout for falling souvenirs during the dramatic ballad, even though it’s challenging to glance beyond the riveting performance and encompassing video.
No Doubt defined an era with their individualistic fashion and blurred musical lines between ska and pop. Three decades after reaching their pinnacle, their sound and fury is still in style.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No Doubt proves they still own the moment at Sphere show in Vegas
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
