No Doubt throws it back routinely in its Sphere residency production. The band emptied its scrapbook and VHS tapes to create a timeless tableau of its nearly 40-year history.
Many of the photos and videos show Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young so young, they seem like a School of Rock tribute band.
Young, the band’s powerhouse drummer, recalled a moment from 35 years ago that escaped visual chronology. The musician lit the lamp, befouled a gaming table and burned through his per diem at a classic Strip casino.
“The first time I came with the band was probably 1991, and we were doing our first West Coast tour,” Young says during an online interview leading to No Doubt’s Wednesday premiere at Sphere. “We played at the Shark Club, and we stayed at the Aladdin.”
No Doubt has made Vegas history as the only band to ever play Shark Club (which closed in its location on Harmon Avenue and the Strip in the late ’90s), Huntridge Theater (in May 1995, nine years before the theater shut down) and Sphere.
The ‘91 visit was a perfect storm for the budding ska band from Anaheim.
“We were all new to this per diem thing, where you get all your daily food money at the start of the tour,” the 56-year-old Young says. “I gambled it all away at the Aladdin. I stayed up all night, gambling. I spilled a hot chocolate on the blackjack table. I was that guy.”
Young says spent the rest of the tour bumming burritos off his friends and bandmates over the two-week tour.
“A total rookie move,” Young says.
No Doubt just cleared out its opening three shows at Sphere, with 15 dates remaining through June 13. The band’s first extended run in 14 years is a romp through the past, steeped in nostalgia and devoid of new music. There isn’t any. “Tragic Kingdom” the debut released in October ‘95, dominates the set list and the visuals.
Spilling across the Bulbous Wonder at the band’s early newspaper articles (yes, the print editions) from such SoCal pubs as the Orange County Register.
Giant, animated characters and real-life images of the band members keep the musicians in prominence. As is customary at Sphere, the performers seem as far away as Orange County itself.
But the No Doubt logo and accompanying images are right in your face. That famous brand also falls from the ska (er, sky) when Nerf-like oranges are dropped on the crowd.
This is the same effect employed in “Wizard of Oz at Sphere.” Capturing either item is no easy feat, as fans scramble for the items like baseball fans vying for foul balls. Anyone who has collected both should receive automatic induction into Sphere Hall of Fame.
Other favorite moments are No Doubt buttons filling the screens alongside other acts of their era and strata, including Squeeze, UB40 and Elvis Costello, all of whom have performed recently in Las Vegas. Saturday, Kanal wore a vintage Police tour T-shirt from the “Synchronicity” days.
Brilliant among the visual storytelling moments was “Simple Kind of Life,” where we are reminded that Kanal and Stefani dated in the band’s early days. Still sharing a happy chemistry on stage, the band mates are shown dining together, toasting red wine and slow-dancing in an Orange County home.
A beyond-life-size Stefani looms over the scene, observing her former self. She’s also shown in suburban settings with Kanal (a couple in jammies crawling into bed) and Young, who comes home from a day at the office to a quite-pregnant Stefani at the door.
Those scenes throw it back to those simpler days, when No Doubt was a tight little band, gambling per diem, toppling beverages, only starting its timeless tour.
Support of Dumont
Saturday night, Dumont played and performed with no signs of the Parkinson’s disease he announced last month. The 58-year-old guitar great posted a video on social media that he had diagnosed with early onset of the neurological disorder.
The band had expected Dumont’s public announcement. But he is not expected to miss any of No Doubt’s remaining dates at Sphere. As Young says, “I don’t want to speak on his behalf, but his announcement wasn’t new to us. He’s one of my dearest friends, so it makes me very sad. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Snare supply
Young appeared Saturday at The Punk Rock Museum as part of The Fully Vented Podcast. The series is dedicated to the history of drummers at punk-rock launching pad Orange County Drum & Percussion.
Young unveiled a signature OCDP snare, which he designed from scratch. The drum is released along with the 35th anniversary relaunch of the music store by Guitar Center, which is selling the model now.
Young is playing the new snare, in a full, orange-sparkle OCDP kit, throughout No Doubt’s residency.
Cool Hang Alert
Serpentine Fire, the wonderful Earth Wind & Fire tribute, returns to South Point Showroom from Tuesday through Thursday. Powered by front man Tyriq Johnson, the band cuts loose with “Boogie Wonderland,” “Fantasy” and “September,” in a hit-jammed jam session. Tickets start at $30, with intel at southpointcasino.com.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.