Trey Anastasio has reflected on his time playing at Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art Sphere venue, and in the process has seemingly confirmed why so many players are having to shake up their setups when playing the hi-tech arena. Anastasio teamed up with his Phish bandmates to play a four-date residency at the Sphere in April this year, but did so without the help of any on-stage . Instead, Anastasio – a lover of vintage Mesa/Boogies and Princetons – was forced to bury his amps well out of view, resulting in a rig that, at first glance, seemed to have foregone amps altogether.
The prog maestro isn’t the only guitar player to have gotten creative with their guitar setup specifically for the Sphere stage, though. For U2’s own residency, The Edge ended his lifelong love affair with tube amps and famously turned to Universal Audio’s amp sim pedals . John Mayer, who is nearing the end of his own Sphere residency with Dead & Company, recently revealed he also had to get creative with his amp placement, .
At the time, many theorized that the Sphere’s unique PA and amalgamation of speakers meant that stage volume had to be kept to a minimum, and it seems such observations were correct. In the new issue of , Anastasio confirms why no-one has used genuine amps on stage at the Sphere – and why no-one ever will – as a result of its unique sound system. “No-one will ever have an amp on stage at the Sphere,” Anastasio says.
“They might have dummies, but they’re not on..