The Sphere in Las Vegas delivered another visually intense spectacle this past week, but the latest performances by the Zac Brown Band brought a heavy dose of controversy.
The country music band performed a full set of new and classic tracks inside the venue’s massive dome, yet attendees said the visual story on the screens veered sharply into unexpected “Satanic” territory. As a result, the show ignited debate across social platforms.
Although fans anticipated the group’s familiar country comfort, the show instead unfolded with imagery that many viewers described as “demonic.” The contrast between the music and the visuals quickly set off widespread criticism.
What happened during the Sphere concert
When the concert started, Zac Brown addressed the crowd and explained the meaning behind the darker scenes.
According to attendees, he said the visuals depicted trauma from his childhood and represented how he processed abuse from his mother. He told the audience that the unsettling tone was intentional and that it aimed to express fear and emotional confinement.
Throughout the first portion of the show, The Sphere displayed fire-filled landscapes, a towering horned figure, and a small child approaching a door lined with flames. Additionally, a segment showed what one viewer described as, “A giant cage of ppl crawling in despair… with nephlillim skeleton peeping in and [hell] fire…. a crown of thorns to mock God….”
As the concert continued, the mood shifted.
Eventually, the visuals adopted calmer, more familiar imagery, something attendees said reflected Zac Brown’s journey out of that painful period. Yet, even with that shift, the earlier scenes remained the main focus of online conversations.
Reactions to the imagery on social media
Once clips hit TikTok, backlash intensified, with many Christian TikTokers saying that the visuals crossed a line. One user warned, “Fellow Christians, be careful what you let your eyes see, and ears hear.”
“I’ve never been one to see stuff like this actually being demonic,” another person wrote. “But as people say in the comments, none of their music goes with these visuals. Makes me think they just picked it cuz it was cool. Funny enough, in Metal music, these themes don’t feel frightening as much as it does here.”
@jimmy_dutch Zac Brown Band Sphere Las Vegas @Michele Mockenhaupt @Zac Brown Band @Sphere #lasvegassphere #zacbrownband ♬ original sound – Jimmy Isaac
Because the reactions grew quickly, some fans attempted to contextualize the imagery. A number said the story became clearer once they learned it represented trauma.
Others, however, dismissed the explanation. They insisted that intention did not outweigh how the imagery appeared on screen, and some longtime listeners claimed they would no longer support the band.
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