Zac Brown Band Criticized for Use of ‘Satanic’ and ‘Demonic’ Visuals During Las Vegas Residency
In case you missed it, Zac Brown Band became the first country act at Sphere Las Vegas for a limited-run residency, which is a milestone. Perhaps the band wanted to give their fans an extraordinary…
In case you missed it, Zac Brown Band became the first country act at Sphere Las Vegas for a limited-run residency, which is a milestone. Perhaps the band wanted to give their fans an extraordinary show and tried to do something they’ve never done before, but their opening-night spectacle has left some fans bewildered, and not in a good way.
Zac Brown Band: 'Dream Come True”
When the band announced they would be performing at Sphere Las Vegas, they called their residency a “dream come true,” via an Instagram post. Zac Brown uploaded a poster of the show and captioned with, “Bringing our new album ‘Love & Fear’ to Sphere Las Vegas is a dream come true. It’s my masterpiece so far. This show is the story of my life that I have never shared, a journey through my imagination, music, and stories that have defined who I am. All of this brought to life in the incredible immersive environment of Sphere. It will be a unique experience where you can really feel every note, every word, right there with us. We can’t wait to share it with the fans. - Zac Brown”
Brown also said in an interview with US Weekly that he’s going into debt just so he can bring his vision for the show to life: “Just going into debt to make it happen. It’s a big moment in time, and it’s like, for us, I want to be among the names of the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones and the bands that take that lifelong career impact fan journey to be able to do that. This is our statement to try to step into that.”
He added, “I hope they feel wonder. Unpredictability is something we use in our live shows a lot. I love pulling out covers that no one would ever expect us to play; that’s super fun. This is the same thing visually, sonically — everything we’re doing.”
Unfortunately, fans felt the opposite.
'Satanic' and 'Demonic' Visuals
They opened the show with a performance of their track “Heavy Is The Head,” from their 2015 album, Jekyll & Hyde. Brown took the stage with images of the devil while wearing a crown resembling horns, as they looked to be descending into Hell.
One social media user wrote, “More satanic exposure at every turn. At least we are seeing these people for who they really are.” Another commented, “WTF is this? WOW. More demonic crap.”
A third wrote, “I just don’t know why a country artist would do this kind of ‘dark’ presentation in this day and age.”
