\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJohn Shearer*<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tIt was a powerful moment given Dumont recently shared he\u2019s been diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/a> The guitarist was looking fit and dapper, and Kanal says the diagnosis hasn\u2019t impacted band life.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe\u2019s managing it really well,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re here for him, love him, and he played incredibly well. We\u2019ve gone through a lot as a band, and with all these hurdles, last night was a reward. It makes you realize all the challenges we\u2019ve gone through were worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOne of the early hurdles included a program director reportedly declaring it would \u201ctake an act of God to get No Doubt played on the radio.\u201d Ultimately, it was their shared drive and love of music, rather than a radio higher-up, that secured No Doubt\u2019s permanent spot on the airwaves, with hits like \u201cJust a Girl\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Speak.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhile the lack of such chart-toppers in the show\u2019s first 20 minutes kept many in their seats, \u201cSpiderwebs\u201d spun fans to their feet as the Sphere glowed under web-like strands of light.<\/p>\n \n\tAn outfit change for Stefani \u2014 the first female to headline Sphere \u2014 preceded \u201cUnderneath It All.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re really lovely, Vegas!\u201d she sang.<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tFunky neon visuals accompanying \u201cHey Baby\u201d and the colorful, mermaid world fans floating through during \u201cBathwater\u201d proved so mesmerizing it was easy to forget the musicians were still onstage.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJohn Shearer*<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tBut they didn\u2019t forget their audience \u2014 Stefani spotted one No Doubter emulating her pink-haired Return of Saturn <\/em>album cover look and summoned her to the stage. The California fan, Andrea Esperanza Martinez, raced up to her idol. She was still gobsmacked afterwards, telling RS <\/em>how she learned to sing from No Doubt songs when she was eight, and now fronts a cover band called Just a Girl Tribute. \u201cIt was an out-of-body experience,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought I was dreaming!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBeing reminded of such eras wasn\u2019t all fun and games for Stefani, whose heartbreak has largely powered No Doubt\u2019s musical legacy. \u201cSome of these songs are painful,\u201d she told the audience. \u201cWhen I saw Return of Saturn<\/em> girl, I was like, \u2018I love her,\u2019 but it gives me PTSD.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCue the 2000 banger \u201cEx-Girlfriend,\u201d which Stefani wrote at the end of her seven-year romance with Kanal. In one of the most poignant visuals of the night, she and Kanal were shown on a romantic dinner date and sweetly slow-dancing on the street during \u201cSimple Kind of Life.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSuch moments highlighted the pair\u2019s commendable journey from lovers, to exes, to lifelong friends and collaborators. \u201cThere\u2019s a really strong underlying friendship we\u2019ve shared for 40 years,\u201d says Kanal. \u201cFrom being boyfriend and girlfriend to becoming creative partners, there\u2019s just something really special with the two of us. When we\u2019re onstage, there\u2019s a comfort you only get with time and depth of relationship.\u201d (Kanal went on to find bliss with wife Erin and their daughters, while mom-of-three Stefani is happily married to country crooner Blake Shelton \u2014 who was busy opening his own residency over at Caesars Palace).<\/p>\n \n\tSo, it\u2019s fair to say the exes are \u201cHappy Now?\u201d The Tragic Kingdom <\/em>track played next, before Rock Steady <\/em>anthem \u201cHella Good\u201d had everyone dancing.<\/p>\n \n\tThe pace slowed as Stefani emerged, looking like a Disney princess, and bellowed out \u201cThe Climb\u201d and \u201cRunning,\u201d which featured a sweet storybook theme. Such visuals showcased the wide range of creativity enabled by No Doubt\u2019s diverse discography, which has garnered Grammy wins and nominations spanning pop, rock, and dance.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou have heavier, punk rock songs like \u2018Ex-Girlfriend,\u2019 then incredibly soft ballads that tear at your soul,\u201d says producer and director Baz Halpin<\/a>. \u201cWhen you dissect the lyrics and how poetic they are, there\u2019s so much depth which makes putting together these visuals more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOther memorable moments included \u201cIt\u2019s My Life,\u201d the Talk Talk cover No Doubt reimagined in 2003, which was accompanied by a scrapbook turning pages through each musician\u2019s story. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDon\u2019t Speak\u201d was of course a highlight of the concert, with Stefani glittering in a blue-and-white dress as hot air balloons picturesquely glided over an orange orchard at sunrise.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cTrapped in a Box,\u201d \u201cNew,\u201d and \u201cEnd It on This\u201d followed before \u201cJust a Girl\u201d saw Stefani calling female fans onstage to help lead the venue in a raging sing-along. \u201cSunday Morning\u201d closed the show, with the group beaming as they took their first Sphere bow.<\/p>\n \n\tSo, what will come on Sunday morning after their Sphere dates wrap on June 13?<\/p>\n \n\tAsked about future plans and any possibility of new music, Kanal says they\u2019ve learned to take things \u201cday-by-day\u201d when it concerns No Doubt. \u201cSometimes we\u2019re on the same page, and sometimes we\u2019re not,\u201d he says. \u201cSo right now, the focus is these shows. After Coachella, I didn\u2019t think we\u2019d be playing the Sphere, so you never know what\u2019s around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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