At this point, every No Doubt song is a live rarity. The once-dominant band has only been intermittently active in recent years. Since they wrapped up a run of 2015 festivals, No Doubt came back to play Coachella in 2024 and LA's FireAid benefit last year, and that was it until they announced their run of shows at the Las Vegas Sphere. But when that Sphere residency kicked off on Wednesday night, No Doubt played a bunch of songs that they haven't played in a long time.
Last night, No Doubt started their first Sphere show with a crazy visual effect. A collage of the band's early days covered the giant screen, and then a giant CGI Gwen Stefani hand crashed through it, holding a rotten orange. No Doubt then launched into "Tragic Kingdom," the title track from the 1995 album that made them famous. They hadn't played that one live since 2009.
Later on, after at least one costume change, the band busted out the Tragic Kingdom deep cut "The Climb" and the 2001 single "Running," giving those songs their first performances since 1997 and 2012, respectively. Near the end of the show, they went all the way back to their pre-Tragic Kingdom 1992 single "Trapped In A Box." Their 21-song setlist included all but four of the songs from Tragic Kingdom, as well as all the hits that you'd expect to hear at a Vegas residency.
It looks like a good time! At 56, Gwen Stefani remains a spry and energetic performer. Those of us who are now middle-aged can attest that skanking for extended periods is hard work, and she put that work in. Billboard reports that foam oranges fell from the ceiling during "Don't Speak." For "Spiderwebs" and "Just A Girl," the screen showed images of the present-day No Doubt dressed in the costumes that they wore in those videos.
Below, check out videos of last night's rarities, as well as the setlist, via Setlist.fm.
SETLIST:
01 "Tragic Kingdom" (First time since 2009)
02 "Excuse Me Mr."
03 "Different People"
04 "Total Hate '95"
05 "Spiderwebs"
06 "Underneath It All"
07 "Hey Baby"
08 "Bathwater"
09 "Ex-Girlfriend"
10 "Happy Now?"
11 "Hella Good"
12 "The Climb" (First time since 1997)
13 "Running" (First time since 2012)
14 "It's My Life" (Talk Talk cover)
15 "Simple Kind Of Life"
16 "Don't Speak"
17 "Trapped In A Box" (First time since 2002)
18 "New"
19 "End It On This"
20 "Just A Girl"
21 "Sunday Morning"
