BAZ HALPIN'S SPECTACULAR VISIONS

He's masterminded tour productions for Taylor Swift and more — and now he's helping bring No Doubt to the Sphere

- By LEENA TAILOR

Baz Halpin was ready to follow his family into classical music when a Jethro Tull tour changed everything.

As a teenager in the Nineties, the Irish producer and director had been working at a Dublin concert hall, where he became captivated by the way that lighting could accentuate the emotionality of music. So he accepted a gig as a lighting tech and rigger.

"I went on tour, and it was like stepping through that door in The Wizard of Oz, where everything suddenly went into color,” recalls Halpin, CEO and founder of the production company Silent House Group. “This whole world of travel, excitement, responsibility, wildness, and everything the rock & roll lifestyle offered, I fell in love with it.”

Halpin’s yellow brick road has taken him all the way to Sphere Las Vegas, where The Wizard of Oz itself has stepped through bold new doors with an immersive 4D film. It’s here that Halpin has masterminded the visuals for residencies by the Eagles and Backstreet Boys. He’s now working with No Doubt on their own Sphere engagement, opening May 6: a “nostalgic, exciting, surprising” ride chronicling the band’s 40-year run.

“This will be a journey through the most important moments in the history of No Doubt,” Halpin says. “The band grew up in Orange County and conquered the world. They’ve been through so many things together, and the beauty of the Sphere is the ability to tell those stories in a visual way. You'll be swept away and feel like you’re experiencing their evolution alongside them.”