Published on February 19, 2026 by Ainsley Allison  

When the Zac Brown Band took up residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas this winter, the group stepped into one of the most technologically ambitious concert venues ever built. For drummer Chris Fryar, the shows marked a new chapter in a career spent performing on some of the world’s biggest stages. 

Fryar, a longtime member of the Zac Brown Band and an adjunct professor in Samford University’s Division of Music, performed to sold-out crowds in the Sphere’s 18,000-seat auditorium, where massive wraparound visuals and a custom sound system transformed the traditional concert experience. 

“Nothing properly prepares you for the grandeur and enormity of Sphere,” Fryar said. “I had two, very unique first reactions there. One was walking into the stage area and seeing the empty house and noticing the size of it all. The other was walking into that same area when we were minutes away from the start of the first show. Having people in seats made it seem so much bigger.” 

Performing Inside the Visuals

Unlike traditional arenas, the Sphere places a giant video wall behind and around performers, with speakers hidden behind the screen—altering both the visual and sonic environment. 

Zac Brown Band“In most scenarios, whether it be in an outdoor amphitheater or an indoor arena, a video wall typically is no bigger than 40 feet across,” Fryar said. “A P.A. system is split into multiple arrays that are hung from the rafters above the front corners of the stage.” 

The residency required the band to rethink how it performed. To synchronize with the venue’s immersive visuals, the group performed to a click track and followed a fixed set list designed to match the video production. 

“We had to adapt everything we played to conform with video timecode,” Fryar said. “We created a singular show—repeatable and consistent.” 

The technology also changed how audiences engaged with the performance. While fans still watched the musicians, the surrounding visuals were too overwhelming to ignore. 

“While the usual interactions with the crowd that we as a band have come to know and enjoy were still very present, there were also new things happening that were the result of the audience reacting to the visuals above and around us,” Fryar said.  

“We chose to utilize, at least in part, the visual possibilities in some different ways from previous artists who played at Sphere.” 

From Global Stage to Classroom 

Though the venue was futuristic, Fryar said the musical demands were familiar: precision, consistency and adaptability—skills he emphasizes in his teaching at Samford. 

“Each venue is different. Each tour can be very different depending on the production,” he said. “My job as a teacher is to help prepare my students to tackle the musical challenges that arise.” 

His advice to music students hoping to tour professionally is practical and direct: be versatile, dependable, resilient and patient. 

“Opportunity always comes calling,” Fryar said. “Be great at your chosen craft. If you have the right skill set to take full advantage of that opportunity when it presents itself, you will always have positive results.”

Chris Fryar and Steven Potaczek

 

 

 

 

Memorable Moments 

Fryar said the residency was full of standout moments, from the first rehearsal to the final bow, and one memory stands above the rest. A longtime friend and drumming hero attended a show and praised the performance. 

“To have a dear friend be impressed with your work is always nice,” Fryar said. “It carries so much worth and value. To have one of the notable giants in your field genuinely enjoy and compliment your work is truly priceless,” he added. 

The Future of Live Music 

Fryar believes venues like the Sphere will influence live music but not redefine its essence. 

“Ultimately music is heard with the ears and felt with the heart and by the soul,” he said. “There is a fine line between ‘enhancing a show’ and ‘becoming the show.’” 

For Samford music students, Fryar’s experience represents a direct link to the highest levels of the music industry. For Fryar, it is another stop on a touring career—one that now feeds back into the classroom, where the lessons of precision, professionalism and artistry remain the same, whether under a classroom ceiling or a 360-degree LED dome in Las Vegas. 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.