Zac Brown Responds To “Horse S***” Satanic Ritual Allegations At Las Vegas Sphere Shows: “I Don’t Think We Can Put Any More Love & Light Into A Show”

Addressing the ridiculous controversy.

In case you missed it, during the first weekend of December, Zac Brown Band kicked off their sold-out Love & Fear residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, playing their first set of shows. And while the show itself was quite the spectacle, fully utilizing the Sphere’s status as a technical marvel, it proved to be one of, if not, the most controversial country concerts of 2025.

From the get-go, it’s been clear that the Zac Brown Band’s Sphere shows are among the biggest things the group has ever done. But Brown never backed down from the challenge that comes with performing there, and when the band announced their residency, they called it a “dream come true,” saying the only thing he was worried about was bringing a unique experience to their fanbase:

“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.”

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And they certainly went all out, performing a plethora of brand-new tracks from their new album of the same name and certified classics such as “Chicken Fried,” “Toes,” “Colder Weather” and “Knee Deep.” Though it certainly wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I thought it was about as good an experience you were going to get from the once-great group at The Sphere.

There’s no denying that Zac Brown and Co. have taken a steep dive over the years, plagued by controversies with the frontman himself, their incessant need to dive into other genres highlighted by their disastrous 2019 album, The Owl, and Brown’s side project, Sir Roosevelt, his God-awful solo album, The Controversy, and their general lack of identity over the past decade.

With all of that being said, the first round of Sphere shows seemed like it would be a major hit among hardcore fans of ZBB, so what’s with all the controversy? Well, it all has to do with the set’s opener and subsequent first track.

The opening of the concert featured what appeared to be a descent into Hell, with Brown taking the stage flanked by images of the devil and wearing a crown that resembled devil horns while performing “Heavy Is The Head,” the stellar metal track featuring the late, great Chris Cornell from their 2015 genre-fluid album, Jekyll & Hyde.

@infiniti_salon Opening night, opening song! #spherelasvegas #zacbrownband #vegas ♬ original sound – Courtney

@vegas Night one of @Zac Brown Band at @Sphere ♬ original sound – Las Vegas

Given the fact that Brown dared to use some dark and demonic imagery, complete with the aforementioned depiction of Hell and demons on screen, this led to seemingly hundreds upon thousands of people, both in attendance and online, to accuse the 3x Grammy winner of not only worshipping the Devil but also performing a “satanic” ritual at the concert. I really wish I was joking about this, but you can read some of the best (and most absurd) reactions here.

Of course, if you have even an ounce of media literacy within you, you’d be keen to the fact that the song ends with a visual of what appears to be St. Michael the Archangel defeating Satan, thus pulling the audience and the band themselves back out of Hell before immediately transitioning into one of their lighter, country tunes, the 2015 #1 hit, “Homegrown.” God forbid an artist take some risks (if you can even call it a risk) and use some incredibly standard depictions of Hell, am I right? And Zac has used skeletons in their media for a long time… their 2012 Uncaged album has one on the cover, Brandon Maldonado’s 2009 Our Lady of Merciful Fate.

This still didn’t stop people online from delving into what I can only describe as some 1980s-level “Satanic Panic,” complete with paranoid think-pieces on social media and the like. And if you don’t believe me, simply search “Zac Brown Demonic” on TikTok and get a taste for the paranoia yourself.

Things got so bad that the Church of Satan (I wish I was joking) had to come out and deny the fact that Brown was performing a ritual, and finally, Brown is addressing things himself.

Over the weekend, Brown and Co. returned to Vegas for their second round of shows during the Sphere residency, and decided to take to time to address the ridiculous allegations that have been surrounding the band for the past week.

As they wrapped up their first show on Friday night, Brown, dressed in all white along with the rest of the members of the band,  would take the time to thank everyone for the recent string of shows before going on the defense against all the “satanic ritual” allegations thrown at him.

Addressing the allegations head-on, he would remark that he didn’t think that he and the band could put any more love into the production of the concert series, which, of course, is ironically titled Love & Fear.

“Thank y’all for such an incredible, incredible night tonight. I want to say a little something about this show, ’cause there’s a lot of people that pick it up online saying that we’re doing some kind of satanic ritual or something like that. I don’t think we can put any more love and light into a show than what we put into this one right here, ladies and gentlemen.”

Brown would then directly address the “satanic ritual” rumor. First making a somewhat vague statement about how there are “forces out there that don’t want this message to get out,” possibly alluding to critics not wanting him to clear his name, he would then call the allegations “horse sh*t.”

And I think there are forces out there that don’t want this message to get out. So, if you get a minute, drop somebody a comment or something online that’s trying to say that we’re trying to worship the Devil, which is horse s***. You know what I’m saying?”

Finally, Brown would wrap up by thanking the crowd once again for all the love that they showed him at the show, undoubtedly creating a contrast between all the hate he’s procured online over the past week.

Thank y’all for the love that you give us. Thank you so much for giving us our jobs and our life and music. We’re so grateful to be here.”

Ultimately, the entire controversy surrounding Brown’s Sphere residency has to be one of the most ridiculous controversies in country music in 2025, during a year filled with some already nonsensical stories, public beefs and the like.

Hopefully, for the sake of everyone with media literacy, this is the closing chapter on this month’s overblown moral panic episode…

Watch here:

@giselle.ugarteZac Brown Band at the Sphere – Addresses “Satanic Rituals” rumors.

♬ original sound – Giselle Ugarte

The post Zac Brown Responds To “Horse S***” Satanic Ritual Allegations At Las Vegas Sphere Shows: “I Don’t Think We Can Put Any More Love & Light Into A Show” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.