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U2 Concert Uses Stunning Visuals To Open Massive Sphere Venue In Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — It looked like a typical U2 outdoor concert: Two helicopters zoomed through the starlit sky before producing spotlights over a Las Vegas desert and frontman Bono, who kneeled to the ground while singing the band's 2004 hit "Vertigo."
This scene may seem customary, but the visuals were created by floor-to-ceiling graphics inside the immersive Sphere. It was one of the several impressive moments during U2's "UV Achtung Baby" residency launch show at the high-tech, globe-shaped venue, which opened for the first time Friday night.
The legendary rock band, which has won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours inside the massive, state-of-the-art spherical venue with crystal-clear audio. Throughout the night, there were a plethora of attractive visuals — including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and Las Vegas' skyline, taking the more than 18,000 attendees on U2's epic musical journey.
"What a fancy pad," said Bono, who was accompanied onstage with guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton along with drummer Bram van den Berg. He then stared at the high-resolution LED screen that projected a larger version of himself along with a few praying hands and bells.
Bono then paid homage to the late Elvis Presley, who was a Las Vegas entertainment staple. The band has rocked in the city as far back as 1987 when they filmed the music video for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on the Strip during a tour in 1987.
"Look at all this stuff. … Elvis has definitely not left this building," he continued. "It's an Elvis chapel. It's an Elvis cathedral. Tonight, the entry into this cathedral is a password: flirtation."
U2 made their presence felt at the $2.3 billion Sphere, which stands 366-feet (111 meters) high and 516-feet (157 meters) wide. With superb visual effects, the band's 25-show residency opened with a splash performing a slew of hits including "Mysterious Ways," "Zoo Station," "All I Want is You," "Desire" and new single "Atomic City."
On many occasions, the U2 band members were so large on screen that it felt like Bono intimately sang to the audience on one side while The Edge strummed his guitar to others on a different side.
The crowd included many entertainers and athletes: Oprah, LeBron James, Matt Damon, Andre Agassi, Ava DuVernay, Josh Duhamel, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Oscar de la Hoya, Henrik Lundqvist, Flava Flav, Diplo, Dakota Fanning, Orlando Bloom and Mario Lopez.
After wrapping up The Beatles' jam "Love Me Do," Bono recognized Paul McCartney, who was in attendance, saying "Macca is in the house tonight." He acknowledged Sphere owner James Dolan's efforts for spearheading a venue that's pushing forward the live concert audio landscape with 160,000 high-quality speakers and 260 million video pixels.
The Sphere is the brainchild of Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers. He sketched the first drawing of the venue on notebook paper.
"I'm thinking the that the Sphere may have come into existence because of Jim Dolan trying to solve the problem that The Beatles started when they played Shea Stadium," Bono said. "Nobody could hear you. You couldn't hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere's here. … Can you hear us?"
The U2 frontman pointed into the crowd and shouted out Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Iovine. At one point he became emotional when he dedicated a song to the late Jimmy Buffett's family, who were also in attendance.
Afterward Bono spoke about performing onstage for the first time without drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who is recovering from back surgery. He acknowledged Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg's birthday and him filling in for Mullen.
"I would like to introduce you to the only man who could stand, well, sit in his shoes," said Bono, who walked toward Berg as some in the crowd began to sing "Happy Birthday." He handed the microphone to Berg, who offered a few words.
"Let there be no mistake, there is only one Larry Mullen Jr," Berg said.
As U2 wrapped up the show, a bright light shined from the ceiling and the massive screen began to fill with images of birds, insects and reptiles above a lake. The band closed its first Sphere concert with "Beautiful Day," which won three Grammys in 2001.
U2 Can't Play Every Night: The Las Vegas Sphere Will Be A Success Only If It Can Sell Pricey Tickets For Everyday Events, Expert Says
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The highly anticipated Sphere in Las Vegas opened on Friday with a U2 concert and a star-studded attendee list, but it's a daily movie that will be more important for the theater and the city.
The ball-shaped building, estimated to cost $2.3 billion, is believed to be the largest spherical structure in the world at 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide. It could fit the State of the Liberty inside it. But how big will the ball be when it comes to its success and the impact on Las Vegas tourism?
According to Charles Bobrinskoy, the vice chair of Ariel Investments — whose founder, John Rogers, is one of the top shareholders in the Sphere's parent company — selling out U2 concerts and attracting big stars are nice but limiting over the long haul.
"Longer term, it's actually more important that the company-owned content, this 'Postcard From Earth,' which is a film that the Sphere produced to take advantage of all the multimedia experience you get at the Sphere — there is a lot riding on that," Bobrinskoy said on CNBC's "The Exchange." "If they can sell tickets for $100 during the day in Las Vegas, it could be a big success. If you just have to rely on concerts, it won't be quite as successful."
U2 performs during the opening night of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere on Friday in Las Vegas. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation"Postcards From Earth" is one component of The Sphere Experience, which includes a robot-hosted tour of the facility. The film, by the director Darren Aronofsky, is a 50-minute movie that was filmed just for the Sphere using a 216-megapixel camera.
The film's description says it will "take you on a journey to all seven continents: deep into the ocean, high into the mountains, into the eye of a storm, and out into space." It adds: "And everywhere you go, you'll feel like you're really there."
The Las Vegas Sphere dressed as a jack-o'-lantern. Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesBut will tourists, especially families, be willing to pay top dollar for the experience? Tickets for The Sphere Experience start at $90 each and go up to $250 for the best seats. However, the lower-end seats are set to drop to $50 in a few weeks.
Bloomberg analysts said that this summer's entertainment boost to the US economy would not last with the end of the Taylor Swift and Beyoncé tours and "Barbenheimer."
"A large chunk of that strength comes from temporary factors," the analysts wrote. "These factors create a mirage of resilient consumption, when in fact it's running out of steam."
And we are already seeing changes in consumer spending heading into the fall and winter months.
People are spending less on nonessentials and big-ticket items at places such as Costco. Even dollar stores are starting to feel the pressure of more-measured spending after initially benefiting from inflation as wealthier people looked for more value.
For The Sphere Experience, there are three shows on most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with four on Sundays. Most U2 shows take place on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
What's more, The Sphere Experience is the only project announced by the Sphere's organizers outside the U2 concerts.
While the entertainment industry helped prop up the economy over the summer with events such as Swift's Eras Tour, it will be interesting to see whether the Sphere can attract audiences beyond U2's as consumers start to tighten their grip on their wallets.
U2 Concert Uses Stunning Visuals To Open Massive Sphere Venue
John Locher / Associated Press
People arrive for the opening night of the Sphere and U2'S "UV Achtung Baby" show, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Published Saturday, Sept. 30, 202311:57 a.M.
Updated Saturday, Sept. 30, 20232:01 p.M.
It looked like a typical U2 outdoor concert: Two helicopters zoomed through the starlit sky before producing spotlights over a Las Vegas desert and frontman Bono, who kneeled to the ground while singing the band's 2004 hit "Vertigo."
This scene may seem customary, but the visuals were created by floor-to-ceiling graphics inside the immersive Sphere. It was one of the several impressive moments during U2's "UV Achtung Baby" residency launch show at the high-tech, globe-shaped venue, which opened for the first time Friday night.
The legendary rock band, which has won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours inside the massive, state-of-the-art spherical venue with crystal-clear audio. Throughout the night, there were a plethora of attractive visuals — including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and Las Vegas' skyline, taking the more than 18,000 attendees on U2's epic musical journey.
"What a fancy pad," said Bono, who was accompanied onstage with guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton along with drummer Bram van den Berg. He then stared at the high-resolution LED screen that projected a larger version of himself along with a few praying hands and bells.
Bono then paid homage to the late Elvis Presley, who was a Las Vegas entertainment staple. The band has rocked in the city as far back as 1987 when they filmed the music video for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on the Strip during a tour in 1987.
"Look at all this stuff. … Elvis has definitely not left this building," he continued. "It's an Elvis chapel. It's an Elvis cathedral. Tonight, the entry into this cathedral is a password: flirtation."
U2 made their presence felt at the $2.3 billion Sphere, which stands 366-feet (111 meters) high and 516-feet (157 meters) wide. With superb visual effects, the band's 25-show residency opened with a splash performing a slew of hits including "Mysterious Ways," "Zoo Station," "All I Want is You," "Desire" and new single "Atomic City."
On many occasions, the U2 band members were so large on screen that it felt like Bono intimately sang to the audience on one side while The Edge strummed his guitar to others on a different side.
The crowd included many entertainers and athletes: Oprah, LeBron James, Matt Damon, Andre Agassi, Ava DuVernay, Josh Duhamel, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Oscar de la Hoya, Henrik Lundqvist, Flava Flav, Diplo, Dakota Fanning, Orlando Bloom and Mario Lopez.
After wrapping up The Beatles' jam "Love Me Do," Bono recognized Paul McCartney, who was in attendance, saying "Macca is in the house tonight." He acknowledged Sphere owner James Dolan's efforts for spearheading a venue that's pushing forward the live concert audio landscape with 160,000 high-quality speakers and 260 million video pixels.
The Sphere is the brainchild of Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers. He sketched the first drawing of the venue on notebook paper.
"I'm thinking the that the Sphere may have come into existence because of Jim Dolan trying to solve the problem that The Beatles started when they played Shea Stadium," Bono said. "Nobody could hear you. You couldn't hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere's here. … Can you hear us?"
The U2 frontman pointed into the crowd and shouted out Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Iovine. At one point he became emotional when he dedicated a song to the late Jimmy Buffett's family, who were also in attendance.
Afterward Bono spoke about performing onstage for the first time without drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who is recovering from back surgery. He acknowledged Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg's birthday and him filling in for Mullen.
"I would like to introduce you to the only man who could stand, well, sit in his shoes," said Bono, who walked toward Berg as some in the crowd began to sing "Happy Birthday." He handed the microphone to Berg, who offered a few words.
"Let there be no mistake, there is only one Larry Mullen Jr," Berg said.
As U2 wrapped up the show, a bright light shined from the ceiling and the massive screen began to fill with images of birds, insects and reptiles above a lake. The band closed its first Sphere concert with "Beautiful Day," which one three Grammys in 2001.
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