A spectacle, inside and out
The venue's inaugural offering is called “U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere,” a series of 25 concerts built around the Irish band's landmark 1991 album “Achtung Baby” and running through mid-December. Most of the shows are sold out, despite prices of $400-$500 for the best seats.The show launched Friday night with an avalanche of buzz and a red-carpet premiere attended by Paul McCartney, Oprah, Snoop Dogg, Jeff Bezos and dozens of other celebrities-some of them probably wondering how they can book their own Sphere gigs. Friday brings the premiere of “Postcard From Earth,” a film by Darren Aronofsky that promises to take full advantage of Sphere's enormous screen by offering viewers a, yes, immersive tour of the planet. And more concerts will be coming in 2024, although no artists have been announced. (Someone is probably already courting Taylor Swift.)
Visitors can walk through alleys and across parking lots to reach Sphere, just east of the Strip, although the easiest way is through a pedestrian walkway from the Venetian resort, a partner in the venture. Once inside you'll encounter a high-ceilinged atrium with hanging sculptural mobiles and long escalators leading to the upper levels. But the real draw is the theater and its wraparound LED canvas, which boasts 268 million video pixels. That sounds like a lot. The screen is impressive, and so dominant that it sometimes overwhelms the live performers. At times I didn't know where to look — at the band playing live before me or at the dazzling visuals going on everywhere else.
The giant LED screen conjures both spectacle and intimacy
The venerable band-Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and guest drummer Bram van den Berg, filling in for Larry Mullen Jr., who is recovering from surgery - sounded as passionate as ever, moving nimbly from propulsive rockers (“Even Better Than the Real Thing”) to tender ballads (“One”) and beyond. U2 retains a huge loyal following, writes grandiose songs and has long pushed the boundaries of technology - notably on their Zoo TV tour - making them a natural fit for a pioneering venue like Sphere. The band performed on a simple stage built like a turntable, with the four musicians mostly rooted in the circular platter, although Bono roamed around the fringes. Almost every song came with animations and live footage on the enormous screen. Bono seemed to embrace the Sphere's trippy visuals, saying, “This whole place feels like a distortion pedal for the mind.”