What happens in Vegas can no longer stay in Vegas. After all, it’s gigantic and demands attention! I’m referring to The Sphere, a recently opened performance venue in Las Vegas. This past weekend, Irish rockers U2 launched their “U2: UV: Achtung Baby Live” residency there. Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos enjoyed the grand event, and lady love Lauren Sanchez who spent most of their time on the high seas aboard the Koru megayacht. As a U2 fan, Sanchez posted a video of the glamorous, larger-than-life venue on her Instagram feed, sharing with her 350k followers a glimpse of the musical extravaganza. Sanchez captioned her video with, “Just wow @u2 #spheres.”
One follower commented, ‘Better than Beys and Tswifts sets …,’ and another questioned, ‘Did you feel like you got motion sick or anything? I’m so curious about the visual experience and the sensory energy.’ Before Sanchez’s video, the world saw the $2.3 billion MSG Sphere in July when it displayed cascading red and yellow lights with the greeting “Hello World” on its LED screen. That same month, golfers at the Wynn Golf Club were taken aback when the Sphere transformed into a 366-foot-tall eyeball, seemingly staring down at them.
The U2 show, however, was an unparalleled experience. It oscillated between vast, mesmerizing visual effects that spanned the domed display and the typical concert screen visuals of band close-ups. This observation was made in a review by The New York Times. It’s worth noting that the massive Madison Square Garden Sphere, designed by stadium specialist Populous, boasts the world’s most giant LED screen with the highest resolution, measuring an impressive 19,000 x 13,500 pixels. The experience was thoroughly enjoyed by the world’s third-richest man worth $153 billion and his helicopter pilot fiancé.
However, such intense visual stimulation isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For some, the wild animations that course across the world’s largest spherical structure in 256 million colors can be overwhelming. The show was nevertheless attended and enjoyed by numerous celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Oprah, Snoop Dogg, and many more.
This 366-foot-high and 516-foot-wide structure is the pinnacle of entertainment venues. It has the capacity to accommodate 18,000 spectators and features an HD screen larger than three football fields.
