In mind-blowing Sphere venue as audience engulfed by world's largest LED screen

01 October 2023 , 17:58

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In mind-blowing Sphere venue as audience engulfed by world's largest LED screen

Fans have been blown away by a game-changing new venue in the heart of Las Vegas that engulfs them in the world's largest LED screen, as music legends U2 launch their Las Vegas residency.

The incredible structure, which is home to the Irish rockers for three months as they put on their 'U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere' show, stands at 516 feet wide and 366 feet tall. Taking up around two city blocks, it's taller than a football field is long and is the world's largest spherical-shaped venue according to designers. Fans have been enthralled by the immersive stage visuals as they share their incredible experiences inside the venue.

Walls of video screens make up the world's largest LED screen, which envelops the audience in its visuals as well as 164,000 speakers providing pristine sound and 4D capabilities. At the first show on Friday night, the legendary band, who have won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours.

The huge array of screens projected images all up the walls and across the ceiling (Getty Images for Live Nation)

Fans have been praising the "absolutely insane" and "mind-blowing" visual experience inside the venue where fans are engulfed in the show as the huge spherical structure enables performers to project images around them and up onto the ceiling. There were a huge array of visuals on offer, from a burning flag to the Las Vegas skyline, 'The Matrix'-style backdrops and desert-scapes.

"What a fancy pad," remarked Bono as he was accompanied onstage by guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton with drummer Bram van den Berg, who was filling in for Larry Mullen Jr after health issues. More than 20,000 people flocked to watch the first night of the band's residency, which is set to run through until December.

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Fans were treated to a truly immersive concert experience (Getty Images for Live Nation)

Among the excited crowd were a whole host of celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Dr Dre, Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Hudson. Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their experiences at the breathtaking concert.

"U2 opened the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere last night and the visuals are incredible," wrote one. The venue, near the Las Vegas Strip and east of the Venetian resort, was announced by the Madison Square Garden Company in 2018 and opened with U2's performance on September 29.

Irish rockers U2 kicked off their residency with the first-ever performance at The Sphere in Las Vegas (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Among the amazing visuals on screen was a mega-sized video of Elvis Presley meshed together with scenes of old Las Vegas and close-ups of U2 floating in bubbles during 'Even Better Than the Real Thing'. Bono took a moment to appreciate his surroundings, saying: "Look at this stuff.

"Elvis has definitely NOT left this building. It's an Elvis cathedral and tonight there is a password to enter: flirtation."

It is stunning (Getty Images for Live Nation)

Elsewhere in the show, dedications were made to some of the star-studded audience. Bono owed to McCartney with 'Desire', teasing: "Just know that we love you and we've stolen a lot of your songs."

He also paid tribute to the late Jimmy Buffet, whose family was also in attendance, with a rendition of the rarely played 'Love Rescue Me'. Choking up, Bono said: "It's so hard to say goodbye to someone."

U2 played a two-hour set for concert goers (Getty Images for Live Nation)

But even for those not in the premier seats, the show was still beyond their wildest imagination. One joked it was "The only concert where the nose-bleed seats are the best."

While the interior is home to a 160,000 wraparound LED display and 164,000 speakers along with 4D capabilities, the exterior is just as impressive. Known as the Exosphere, it's the largest LED screen on Earth, consisting of around 1.2 million LED pucks spaced eight inches apart, with each puck containing 48 individual LED diodes.

Fans were blown away by the breath taking visuals at the incredible venue (Getty Images for Live Nation)

With around 25 more shows planned, those hoping to enjoy the immersive experience will be looking at paying between $400 to $1,450 to see U2. Bono also paid a nod to Sphere owner James Dolan's efforts to spearhead the venue that's pushing the boundaries of the concert experience.

The Sphere was dreamed up by Mr Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and the owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers. The very first drawing of the impressive venue was sketched out on notebook paper.

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The Sphere was announced in 2018 by the Madison Square Garden company and is the largest venue of its kind in the world (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The audience is enthralled (Getty Images for Live Nation)

"I'm thinking 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," said Bono. "Nobody could hear you. You couldn't hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere's here... Can you hear us?"

Closing out their concert, U2 played their smash hit Beautiful Day, which won three Grammys in 2001. A bright light could be seen shining from the screens on the ceiling with the huge screen filling with images of birds, insects and reptiles above a lake.

Fiona Leishman