What do you picture when thinking of Las Vegas? It’s likely gambling, spectacular fine dining, and unmatched entertainment opportunities.
The city is iconically known as the Entertainment Capital of the World. And it’s no surprise that Las Vegas quickly embraces new tech and the innovative opportunities it brings to improve the things that already make the destination great. These initiatives inspired the creation of the Sphere.
The Sphere is a tech marvel, the latest hub for entertainment. It’s redefining the industry and taking the musical experience to a new level for the audience. The Sphere is the beginning of an era. By integrating extraordinary tech, an iconic rock band, and some creative geniuses, the creators have engineered a state-of-the-art debut show series that the world can’t ignore.
The Sphere’s Cutting-Edge Technology
The Sphere’s unprecedented tech is breaking more than one world record! It’s the largest spherical structure on the planet, measuring 5.7M cubic feet in the main atrium. The LED screen comprises 268,435,456 video pixels, which is unprecedented. With the help of this tech, the screen’s resolution is equivalent to 72 HD televisions combined, meaning every minute of content is the same as one hour of streaming television. The Sphere’s visual display wraps around the audience and expands over the seats with a 16K by 16K resolution. The 4D tech lets the audience experience visuals like never before.
The Sphere is the home of the world’s largest beamforming audio system that provides customized listening experiences. With precision storytelling, the Sphere allows each attendee to “feel” the experience because of the clear audio, changing temperatures, and familiar scents. The exosphere has a fully programmable LED exosphere. Thanks to its innovation, the Sphere’s exterior has a 2K resolution on the Las Vegas skyline.
U2’s Debut Sphere Performance
U2’s Sphere debut was the perfect celebration of music and technology. The rock band’s Sphere performance celebrated their seminal 1991 album Achtung Baby and the industry-defining ZOO TV tour.
U2 also performed their new song Atomic City, celebrating the 70s post-punk spirit and Blondie, a pioneer who intrinsically influenced and inspired the band members. It was only right to perform the song here since Atomic City was a 1950s nickname for Las Vegas.
The initial 25 shows took place from September-December 2023. Due to unprecedented demand, the Sphere scheduled an additional 11 shows in January-February 2024. For their opening night on Sept. 29, U2 attracted VIP attendees such as Dr. Dre, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Bateman, Jimmy Kimmel, Oprah, Paul McCartney, and Snoop Dogg.
After seeing the Sphere at the beginning of construction and feeling equipped to take on the tech venue, the U2 band members used impressive innovations such as Holloplot’s audio system and the Sphere’s interior screen that revolutionized the audience experience.
Innovation & Tech Today spoke with The Edge, U2’s lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist to discover how the rock band integrated tech, art, and musical talent for their Sphere debut.
Innovation & Tech Today: How did you first hear about the Sphere, and what did you initially think about the concept of merging art, rock, and incredible tech?
The Edge: We first heard about the Sphere through friends who were involved, and independently via our creative team. This was back in 2020. We were unofficially asked if we would consider being the first band to perform at the Sphere. So, Bono and I came to visit the half-built venue in 2021 to see the audio-visual demos in Burbank and to meet the team.
When we saw the technology they were developing and understood the potential of the Sphere, we became convinced that developing a rock ‘n’ roll show for it was a challenge that U2 was uniquely qualified for.
I&T Today: The Sphere boasts impressive tech features. How will these technologies enhance the audience’s experience during your performances?
The Edge: The audio system by Holloplot is extremely versatile and allows for immersive audio at a huge scale. Sonically, it has all the headroom to rock the house. The building is spherical, but the ceiling is 80% permeable with huge amounts of acoustic treatment above the screen. It’s remarkably sonically controllable. We are confident it will allow for the best sound of any comparable venue.
The interior screen is what makes Sphere so revolutionary. It’s so large and at such high resolution that it allows us to virtually translocate our audience to a different time and place, whether an existing location, a virtual reality, or a completely made-up reality. It’s kind of mind-blowing. We anticipate that fans may experience some mild disorientation, but hopefully nothing overwhelming.
I&T Today: You are no strangers to pioneering innovation. You’ve referred to this engagement as a “venue launch.” What unique elements will U2 bring to the Sphere’s debut, and how do you envision it changing the landscape of live entertainment?
The Edge: Sphere was conceived and designed initially for immersive movie experiences, and it’s going to be amazing for that.
The reason people want to come and see U2 live is because of our songs. They are our boss and tell us what to do. Regarding the experience we are creating, it’s about looking for how visuals might collide with our music and the band’s performance in a way that draws out some kind of heightened meaning.
When this happens in front of a live audience, it’s a very powerful thing to be part of. It’s a communal thing, like a kind of synchronized catharsis. What a lot of people don’t know is that we feel it too.
I&T Today: How do the Sphere’s innovative sound capabilities, like beamforming and wave field synthesis, affect the way you perform and interact with your audience compared to traditional concert venues?
The Edge: With the Sphere, audio system intimacy becomes available at scale. Also, we have to play super accurately because every little flaw is obvious. I think the band will have to rise to the challenge and it will add to the quality of the experience.
I&T Today: Why is music such a powerful medium to connect and move lots of people and even be a force for change?
The Edge: They say music is the ultimate art form because it requires no explanation. Music is somehow hardwired into our psyche, therefore it’s like a mainline to our emotional life. When it comes to connecting people and galvanizing action, songs are super potent. Only two regimes ever tried to ban music. Mao during the Cultural Revolution and the Taliban. Both to secure total control of the population.
When Bono and I visited Ukraine and the area formerly occupied by Russian forces, it was pointed out that there was a bullet hole in the head of a statue of famous Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. They obviously understood the power that his words had to galvanize resistance to their attempt to bully Ukraine into submission. Music and poetry will always be a resource for the oppressed and for helping to bring about positive change.
