Opening night at The Sphere in Las Vegas was special in many ways. For James Dolan and his business partners, it was an opportunity to showcase their $2 billion investment to the world. For the live music industry, it was a chance to see whether huge concerts outside of stadiums and arenas, like those that have taken place since Beatlemania, could work. And for Las Vegas, it was a test run for a great new attraction that should lure tourists to the city for years to come.
The residency concert series is also something very special for U2. The first night was their opportunity to reinvigorate themselves as a band, after years of inactivity and new albums that didn’t attract the usual attention. It was also a chance to introduce backup drummer Bram Van Den Berg, as Larry Mullen Jr. is recovering from back surgery. The show series is also a unique opportunity to reinterpret “Aehrung Baby” in its entirety.
U2: In every way it was a stunning success
The Sphere impressively lived up to the hype – with its dazzling 16K screen taking 18,600 fans from the stars in the night sky to a surreal collage of Las Vegas images, the arid deserts of Nevada to the information overkill of Zoo TV transported. And the sound wasn’t the usual dull sound attack that you’re used to at concerts in arenas or stadiums. It was clear, sharp and flawless, eliminating the need for earplugs. As announced: a quantum leap for the concert industry.
However, none of this was obvious upon entering the event. With the screens turned off, it felt like entering the largest IMAX theater in the world. (There are no seats backstage and really no bad viewing spots from any angle.) A DJ in a neon-colored car driving around the general admission area heated up the mood by playing songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Don’t You Want Me” by Human League and “Run the World (Girls)” played. However, his attempt to get the audience to sing along to “American Pie” failed miserably.
At around 8:30 p.m. the location darkened and U2 entered the compact record player-shaped stage. It was strange at first to see them without Larry Mullen Jr., as they hadn’t performed without him since their teenage years. But when Van Den Berg launched into the familiar opening beat of “Zoo Station,” it was clear he had done his homework. He mastered every nuance of the original recording.
At this point, the screen’s potential was only hinted at by having giant shadows of Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton projected onto it. It wasn’t until the song was over and Bono put on his Fly sunglasses and phrases like “Everything You Know Is Wrong” flashed in rapid succession that the absurd scale of the place became clear. It’s impossible to capture everything at once because the screen extends far beyond the usual field of view. So all that’s left is to enjoy the bombastic show and take in as much as possible.
The second song, “The Fly,” was the most nostalgic moment of the night as the images came straight from Zoo TV. They could have continued like this for the rest of the evening and made a lot of fans happy, but that would have been a huge step backwards.
For “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” a psychedelic collage of Las Vegas images appeared, featuring everything from archived Elvis Presley cutouts to scenes from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” They whirled by so quickly that it actually seemed as if the stage itself was moving toward the ceiling.
A playful “Mysterious Ways” segued into “One,” and it was a wise decision to turn off the screen and let the anthem alone fill the room. The apocalyptic “Until the End of the World” was accompanied by storms and lightning, and the first live performance of “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” in 30 years featured the image of a balloon hanging on a large white string that Bono pulled across the stage. Midway through, he invited a very excited female fan onto the stage to rock the balloon and sing with him.
It seemed like they were going to keep playing through the album until they got to the end, but that wasn’t the plan. “We need to take a break from ‘Attention Baby,'” Bono said. “We need to take a break from all this intensity to get to know each other better. ‘Attention Baby’ had a difficult birth, although conception was easy. Raising children is the great adventure, and finding them raising you is even greater.”
“I’ve never told anyone this before,” he continued. “But this song is an attempt to write a wedding song from a woman’s perspective.”
It was a stripped-down “All I Want Is You” that kicked off a mini-set of four “Rattle & Hum” songs, including “Desire,” “Angel of Harlem” and “Love Rescue Me,” which featured Bono Jimmy Buffett and dedicated to his family. Halfway through, Bono finally introduced Bram Van Den Berg after joking all evening that he didn’t know his name. “We haven’t played a show without Larry Mullen since October 1978,” he said. “I would like to introduce you to the only man we asked to take Larry’s place. It’s his birthday! It’s Bram Van Den Berg!” “There’s only one Larry Mullen Jr.,” he replied and the audience cheered in agreement.
The screens remained mostly dark for the “Rattle & Hum” segment, once again drawing full attention to the band. “Every night on this record player,” Bono said, “we’ll be playing songs from different albums of ours.” (This wasn’t announced in advance, but it’s a wonderful opportunity to bring in songs from their entire catalog. Hopefully they’ll find time for that a pop night. It’s long overdue.)
The first “So Cruel” since 1992 brought the show back to “Aehrung Baby” and was followed by fiery versions of “Acrobat” and “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)”. During the latter song, actual ultraviolet lights bounced around the room. They closed the main set with “Love Is Blindness” and a majestic edge guitar solo that was just as impressive as what he recorded 30 years ago.
After a main set where every song was from either 1988 or 1991, they came back and moved into the 2000s with “Elevation,” their new song “Atomic City” and “Vertigo.” For much of it, huge images of the Las Vegas skyline were projected onto the screens and the buildings slowly disintegrated, leaving nothing but empty desert. This could only mean it was time for selections from The Joshua Tree.
“Where the Streets Have No Name” got the entire audience moving, as did “With or Without You.” “I’ll tell you who works hard,” Bono said at the end. “James Dolan. Thanks for The Sphere. You’re a crazy bastard. Thank you for this wondrous place.”
It was the start of a long list of thank yous that also included Irving Azoff, Jeffrey Azoff, Arthur Fogel, Michael Rapino and former U2 managers Paul McGuinness and Guy Oseary, both of whom were in the audience. Paul McCartney was also somewhere in the building, and Bono honored him throughout the night by playing snippets of “Love Me Do,” “Blackbird,” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was sprinkled into the set list. “Macca is near us,” Bono said. “It’s like having Mozart. Your songs will be played in a thousand years, man. You should know that we love you and have stolen many of your songs.”
The night ended with “Beautiful Day” and colorful images of creatures crowded together as if on their way to Noah’s Ark. This was the first of 25 concerts U2 are playing at The Sphere from now until December 16th. There have been hints that they may extend the residency series until early next year, and no future headliners have been announced so far, although Variety rumors that Harry Styles could be the next act at the venue.
Whatever the future holds, it’s hard to imagine there being better proof of The Sphere’s concept than this U2 concert. It’s almost painful to imagine going back to a run-down gym after an experience like this.
At some point during the evening, Paul McCartney probably started imagining his own residency at The Sphere. If that ever happens, Dolan will be a big step closer to recouping his $2 billion investment. In the meantime, here’s hoping U2 takes some of that energy into the studio and produces a new album. It’s fun to reminisce about the past for a few weeks, especially at a place like The Sphere, but the world could use another great U2 album. They convinced the doubters back then with “Attention Baby” and they could do it again now.
This article has been translated from English. You can find the original here.