U2 swooped down into Las Vegas for the first show of their three-month residency ... and the experience was not only electrifying, but it was literally out of this world!!!
The iconic Irish rock band kicked off Friday night's concert for their "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere" performance inside a monstrous planet-like structure that is 516 feet wide and 366 feet tall -- and consumes nearly two city blocks.
Even more eye-popping was the stunning laser show, combining streams of white and blue neon lights surrounded by walls of flat screen TVs flashing images of the group onstage. At one point, a video of Elvis Presley was streamed with vintage snapshots of Las Vegas and the U2 members ensconced in bubbles.
Of course, the venue was packed with 17,000-plus fans. They were all treated to a slew of hits compliments of U2's legendary singer, Bono, and guitarist, The Edge, along with bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Bram van den Berg, who took over for the ailing Larry Mullen.
The foursome cranked out some of their most recognizable tunes including "The Fly," "Angel of Harlem," "Desire," "One," "Mysterious Ways" and "Atomic Punk." Wearing his signature sunglasses, Bono was in rare form, dipping and twirling around his microphone stand while belting out his lyrics.
A look inside the immersive MSG Sphere arena in Las Vegas, which opened with a U2 concert.
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 30, 2023
The 18K resolution wraparound LED screen measuring 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m²) with 166,000 speakers. The largest and highest-resolution LED screen in the worldpic.twitter.com/sHid0DEuZu
The starry guest list was extensive too, BTW -- big names like Paul McCartney, Adam Scott, Snoop Dogg, Ava DuVernay, Matt Damon, Bryan Cranston, Chelsea Clinton, Chris Blackwell, Mario Lopez, Dakota Fanning, Darren Aronofsky, Diplo, Dr. Dre, Elizabeth Banks, Flava Flav, Gayle King, Guy Oseary, Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Buffet, Jane Seymour, Jason Bateman, Jeff Bezos, Jimmy Iovine, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Hamm, Josh Duhamel, Katy Perry, Lebron James, Luke Wilson, Oprah, Orlando Bloom and Oscar De La Hoya, just to name a few.
Indeed, it was a who's-who of Hollywood ... safe to say, the Sphere is a hit and then some.