U2 brings swagger, iconic songs to Sphere Las Vegas in jaw-dropping concert spectacle
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LAS VEGAS â Believe the hype.
Regardless of what happens at the multibillion-dollar Las Vegas behemoth following U2âs opening rush of shows over the next three months, the bandâs âU2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphereâ performance is a marvel.
To call Sphere a spectacle doesnât do justice to the structure that, at 516-feet wide and 366 feet tall, takes up about two city blocks and is taller than a football field is long. It's the worldâs largest spherical shaped venue according to designers and its walls of video screens envelop the audience in a visual embrace and pristine, isolated sound.
Itâs IMAX meets the Death Star â with a lot of swagger, a head trip of artsy graphics and a trove of heartfelt songs.
When the lights dropped at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 29 for the inaugural Sphere event, U2 entered from the back of the clean, airy stage designed to look like a turntable in homage to a Brian Eno art project. Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Bram van den Berg, who was announced from the first rumblings of this 25-date run as the fill-in drummer for health-sidelined Larry Mullen Jr., strolled onstage.
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Bono, strutting and waving his microphone, quickly donned the trademark eye wear of his alter ego The Fly for âZoo Station,â the first track from the bandâs âAchtung Babyâ album and the anchor for these Vegas shows, the bandâs first live performances in four years.
That 1991 classic was played in its entirety as advertised, but U2 shuffled the track listing, diving into âThe Flyâ as words such as âPatience,â âDestinyâ and âTruthâ flashed on towering screens in neon and hundreds of colored numbers and letters zipped to the pinnacle of the dome of the Sphere.
With so many memorable visual stunners, itâs tough to pinpoint the cleverest, but the mega-sized video of Elvis Presley meshed with scenes of old Las Vegas and close-ups of U2 floating in bubbles during âEven Better Than the Real Thingâ is a front-runner.
Bono and the boys have always been vocal about their affection for the classics, and their show includes several nods â some more subtle than others â to their Vegas forebears.
âLook at all this stuff,â Bono said, scanning the 17,000-plus crowd and the graphics surrounding the band. âElvis has definitely NOT left this building. Itâs an Elvis cathedral and tonight there is a password to enter: flirtation.â
That introduction led to the slinky guitar lines of âMysterious Ways,â with Clayton holding down the sexy low end of the song on bass and the Edge, knit cap firmly in place, looming over the crowd on screen.
Elsewhere in the two-hour show â which included a celebrity squad including Sir Paul McCartney, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Connie Britton, Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston â Bono detoured into a stripped version of Presley's âLove Me Tenderâ at the close of âOne,â nodded to Van Morrison with some of âInto the Mysticâ tucked into âAngel of Harlemâ and unveiled Frank Sinatraâs âMy Wayâ as a prelude to âAtomic City,â their swinging new rock song inspired by Las Vegas.
Dedications were rife as well, as Bono, in fine, muscular voice, bowed to McCartney with âDesireâ (âJust know that we love you and weâve stolen a lot of your songs,â Bono teased) and saluted the late Jimmy Buffett, whose family was also in attendance, with a sweet rendition of the rarely played âLove Rescue Me.â
âItâs so hard to say goodbye to someone,â Bono said, choking up while speaking.
He also noted that these were the first shows U2 has played without Mullen since 1978 and added a dedication of âAll I Want is Youâ to the bandâs drummer and founder. The steady van den Berg isnât as light a touch on the snare as Mullen, who is recovering from various neck, knee and elbow issues, but the Dutchman proved a proficient substitute.
Several times during the night, Bono, a man with a band that has played the biggest crowds and venues in the world, appeared overcome with emotion and in awe of the surroundings, but much joy emanated from the stage.
While not every song from âAchtungâ is normally worth a set list appearance, to hear album cuts âTryinâ To Throw Your Arms Around the Worldâ â last played live in 1993 â and âSo Cruelâ was a windfall for diehard fans.
Meanwhile, the more casual U2 follower was rewarded with a 30-minute feast of favorites following âLove is Blindness,â the last song on âAchtungâ played as images of bugs and butterflies crept into focus on the surrounding screens.
The vibrant âElevationâ kickstarted the final sprint and, while not as kinetic as the houselights-up opening from 2001âs tour of the same name, was nonetheless an explosive roar of sound and illuminations.
Helicopters hovered overhead on screen for the slashing âVertigo,â the band projected in spotlights blasting from the bottom of the digital aircraft, while a crystal-clear desertscape and sunburst stretched the entire width of the building for the ringing anthem, âWhere the Streets Have No Name.â
Itâs fair to wonder if such a gargantuan production eclipses a band. Not this one. Especially since some of the most moving moments were in the small details and the inherent earnestness of U2âs music.
The Sphere is a mighty structure, no doubt. But U2 turns it into an experience.
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