The Las Vegas Sphere: The first spectacular and eye-catching show
Irish band U2 held an "opening" concert for the $2.3 billion spherical theater in Nevada. Even if you're not a U2 fan, the show is guaranteed to wow you with the visual effects.
Outside, the 111-meter-high and 157-meter-wide spherical structure is completely covered in 1.2 million programmable LED lights. That means if you want to project an image of the surface of Mars or the ocean floor or some virtual world onto the outside of the sphere, you absolutely can. Last July 4, while fireworks lit up the sky, the sphere also glowed with red, blue, and white bands - lit for the first time on the occasion of America's Independence Day.
Stepping inside, you will stand in the middle of the world's largest and highest resolution LED screen, in a space that can accommodate 17,500 people and is equipped with a system of 164,000 vivid sound speakers. U2 was the first band to perform at the venue, and will continue to play 24 more nights there through December.
Throughout the show, audiences are treated to a series of mesmerising visual effects. From the kaleidoscope to the sweeping Las Vegas skyline, everything serves up an epic and immersive music experience like never before.
"This is truly a new [art] medium," James Dolan - executive chairman of Madison Square Garden - asserted. "When you're in the Sphere, no one can force you to look at anything. The audience decides what they want to focus on."
In the future, besides concerts, the Sphere will continue to serve audiences in many other forms of performance. Next is "Postcard from Earth", a work directed by famous filmmaker Darren Aronofsky.
