U2 to Perform at MSG Sphere First Concerts in Las Vegas

When the $1.8 billion MSG Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas opens next year, U2 will be the first band to play there, several sources tell Billboard. The shows will mark the beginning of the band's multi-show residency at the cutting-edge arena, which is being constructed by James Dolan, chairman of Madison Square Garden Entertainment, next to the Venetian of the Las Vegas Strip. The MSG Sphere at The Venetian, according to representatives of MSGE, is the largest spherical structure ever built and provides patrons with a multi-sensory experience of sound and light. The MSG Sphere at The Venetian has 23 VIP suites and can hold 17,500 people seated or 20,000 people standing.

The Sphere will have a 160,000 square foot TV viewing area, an "internal immersive display," cutting-edge spatial acoustics, and an outside exosphere with completely programmable LED technology that alters the building's appearance. It will have a 1,000-foot-long pedestrian bridge that will connect to the Venetian Resort. The band U2 will perform at the arena as part of a residency that spans several months and takes place on days other than consecutive ones. With $2.22 billion in earnings and 28.3 million ticket sales, U2 is the second-highest-grossing touring band of all time, after only The Rolling Stones.

Officials from MSG Entertainment declined comments for this article. Requests for comment on this story from U2's management went unanswered. The cutting-edge venue's construction was taken over by Madison Square Garden Entertainment in December, according to a February 2018 announcement. The information indicates that AECOM, the general contractor, will switch to a supporting position under a new services agreement. The announcement noted that "substantial progress" had been achieved on the venue's construction and that the sixth-level concrete ring beam, which is 490 feet wide and stands 113 feet above the ground, marked the structure's widest point.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced MSG Entertainment to delay the launch of MSG Sphere at The Venetian from 2021 to some point in 2023, as was previously stated in its August 2021 earnings release. In order to take part in the FIA Formula One World Championship when it visits Nevada in November 2023, MSG intends to open the MSG Sphere at The Venetian. Local authorities approved the construction of a second MSG Sphere in London, and it is scheduled to start in March.