Photo Credit: Sam Jones for Live Nation
U2 lit up the MSG Sphere stage over the weekend, kicking off their Las Vegas residency with a huge opening-night. Here’s the latest.
The U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere event showcases a reinvented live music experience in a brand-new, cutting edge venue. U2 provided fans with a fully immersive experience, utilizing every part of the Sphere’s LED screen to showcase bespoke art from renowned artists including Es Devlin, John Gerrard, Marco Brambilla, and Industrial Light & Magic—all while performing on a Brian Eno-inspired turntable stage.
The Madison Square Garden Sphere is a $2.3 billion venue which took five years to create—featuring an 18,600 capacity with a massive 160,000 square-foot wraparound LED screen. It is the highest-resolution LED screen in existence with more than 268 million individual pixels. U2’s massive show went off without a hitch which is awe-inspiring considering the entire show was created in VR while the venue was under construction.
“Look at all this stuff!” Bono yells to the crowd, gesturing toward the massive screen. “Elvis has definitely not left this building. It’s an Elvis cathedral, and tonight there is a password to enter—’flirtation.’”
The band celebrated this major music milestone with fans from all over the world and several VIP attendees including Diplo, Dr. Dre, Katy Perry, Lars Ulrich, Paul McCartney, Snoop Dogg, and many more VIPs. The 25-date run of shows celebrates the band’s acclaimed album Achtung Baby, while also performing their new song “Atomic City.” The song is an homage to post-punk with a nod to Blondie, whose pioneering work with Giorgio Moroder inspired and influenced the band. Here’s a peek at the full setlist as performed on September 29.
Achtung Baby Part 1
- “Zoo Station”
- “The Fly”
- “Even Better Than The Real Thing”
- “Mysterious Ways”
- “One”
- “Until the End of the World”
- “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”
- “Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around the World”
Rattle & Hum Interlude
- “All I Want Is You”
- “Desire”
- “Angel of Harlem”
- “Love Rescue Me”
Achtung Baby Part 2
- “So Cruel”
- “Acrobat”
- “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)”
- “Love Is Blindness”
Encore
- “Elevation”
- “Atomic City”
- “Vertigo”
- “Where the Streets Have No Name”
- “With or Without You”
- “Beautiful Day”