U2 recently announced the first dates for their first shows at the Sphere with a trailer showing the scale of the new Las Vegas arena.
Fans were quick to race against time to get their hands on tickets costing hundreds of pounds, but those in the highest-priced section of the venue have since realised that their seats will have obstructed views.
Correspondence from companies like Ticketmaster and Vibee has shown that the music lovers in the 100 section won’t be able to see the screens showcasing the action across the venue due to an overhang.
While promoting the residency, Steve Averill, U2’s long-time creative director for live shows, had said: “Every time we do a new show, we are challenging ourselves to reinvent everything we have done before. The Sphere is completely unprecedented. You won’t see speaker stacks hanging from the ceiling because the whole building is a speaker and a video screen… inside and out.
“Every time we do something new it’s a whole blank slate. And with Sphere everything is circular. I feel like we have cracked the code. It’s complete madness really… But we’d be mad not to.”
U2:UV ACHTUNG BABY. LIVE AT SPHERE, LAS VEGAS. FALL 2023.
— U2 (@U2) April 24, 2023
SEP 29 & 30. OCT 05, 07, & 08.https://t.co/JseHnTMERG paid subscribers have first access to tickets through Ticketmaster Request, open now through Wednesday, April 26 at 7AM PT.
Register for Ticketmaster Verified Fan… pic.twitter.com/sLXF69SozR
A spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment Co., the company that owns the arena, has since told Daily Mail: “Our fans and their experience are always our top priority.”
They added: “As soon as we realized there was an issue, we worked closely with event organizers to reach the affected ticketholders with several make-good options.”
Celebrating 30 years of their acclaimed album of the same name, the residency will start on September 29. Bono and the gang will then continue with the first shows announced to be on October 5, 7 and 8.
Achtung Baby Live will be U2’s first residency and also the first time playing without drummer Larry Mullen, who is recovering from elbow and knee injuries. They will be joined by Dutch musician Bram van den Berg, making it the first time since their formation in the late 1970s that all four original members have not played together.
U2 announced their performances at the 17,500-seat venue with an advert spot during the Super Bowl earlier this year. They will be the first performers to play at the Sphere.
Lead singer Bono told Zane Lowe in an Apple Music interview: “Most arenas are built for sports, they are not built for music.
“This building was for immersive experiences for music, not for an ice hockey game.”
“I can’t wait to get up on stage here.”
Lead guitarist The Edge added: “Sound was a priority from the beginning. It will be the best sound we will ever hear.
“I’m not feeling anxious. Usually, when I come to a venue I can feel that anxiety but this time I am just very excited.”
The band have not released new material since 2017’s Songs of Experience. However, last month they put out Songs of Surrender — a reimagining of 40 songs from their back catalogue.
The Sphere is fitted with 1,800 Holoplot speaker cabinets. These are placed behind a big screen, which organisers hope will recreate the experience of wearing headphones.
Achtung Baby was considered a turning point for the band when it was released in 1991. It spawned the Zoo TV tour, which had an unparalleled scale and vision at the time.
“One of the things that we explored early on was how much we could refer to Zoo TV as a palette of visual ideas,” The Edge told Wired magazine.
“We realised that actually there are completely new ways to use the technology even if we’re borrowing ideas from Zoo TV.”
How can I get tickets for Achtung Baby Live?
You can get your hands on tickets by heading over to the Ticketmaster website.
Once on the website, you will be asked if you want to join the queue. If you choose to join in, you’ll be asked to sign in or sign up to Ticketmaster before you’re taken to the virtual waiting room.
Eventually, if there are any tickets left, you’ll be taken through to secure your tickets.
