U2 will make their big return to the stage with a residency at the newest venue in Las Vegas, The Sphere, which will open in September. The group made the announcement with a 15-second promo during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.
Dates for U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at The Sphere have not been announced just yet, but a new website, U2XSphere.com, is now online and fans are encouraged to register to get details on show dates and tickets.
A four-minute video documenting an unidentified flying object around the world -- the sphere – is also on the new site. The video features some of the band's longtime fans encountering the sphere and gathering in the Nevada desert to see it with the band. Then, in the video, The Edge asks Bono, "So, are we doing this?" And Bono says, "We'd be mad not to."
And, as the sphere gets closer a baby's face appears and says, "There's room for everybody. Actung." The shows however will not feature the entire band. Drummer Larry Mullen will not participate because his scheduled to undergo and recuperate from surgery. Bram van den Berg will sit in for him.
In a statement, Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton say, "It's going to take all we've got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right.”
They added, "The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don't want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band. Bottom line, U2 hasn't played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again. And what a unique stage they're building for us out there in the desert… We're the right band, ACHTUNG BABY the right album, and the Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level… That's what U2's been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this Fall.”
"The Sphere is more than just a venue, it's a gallery and U2's music is going to be all over the walls."
The Edge adds, "The beauty of the Sphere is not only the ground-breaking technology that will make it so unique, with the world's most advanced audio system, integrated into a structure which is designed with sound quality as a priority; it's also the possibilities around immersive experience in real and imaginary landscapes. In short, it's a canvas of an unparalleled scale and image resolution and a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We all thought about it and decided we'd be mad not to accept the invitation."
U2 will release their new album, Songs of Surrender, coming up on March 17th -- St. Patrick's Day.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]