U2 made history on Friday night as they opened the newest and most spectacular attraction on the Las Vegas Strip -- the $2 billion Sphere. The Irish rockers kicked off their 25-date UV Achtung Baby Live residency, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking seventh album.
The Sphere is a massive dome-shaped venue that stands 366 feet high and 516 feet wide at its broadest point. It seats 18,600 people and features a 16K-resolution wraparound LED screen and 1,600 speakers that create an immersive audiovisual experience.
U2 performed on a stage that resembled a turntable, surrounded by stunning images and effects that complemented their songs. They played their first show since December 15th, 2019 in Mumbai, India, and their first without drummer Larry Mullen Junior, who is recovering from back surgery. He was replaced for the residency only by Bram Van Den Berg, who celebrated his birthday on Friday.
As the name of the show indicates, U2 performed their entire Achtung Baby album, split into two sets. They opened with "Zoo Station" and followed with "The Fly" and "Even Better Than the Real Thing," which featured a collage of Vegas images, including those of Elvis Presley, as well as some from the movies Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Leaving Las Vegas.
Bono greeted the audience and said, "What a fancy pad. Elvis has definitely not left this building. It’s an Elvis chapel. It’s an Elvis cathedral. That’s right. And tonight, the entrance to this cathedral is a password: flirtation. And later, we’re going to get married, okay?”
The band continued with "Mysterious Ways," "One," "Until the End of the World," "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" and "So Cruel." After the eighth song, Bono said, “We need to take a break from Achtung Baby. We need to take a break from all that intensity just to try and know each other. Achtung Baby had a difficult birth, though an easy conception. Bringing up children is the great adventure and discovering that they’re the ones bringing you up.”
They then did a four-song acoustic set of Rattle & Hum tunes, starting with "All I Want Is You," which Bono dedicated to Larry Mullen. He then dedicated "Desire" to Paul McCartney, who he said was in attendance. “The Macca is in our presence. It’s like having Mozart. Your songs will be played in a thousand years, dude. Just know that we love you, and we’ve stolen a lot of your songs. Actually, I’m thinking that the Sphere may have come into existence [because of Sphere Entertainment president] Jim Dolan trying to solve the problem that The Beatles started when they played Shea Stadium [in 1965]. Nobody could hear you. You couldn’t hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere’s here -- can you hear us?” Bono said.
The rest of the acoustic set included "Angel of Harlem," which featured snippets of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic" and Thin Lizzy’s “Dancing in the Moonlight," and “Love Rescue Me,” which Bono dedicated to the late Jimmy Buffett.
Bono then introduced Bram Van Den Berg and praised him for filling in for Larry Mullen. They then resumed the Achtung Baby set with "The Fly," "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World," "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "Acrobat."
The band returned for a six-song encore that included their new song, "Atomic City." The show ended with "Beautiful Day," which included snippets of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Blackbird.”
U2 did a second show on Saturday with the next one set for Thursday followed by Saturday and Sunday.
You can watch video highlights at U2.com.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]