U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere in Las Vegas - additional eight dates announced

The anticipation for U2's forthcoming residency continues to build. Read the latest on the 'U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere' event coming to Las Vegas below. I have seen U2 several times in Las Vegas, most recently five years ago today (read my review of that incredible concert HERE)...Robert Kinsler

U2 / Photo credit: Helena Christensen

Sphere Entertainment Co. and Live Nation today (May 12, 2023) announced an additional 8 dates have been added to meet the unprecedented demand for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, a first-of-its-kind live music experience which will see the world’s biggest rock band launch the world’s most cutting-edge venue, Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Watch HERE. U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere marks U2’s first live shows in four years and Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas will be the only place fans can see the show, now with 25 total shows spanning September 29 through December 16, 2023. The following dates have been announced:   Bono performing in Las Vegas on May 12, 2018. Photo: Robert Kinsler FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16     Bono, left, and The Edge during a performance of "Acrobat" on May 12, 2018. Photo: Robert Kinsler The long-awaited confirmation of dates comes after U2 dropped the ultimate sneak peek - to a mass global audience - with a Super Bowl commercial back in February which let fans know that the band will return to the stage later this year.   Bono and The Edge recently gave Apple Music’s Zane Lowe a sneak preview tour of Sphere and a glimpse into their ideas as they begin to create these shows. U2: The Zane Lowe Interview is now available HERE.   TICKETS: Tickets start at $140 and will reflect all-in pricing. This means the ticket price listed is the full out-of-pocket price inclusive of taxes and fees. The larger capacity at Sphere allows for 60% of tickets to be priced under $300 and there will also be a limited number of premium priced tickets per show.   U2.COM PRESALE:  All U2.com paid subscribers are eligible to submit a ticket request for the eight (8) newly added shows (Dec 1–16), even if they have requested or secured tickets for previously announced dates (Sept 29–Nov 4). The onsale opens Friday, May 12 at 10AM ET and closes Monday, May 15 at 7AM ET.   Verified Fan Previous Registrants: In order to accommodate the high demand of Verified Fan registrations already received, a limited number of previously waitlisted fans will have first access to the newly announced December dates.  Applicable fans will be contacted directly by Ticketmaster with details the evening of Wednesday May 17th.   GENERAL ONSALE: A limited number of tickets will be available during a general onsale starting Friday, May 19th at Noon ET at Ticketmaster.com. On sale times may vary, check the Ticketmaster listing for more information.   DETAILS ON GENERAL ADMISSION FLOOR TICKETS: In an effort to help minimize resale and keep ticket prices at face value for fans, GA floor tickets for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere will be restricted from transfer. They may only be resold at the original purchase price.   Fans will still have protection against unforeseen circumstances. Those who purchase tickets and are no longer able to attend their show will be able to sell their tickets at the price they paid using the Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange. More information on how the Ticketmaster Exchange works is available here. RED ZONE: At each U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere performance, 50 tickets to experience the show from an exclusive VIP riser will be made available for purchase benefitting (RED), the organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to fight AIDS and the injustices that enable pandemics to thrive.

 “We’re so grateful once again to U2 for their generosity. And we’re very excited that each U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere performance will feature an iconic (RED) Zone, which lets fans choose (RED) and save lives while enjoying the show with an excellent view of the stage”, said Jennifer Lotito, President and COO of (RED). “Over the years, U2’s generosity has delivered nearly $23 million for (RED)’s fight to end AIDS. Thanks to U2 and U2 fans everywhere for helping (RED) make preventable and treatable disease preventable and treatable for everyone.”

 

VIP: VIP and Hotel packages for all announced shows will be available through Vibee at, U2.Vibee.com. Vibee, the new music-led destination experience company founded by Live Nation, is the exclusive Hotel Package and VIP Experience provider for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere. Vibee has fans covered from the minute they arrive. The range of elevated hospitality packages may include premium concert seating; hotel rooms at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the only resort attached to Sphere; priority entry into the U2:UV Fan Portal, an immersive, cutting-edge installation and pop-up shop at The Venetian; limited edition U2 memorabilia; nightclub access; bespoke concierge service and more. 

For complete date, ticket and Vibee VIP & Hotel Package information visit https://u2.ticketmaster.com.

‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere' is the band’s latest ambitious creative project and will see them work once again with longtime U2 creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams. It follows the massive success of the band’s acclaimed Joshua Tree 30th anniversary stadium tour which was seen by over 3.2 million fans worldwide and their 2018 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE indoor tour which played to a combined audience of 1 million across Europe and North America.

Acknowledged as the best live act in the world, U2 have always – since their earliest days, including the industry-defining ZOO TV Tour which broke the mold in 1991 - consistently pushed the boundaries of live performance, with ground-breaking stage shows that embrace the latest in technology and innovation. The announcement that the band will be the first musical act at Sphere, the next-generation entertainment medium that dominates the Las Vegas skyline, is fitting for a show from the world’s most thrilling live band.

Bono, The Edge and Adam said, “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 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.
 
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 added – "The beauty of 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.”
 
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment.  Sphere’s 22^nd century technologies include a 16K x 16K LED display inside the main venue bowl that wraps up, over, and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. Sphere Immersive Sound, the world’s most advanced concert audio system, delivers crystal-clear audio to every seat in the house. Multi-sensory 4D technologies will enhance the storytelling experience so guests can “feel” the experience – such as the rumble of thunder or the feeling of a cool breeze. ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere' will tap into this cutting-edge technology, allowing fans to experience something completely new.
 

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About U2
U2 is acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world. Formed in Dublin in 1978, the band were marked out by their drive and ambition from the beginning. U2 has toured the globe countless times, released 14 studio albums, sold over 170 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award. U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and have twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song: in 2003 for ‘The Hands That Built America’ for Gangs of New York, and in 2014 for ‘Ordinary Love’ for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. U2’s fourteenth studio album Songs Of Experience – the companion release to 2014’s Songs Of Innocence - was released in December 2017 debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, setting U2 apart as the only band in history to have topped the chart in four successive decades. In 2018, the U2 hit the road with the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour, an arena production which saw the band continue to push the creative boundaries of technology and engineering. And following 2017’s acclaimed stadium run with The Joshua Tree Tour - the record-breaking smash hit tour celebrating the band’s seminal 1987 album The Joshua Tree – The Joshua Tree Tour took U2 to New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, as well as bring “the biggest band in the world” (The Guardian) to Singapore, Seoul, Manila and Mumbai for the very first time. In November, 2019, the band released a track in collaboration with A.R. Rahman titled ‘Ahimsa’, which was performed live at Mumbai’s, D.Y. Patil Stadium. In 2020, SiriusXM and U2 announced the launch of U2 X-Radio, a complete immersion into the work and influences of the band from the Northside of Dublin, all curated by U2. And in May 2021, Bono and The Edge collaborated with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix to create the track ‘We Are The People’ the official anthem for the UEFA 2020 European Football Tournament. 2021 also saw the release of a new U2 song ‘Your Song Saved My Life’, which featured on the original motion picture soundtrack for the animated feature film ‘Sing 2’. Songs Of Surrender – a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalogue, re-recorded and reimagined for 2023 in sessions spanning the last two years – was released on Friday March 17th and debuted at #1 in the UK and Ireland.  It also charted at #1 on 5 U.S. charts and in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200 chart.

 

About Sphere
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists will create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue will host original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue is currently under construction in Las Vegas and is expected to open in fall 2023. It will be a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thespherevegas.com.
 

About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
 
The full length Super Bowl trailer announcement for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere can be viewed HERE.