Apple shares behind-the-scenes video of U2 in Las Vegas Sphere

Apple Music has shared a 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at U2's residency in the newly built Las Vegas Sphere and what it took to make it possible to perform in such a venue.

U2 began their first Las Vegas residency, "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere" on September 29. The Sphere, you've likely already seen on social media. It is a new dome in the Venetian Resort with Dolby Atmos technology inside, and hundreds of thousands of LED elements, both inside and out.

The video features Apple Music exec Zane Lowe as he tours the venue with U2. In the interview, the band discusses their creative vision for the new era of their music.

Thanks to The Sphere's unique design, the band can provide a fully immersive aural-visual experience for the audience.

The Las Vegas Sphere is a prominent spherical entertainment and technology facility in Las Vegas, recognized for its immersive experiences and advanced technology features. Featuring a striking LED exterior, it hosts a wide range of events, including concerts and virtual reality experiences, making it a significant attraction for tourists and a notable part of the city's entertainment offerings.

5 Comments

coolfactor 2335 comments · 20 Years

About 1 year ago

Cool building! Amazing.

22july2013 3725 comments · 11 Years

Could Apple strike a deal with The Sphere and bring its content to the Apple Vision Pro? Seems like a great fit. Since the shows probably don't change often, I suggest that it be included in the Apple One package. That would get a lot of people to buy the Apple Vision Pro and to sign up for Apple One.

Marvin 15336 comments · 18 Years

22july2013 said:

Could Apple strike a deal with The Sphere and bring its content to the Apple Vision Pro? Seems like a great fit. Since the shows probably don't change often, I suggest that it be included in the Apple One package. That would get a lot of people to buy the Apple Vision Pro and to sign up for Apple One.

It gives some very nice effects, this uses 16-18k resolution video (2:40):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCtr3696AAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mzsxWAy1b4

Given that it cost $2.3b to build, I imagine that they want people to buy pricey tickets (over $700 per person) to pay for it.

There's an opportunity for venue tickets with the Vision Pro for all sorts of events though. They can put a 360 3D camera in any venue and charge multiple people for the same virtual seat. A budding entrepreneur can do the same, if security is ok with it. Buy a good seat for a couple of thousand dollars and charge $100 per virtual ticket.

NoGodsNoMasters 2 comments · 1 Year

How many courics was it?

Marvin said:

22july2013 said:

Could Apple strike a deal with The Sphere and bring its content to the Apple Vision Pro? Seems like a great fit. Since the shows probably don't change often, I suggest that it be included in the Apple One package. That would get a lot of people to buy the Apple Vision Pro and to sign up for Apple One.

Given that it cost $2.3b to build, I imagine that they want people to buy pricey tickets (over $700 per person) to pay for it.
Buy a good seat for a couple of thousand dollars and charge $100 per virtual ticket.

I understand and I agree, but if Apple wanted to sell more Vision Pros, they could offer The Sphere $1B for a license to provide all Sphere events to Apple Vision Pro users. If that arrangement would sell 300,000 Vision Pros, at $4000 each there's your $1B return on investment. Remember, you can't easily share your Vision Pro with other people because it requires a custom prescription affixed to the device.

P.S. I don't think a ticket would have to be $700 to recoup a $2B investment. If they expect to have tickets pay off that price in 5 years, the tickets need to be priced at an average of $60, even if they have only one show per day. If they have two shows per day, they can pay it off with $30 tickets. If tickets are priced at $700 they can pay off in 5 months.