Opening Night At Las Vegas Sphere Stuns The World

Las Vegas has long been a city of mind-boggling buildings, but its latest architectural debut, the Sphere, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. 

Opening its doors to the world on Friday, September 29 with a concert by U2, who played through their 1991 Achtung Baby album, crowds appeared more wowed by the venue than getting to watch what is arguably the biggest band in the world.

Designed by Spanish architect, Miguel Fontgive, and his studio team in Zaragoza, the Sphere has a number of world record-breaking features. The structure is considered the largest spherical building in the world at 112 metres high by 157 metres wide and can hold 18,000 people. In fact, it is so huge that the entire Statue of Liberty could fit inside the building. Some parts of the Sphere were built first in virtual reality, with engineers and architects using the finite element method to test the strength and functionality before investing in real-world construction.

The Sphere is thought to have cost around 2.4 billion Euros to build and is covered with a 54,000 square metre LED screen made up of a staggering 50 million LED lights the size of an ashtray that produce images with a 128k resolution, which is 32 times greater than that of the best high-definition television.

The Las Vegas Sphere !!!

The Sphere is notable for its size and technological capabilities. It is the largest spherical structure in the world, with a diameter of 516 feet and a height of 336 feet. #Sphere #LasVegas pic.twitter.com/jp6x7dZMBF

— Techverse (@intechverse) September 26, 2023

Inside the dome is another LED screen, this one of 15,000 square metres, or the size of four American football fields, and it is this that provides a completely immersive experience for the audience.

Adding to the visuals provided by the gigantic 360-degree screen, the Sphere also employs 4D wind effects, allowing audiences to experience everything from a light breeze to a full-blown gale and even fog. As well as all-round visuals, there’s also 360-degree sound thanks to 168,000 speakers which can also direct sound to specific areas of the auditorium, giving different auditory experiences to different sections of the audience.

Full Experience of attending a concert at The Sphere Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/UTahEf0Bg8

— WHAT'S INSIDE? (@whatsinside) October 1, 2023

Finally, seats in the Sphere vibrate so that every sense but taste is used to plunge the audience fully into the experience. 

One thing about the amazing building that is raising some doubts is whether it can be filled and make back the massive investment in it. U2 are in residence until December 16, with ticket prices ranging from 268 to 1,240 US dollars. However recent reports indicate that tickets on reseller sites such as StubHub, are selling for less than their face value, raising concerns about whether it can achieve profitability.