U2 may have finally found what they’ve been looking for.
The beloved Irish rock band officially christened Sphere — a 20,000 capacity, $2.2 billion state-of-the-art venue from the Madison Square Garden Company — Friday night in Las Vegas.
For months now, it has snatched the world’s attention for its massive exterior that doubles as a video screen which quickly become a staple on the Sin City strip.
The term immersive doesn’t give this production its due justice.
Witnessing U2 perform their “Achtung Baby” album is surreal — like watching an elaborate music video, visual effects and all, with the band actually playing live. Some may even prefer watching the screens over the stage.
The visuals — like a rainbow-colored version of matrix-looking letters running from bottom to top of the whole arena — are “Dr. Strange-esque” in their dimensionality and ability to create a moving sensation that, when paired with excellent music, is euphoric, to say the least.
“Elvis has definitely not left this building,“ Bono told his sold-out crowd of 20,000 raving fans early into the performance, later calling Sphere and MSG owner James Dolan “one mad bastard” for coming up with the concept.
The frontman also paid tribute to locals by rocking U2’s brand new “Atomic City” track as a massive visual of the Vegas skyline appeared overhead. The band launched its three-month “U2:UV Live at Sphere Las Vegas” residency — tickets run from just over $200 up to nearly $8,000 — via a show packed with more than 20 iconic rock anthems worthy of the over-the-top venue.
“We moved into Madison Square Garden and took ownership,” Dolan exclusively told The Post. “We didn’t build it, create it from the very ground up. So this one, yeah — it’s probably the most passionate business project I’ve had.”
Paul McCartney, “Breaking Bad” besties Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre — along with some MSG familiar faces in Rangers alum Henrik Lundqvist, Adam Graves, and Stephane Matteau –were just some of the A-listers out to take in the grand opening of what legitimately cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world.
Bono hyped up the fans by name-dropping “Macca” — aka McCartney — and announcing The Beatles legend’s presence in the audience. The band went on to crowd-pleasing bits from McCartney’s Fab Four songs “Love Me Do,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Blackbird.”
He also noted how Sphere solved a problem that The Beatles ran into at Shea Stadium in the 1960s in that nobody could hear them out in the ope.
In addition to some tracks from their own “Rattle and Hum,” Bono and bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton and Bram van den Berg — while celebrating his birthday — rocked out covers of many classics by other artists.
Among the standouts: Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender,” Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.”
The enduring jams worked out every inch of Sphere’s unabashedly ambitious technology.
Dolan also explained to The Post how Sphere’s stunning atrium — equipped with humanoid robots, make-your-own avatar stations, among more nods to AI and groundbreaking sound engineering — took much inspiration from his Radio City Music Hall.
After all, Radio City was considered to be one of the world’s most high-tech venues during its own inception nearly a century ago.
As captivating as the light show is — the crowd didn’t even notice U2 ducking backstage at one point — the uniquely shaped Sphere can just as easily remove a sense of dimension.
It’s then that all eyes are locked on nothing but center stage, hypnotic while alternately surrounded by pitch black or a mellow yet hyperrealistic showing of stars in the night sky.
Sphere’s debut delivered a satisfying mix of “ooh and ah” moments while hearing — and experiencing — a spectacular feast for the senses.
Thanks to Holoplot — one of the world’s most intricate audio systems which is powering Sphere — vibrations and kick drums are palpable, yet not overwhelming, and the same can be said for the show’s volume.
It strikes a Goldilocks decibel of not blowing out eardrums yet still making a profound statement. Adding another sense to the mix, a gentle yet artificial breeze will cross your path in tune with what’s on display from time to time, too.
The end result: Essentially, each seat stands as the best in the house.
That’s an understatement for what Sphere, U2, and upcoming guests of this venue appear poised to experience as this much-hyped venue attempts to change the game of live music presentation.