With or Without U2 – The Sphere Is An Unforgettable Fire In Tech

Whether you like the band, U2, or not, The Sphere and what they’re doing is a technological leap forward in innovation.

Before digging into this, go to TikTok or YouTube and search for “U2 The Sphere”… prepare to have your senses sparked.
The Sphere is that big round orb venue in Las Vegas that you may have seen in the media and build-up to its grand opening this past weekend.

The tech and build of The Sphere is wild:

• The Sphere cost $2.3 billion to build.
• It seats 18,600 fans.
• Billed as the largest 16k LED screen in the world, it has 268,435,456 pixels, the equivalent of 72 HD televisions.
• The more-than-semi-circular screen is about 35 stories tall (it really captures your entire field of vision).
• You can’t see any speakers. The audio system consists of a complex matrix of speakers – 167,000 in total – seamlessly integrated behind the screen and throughout the venue.

The Sphere will also be built in London and smaller ones are planned for other markets (and here’s a great read about this all: Wallpaper – How to conquer the Atomic City: the story behind U2 at the new Las Vegas Sphere).

If you have, at least $1000 USD, you can check out U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, which will run September 29th – December 16th 2023 (but will, surely, be extended) to celebrate the opening of The Sphere and celebrate the band’s Achtung Baby’s 30th anniversary.

With that…

What bands will be able to afford to play here (rumors are Harry Styles might be next)?
How can any other bands do this at the level that U2 committed?
How different is this tech from current live band productions?
Does all of this perpetuate the inability for most people to afford a great live show?

And, perhaps, my biggest fear/concern/excitement: Does all of this tech take away from a live band performing?

What is Tech Tuesday?

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM and Jack 103) on the air at 95.9 Star FM to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture.
We call it Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Once the segment goes live on 95.9 Star FM, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage.

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