| Residency by U2 | |
 Static variation of the dynamically changing colour logo, introduced in August 2023 | |
| Location | Paradise, Nevada, United States |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sphere |
| Associated album | Achtung Baby |
| Start date | 29 September 2023 |
| End date | 2 March 2024 |
| No. of shows | 40 |
| Attendance | 663,000 |
| Box office | $244.5 million |
| U2 concert chronology | |
U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere was a concert residency by the Irish rock band U2 at Sphere in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. Consisting of 40 concerts from 29 September 2023 to 2 March 2024, the residency inaugurated Sphere with performances focused on the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby. The shows leveraged the venue's immersive video and sound capabilities, which include a 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) LED screen with a 16K resolution that wraps around the interior, and speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies.
The show was conceptualised over an 18-month period by U2's longtime production designer Willie Williams, in collaboration with artist and designer Es Devlin and architect Ric Lipson. Several artists were commissioned to provide video artwork for the concerts, including Devlin, Marco Brambilla, John Gerrard, and the effects studio Industrial Light & Magic. The stage featured a minimalist design in the shape of a record player, borrowed from Brian Eno's art piece "Turntable". The band's creative team faced numerous challenges while developing the show, which included building a production tailored to an unfinished venue with brand-new technology, designing a suitable video playback system, and sharing the space with the crew for Darren Aronofsky's film Postcard from Earth.
First rumoured in July 2022, the residency was announced in a Super Bowl LVII television advertisement in February 2023, followed by date confirmations and ticket sales in April and May. To promote the residency, U2 released a Las Vegas-themed single on opening night called "Atomic City", and a temporary interactive exhibit was created for fans to visit at the Venetian. U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. did not participate in the residency in order to recuperate from surgery, marking the first time since 1978 that the group performed without him; Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg from the band Krezip filled in.
The inaugural Sphere show received wide critical acclaim, with many reviews highlighting the successful fusion of U2's anthemic music with the spectacle of the venue itself. Initially scheduled to run from September to December 2023 over 25 shows, the residency was extended into March 2024 with 15 additional concerts, following the positive reception and high demand for tickets. The residency grossed $244.5 million from 663,000 tickets sold, making it the fourth-highest-grossing concert residency of all time.
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