Inside Las Vegas' New 580,000 Square-Foot Venue
Las Vegas has always been home to the odd, strange and delightful, and now that includes the city's newest attraction, Sphere. You've probably seen photos of the structure looking like a giant eyeball, or ablaze with the NBA logo or fireworks on the Fourth of July. But what exactly is it? Let's dive in.
What is Sphere?
To put it simply, Sphere is a concert and events venue. The outside is made up of completely programmable LED screens, which can be set to reflect just about any image.
According to CNN, performers onstage will be in front of 16K LED screens that wrap around the stage and extend into the audience. The idea? To enhance the concert experience with larger-than life animations and/or close-ups of performers.
“The screen goes from ground (level) to 250 feet high, all the way around,” says Rich Claffey, Sphere's chief operations officer. “It keeps you fully immersed when you’re sitting in that bowl. I used to love IMAX in New York City, but this will blow that away.”
The sensory experience doesn't begin and end with the screen. The venue also boasts haptic seats, which means if it's thundering onstage, the audience will feel those vibrations in their chairs. On top of that, 4D machines in the space can create wind and modulate scent and temperature.
As U2's The Edge said while touring the venue for Apple Music, "There’s nothing like it. It’s light years ahead of everything that’s out there."
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How big is Sphere?
Sphere is more than 366 feet high and 516 feet wide, and will be able to hold tens of thousands of people at a time once it's completely finished.
What will Sphere be used for?
Sphere will be used to host concerts and other events. As U2's Bono explained while touring the venue, the concept behind Sphere is unique. "Most music venues are sports venues," he said. "They’re built for sports—they’re not built for music. They’re not built for art. This building was built for immersive experiences in cinema and performance … you can’t come here and see an ice hockey game."
Who built Sphere?
Sphere is a joint project between Sphere Entertainment Co. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment. Sphere was designed by Populus, an international architecture firm that also designs sports arenas.
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How much did Sphere cost?
It reportedly cost at least $2.3 billion to build Sphere.
What did they make Sphere out of?
The outside is adorned with 1.2 million LED "pucks" that each hold 48 individual LED diodes, which can show up to 256 million colors at a time.
When does Sphere open?
Sphere will on Sept. 29, 2023, when U2 plays a concert at the venue.