For several years a mysterious spherical structure has been rising on the skyline of this desert playground, teasing visitors in recent months with its wraparound LED screen transforming the giant orb into a planet, a basketball, or — most distractingly — a blinking eyeball.
Now, finally, we get to go inside.
Sphere, the $2.3 billion venture being billed as the entertainment venue of the future, made its public debut this weekend with two concerts by U2.
Does Sphere live up to the hype? Are the interior visuals as eye-popping as the ones outside? Is U2, the beloved Irish band now in the latter stage of their career, the right act to christen this massive bauble of an arena?
Yes, yes, and yes – with a few caveats.
Describing the Sphere concert experience is a challenge, because there’s nothing quite like it. The effect is a little like being in a giant planetarium or a juiced-up IMAX theater, inside a giant spaceship.