F1 at Sphere: Epic Strip walk, hit-making rockers, pressed burgers

Under normal circumstances, impressive.

But the effect was overshadowed by the massive globe hovering behind the stage. Sphere, of course, glowing with colorful images such as a rolling “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” slot machine. Jackpot!

Sphere is dominant even as a backdrop, when the show is outside. But OneRepublic warmed the crowd in a fun, often funny, set at the formally titled T-Mobile Zone at Sphere.

Frontman Ryan Tedder frequently mentioned the chill in the air — “It is unseasonably cold!” — while alternating between guitar and piano. He played what he called a “concert in a concert” of music written for other artists.

Introducing “Halo” by Beyoncé, the singer-songwriter cracked, “I can’t sing it like she can, but her ass isn’t here, so I’m singing it how I sing it.” Prior to Maroon 5’s “Maps,” Tedder asked the crowd if they shopped at Trader Joe’s. “If you shop at Trader Joe’s, you hear a lot of Maroon 5, and also Ed Sheeran and OneRepublic!”

The band was founded in 2002 in Colorado Springs, Colo., scoring top-selling singles with “Apologize,” “Stop and Stare,” “I Lose Myself” and “Counting Stars.” The band also revisited the Kygo collab, “Lose Somebody.”

Alesso is Friday night’s T-Mobile Zone at Sphere headliner. Ludacris will play Saturday.

A few thousand folks milled around the stage on the east side of Sphere. The bleachers for the practice laps were sparsely occupied, by comparison. This was a mill-around crowd, chowing down on pressed burgers, pepperoni pizza, club sandwiches and an assortment of sweets including banana pudding and cookies … all included in the ticket price.

Those prices on the secondary market ranged from about $400 for Friday to more than $1,000 for Saturday’s race. With Tedder holding court nearby, the stations were continually replenished as folks worked to get their money’s worth.

Hoofing the course

A component of this man-about-town role is planning, which is often sacrificed for flexibility. Thursday was such an instance. I felt it would be great to Uber to the HGV Clubhouse by Hilton Grand Vacations at Elara to see the Mickey Thomas and Starship concert. The show was to start at 5 p.m. When I explained to my Uber driver where I needed to be, he looked skyward and said, “Oh, Lord.”

Following is the night in logistics: We drove Interstate 15 south, exited Tropicana (yes!) and attempted to turn left on Koval Lane. I hopped out at the crosswalk as we were snagged trying to make the turn (a very James Bond maneuver). I walked toward the grandstands to make the left on Koval. No access. Turned afield, heading south on Koval, then west on Trop, north on the Strip, east through The Venetian and across to Sphere and its eastern T-Mobile activation.

After the event, it was west on Sands, north on Paradise, to Westgate (where I caught 90 seconds of the rock-cover band High Rocktain), and Ubering home.

That’s 18,000 steps in a single night, possibly a record.

I walked past the pedestrian bridge overlooking the closed-off Flamingo Road east of the Strip. The empty stage Carnaval Court at Harrah’s, with popular country singer Dez Houston scheduled for 8 p.m. Folks at the Linq Hotel’s Rematch sidewalk bar watching the Steelers-Browns game alongside the race coverage of the action happening right behind them on the Strip. The Juliet Cocktail Room at The Venetian was less busy than I’m used to, even on a Thursday.

Much of that resort’s crowd seemed to be filing toward Sphere. That trek is business as usual.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.