U2 unveils new dates for Las Vegas concert series

Las Vegas Review-Journal

2 years ago

Bono of U2 performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Chase Stevens/Las ... — Bono of U2 performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

A screenshot of the U2 Super Bowl commercial announcing the band’s venue launch of The MSG Sphere. (Full Coverage Communications)

Bono and the Edge of U2 and DJ and multimedia presenter Zane Lowe visit the Neon Museum’s Boneyard vintage-sign attraction in Las Vegas on March 6, 2023. The visit was to promote the band’s upcoming series at The MSG Sphere, and also the rock stars’ interview with Lowe on Apple Music. (Neon Museum)

Bono and the Edge of U2 visit the Neon Museum’s Boneyard vintage-sign attraction in Las Vegas on March 6, 2023. The visit was to promote the band’s upcoming series at The MSG Sphere, and also the rock stars’ interview with DJ and multimedia presenter Zane Lowe on Apple Music. (Neon Museum)

Bono of U2 performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

The Edge of U2 performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Bono of U2 performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

The demand is “overwhelming,” and yet entirely expected.

Seven additional dates have been added for “U2 UV: Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.” The new dates are Oct. 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21 and 25. This is in addition to the first five dates, beginning Sept. 29-30, which were made official Monday morning. That set continues on Oct. 5 and Oct. 7-8.

We say expected, as U2 is a significant international draw that hasn’t played live since December 2019, this is the first performance series of any kind at The MSG Sphere, and officials had always planned for a dozen shows to open the venue.

A news release updating the now 12-show series reminds: “Tickets for this run of shows will be in high demand, therefore Verified Fan will be used to ensure more tickets get into the hands of fans who want to go to the show, not buyers looking to resell them.”

Fans can register now for the Verified Fan presale at u2.ticketmaster.com. Fans who previously signed up for Verified Fan for U2 are automatically registered for the opportunity to participate in the presale.

Registration for Verified Fan will close 7 a.m. PT Wednesday. Fans selected to receive an access code will be able to participate in the Verified Fan presale starting Thursday. Tickets start at $140 and will reflect all-in pricing (no fees included), and run up to $600 for VIP packages. The Sphere officials say 60 percent of tickets will be priced under $300.

The Vegas U2 lineup is Bono, The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton. The band will take the stage absent founding drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who has announced he will sit this one out to undergo surgery required from injuries he’s accumulated over the decades. Bram van den Berg, of the Dutch alt-rock pop band Krezip, will play drums in the Vegas shows.

The band is ready to put The Sphere to the test.

“Most music, over playing a theater, most music venues are sports venues. They’re stadiums, they’re arenas. They’re built for sports. They’re not built for music, they’re not built for art,” Bono told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe last month on a tour of The Sphere and the Neon Boneyard. “So this building was built for immersive experiences in cinema and performance. It was not built for, you can’t come here and see an ice hockey game.”

The Edge said, “So, the sound has been designed as a priority from the beginning. Best sound, I’m sure we’ll ever hear. Really excited about it.”

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 Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.