Everything You Need to Know: The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas
This state-of-the-art performance venue has wowed audiences at its debut, as rock royalty U2 played alongside a spectacular display of panoramic digital graphics.
Conjuring trippy landscapes, alien vistas and hypnotic, fractal wonderlands that completely surround the audience, the immersive visuals of this tech-packed arena are on a scale never before seen. Here’s how the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas is taking live music into a whole new dimension.
What is it?
Put simply, the MSG Sphere is a concert venue but its game-changing use of video and audio tech make this description quite the understatement. Commissioned by Madison Square Garden and located at the Venetian Resort, just north of the Las Vegas Strip, construction of the $3.58-billion, 18,600-seat auditorium began in 2018 and upon its completion in mid-2023, it became the largest spherical structure ever built. Its most conspicuous features are the giant LED screens that are fully integrated into both its exterior and interior. Inside, the concert space is equipped with a 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that spans 15,000 m2, making it the largest high-resolution screen in the world. The outer shell is illuminated by 54,000 m2 of LED displays, which can be seen from multiple vantage points across Las Vegas. Aside from its impressive video capabilities, the Sphere’s audio creds are just as cutting edge. The venue features a spatial audio system, which uses beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies to mitigate the acoustic quirks of a spherical space. In addition to concerts, the Sphere is set to host awards shows, immersive films and DJ sets, ring sports like boxing and more.
Why you should care
Given the resounding success of its inaugural concert by U2, the sphere looks set to become as much an icon of the Las Vegas experience as the Bellagio fountains or the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. In addition to U2’s residency (which concludes on 16 December), the Sphere will be showing regular screenings of Postcard From Earth, a specially commissioned film by director Darren Aronofsky, described as a “part sci-fi story, part nature documentary [that] takes you on a journey from the Antarctic, deep into the ocean, across global locations and deep into space”. Screenings will be part of “The Sphere Experience”, a tour of the venue guided by Aura, an advanced humanoid robot.
When can I go?
The Sphere is now open to the public. Tickets for upcoming events can be booked via the MSG Sphere website.
