Details are emerging about U2’s role in the opening of the MSG Sphere at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas this autumn. At 150m wide and 90m high, the new multi-use 17,500 seat venue is going to be the tallest spherical structure on earth with the largest and highest-resolution LED screen in the world at launch – 16K and wraparound. A similar venue is being built near the site of the 2012 Olympics in Stratford, East London.
The outer shell features 55,700sq m of programmable LED light panels that create the appearance of a giant screen. The LED tiles have been manufactured by Montreal-based company Saco, which built the world’s largest LED facade on the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.
“The Sphere is more than just a venue – it’s a gallery, and U2’s music is going to be all over the walls.
The beauty of the Sphere is not only the ground-breaking technology that will make it so unique, with the world’s most advanced audio system, integrated into a structure which is designed with sound quality as a priority; it’s also the possibilities around immersive experience in real and imaginary landscapes. In short, it’s a canvas of an unparalleled scale and image resolution – a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
The Edge
The ‘Sphere immersive sound’ for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere will be achieved using 170,000 beamforming speakers to tailor the audio to specific locations in the venue, while 4D technologies will be used to let the audience feel wind on their faces, heat on their skin and the rumble of thunder.
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Source: AV Magazine