RTÉ 2FM presenter Tracy Clifford was at the second night of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday. Here's her review.
How can a giant orb that's 366 feet tall with screens that go up and around your head make a U2 gig more intimate?
I don't know how - but in a dome with mind-bending technology, that's exactly how it felt in the brand-new Sphere in Las Vegas.
U2 are the first band to play in this new, futuristic venue, and somehow they've managed to make something so colossal in ambition feel like you were seeing a rare, raw version of the band vocally. Maybe it's because the first three levels are closer to the stage compared to other large venues, or because the sound is so precise Bono's whispers feel like ASMR!
It's a fully immersive dome with 16K by 16K LED screens - the highest resolution on earth - and the 4D technology sets out to make the audience feel the musical experience. And we certainly did.
Achtung Baby is the album they have chosen to pair with this brand-new concept, so the night kicked off with Zoo Station, then into The Fly and all the rest from the 1991 album - including my favourite, Acrobat; a song that has rarely featured on U2 setlists down the years.
Bono reminisced on the creation of this album and said it was their personal "blood, sweat, and tears" of 30 years ago. He also disclosed that it was their most political album. It's a setlist of four acts, weaving in and out of Achtung.
Of course, the Irish flags were up and waving for those first few bars of Where the Streets Have No Name and the hands were fully in the air for Beautiful Day - with me not knowing whether to focus on the stage or the ornate porcelain creatures that filled the sky above us, almost raining down on the crowd. The LED screens are so life-like, they are dizzying.
With a surreal backdrop that turns the dome into daylight, they introduced their new song Atomic City with a live homage to Las Vegas.
As Larry takes time out from live performing for a bit, his stand-in drummer Bram van den Berg was on point. Bono introduced him as having a degree in "Larry Mullen" and it certainly showed.
In a city of blinding lights and brashness, U2's first residency at The Sphere will be until December - after its stunning debut, the band surely will return after that. It certainly brought the famous faces out to Nevada - such as Matt Damon, Melinda Gates, Jason Bateman, and Diplo - on opening night, as well as fans I spoke to from Brazil, Mexico, Germany, and, of course, Ireland.
U2 have a penchant for pushing boundaries in technology with music - but U2:UV at Sphere is... phenomenal.
The Tracy Clifford Show airs weekdays on RTÉ 2FM 12pm-3pm.
