U2:UV

U2 performed 40 shows in Las Vegas in 2023 and 2024 at the newly opened Sphere. The show, called U2:UV focused on the album Achtung Baby which was played in full each night, although not continuously. A newly recorded song, celebrating Las Vegas, "Atomic City" was released in advance of these shows and was played during each performance. Sphere, a new venue run by MSG Entertainment, has screens covering most of the inside of the dome, as well as on the outside of the venue.

Larry Mullen, undergoing surgery to fix medical issues caused by years of drumming, did not perform at any of these 40 shows. He did attend the penultimate show as a spectator. In his place, Larry Mullen deputised Dutch drummer, Bram van den Berg to play these shows with the band. Mullen is back in studio with the band, and is expected to join the band for the next album and tour. Of the injuries, Adam Clayton shared, "He's doing what Larry does and that's taking his health very responsibly and he wants to come back, he wants to be able to have a long career and continue his drumming so he's taking care of these injuries."

The tour was announced via a 15-second ad during Super Bowl, and a longer version of the ad at U2XSphere.com the same day. Initially the shows were announced without dates, and sign ups through the Verified Fan program were commenced.

Each show featured the full 12-tracks from Achtung Baby. Midway through these songs the band would take a break for a more acoustic moment on the "turntable" where they often, but not always, featured songs from Rattle and Hum. After the encore break, the band would return for a six song encore, stretching it to seven songs the final night.

Pauli "The PSM" Lovejoy was the opening act for all 40 shows, as the Atomic MC. U2 not only performed at Sphere, but also had a pop-up shop and exhibit at The Venetian, called Zoo Station.

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere 2023 Dates

The first five show dates were announced on April 24, 2023. An additional seven shows were announced on April 25, with five more added on April 27, 2023. The eight shows in December were announced on May 12, 2023. Three additional shows, November 8, 10, and 11, were never announced, and VIP and hotel packages were sold for these three shows, but later were refunded when the December shows were announced.

Face value for the tickets ranged from $140.13 to $501.35 at four different price points for seats. The General Admission floor was priced at $267.88, and at each show there was a (RED) Zone riser at the back of the GA area, holding 50, where tickets were priced at $600.00. All sales outside of the U2.Com fan club sales were subjected to platinum pricing schemes.

A presale via U2.com was held for the first 12 shows. The next five shows did not have a presale, and went directly on sale, but U2.com later had a special sale for fans for these shows after the Verified Fan sales had started. The final shows in December all had a U2.com presale.

U2 only had one additional musician on stage with them during this run of shows. Lady Gaga made an appearance with the band to perform "Shallow" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere 2024 Dates

The first eleven show dates for 2024 were announced on October 19, 2023. On December 4, 2023 the four final shows were announced bringing the total number of shows to forty. Presales were held for all 15 shows via U2.com, and face value for the tickets ranged from $140.13 to $501.35 at four different price points for seats. The General Admission floor was priced at $267.88, and at each show there was a (RED) Zone riser at the back of the GA area, holding 50, where tickets were priced at $600.00. All sales outside of the U2.Com fan club sales were subjected to platinum pricing schemes.

U2 only brought one additional musician on stage to perform with them during this run of shows. Daniel Lanois made an appearance with the band to perform "One" during the final show. During the same show, Neil Finn of Crowded House could also be heard on a performance of "Don't Dream It's Over" via pre-recorded vocals. During this run of shows, U2 break their record for the most performances in one venue, overtaking Madison Square Garden which they had played 30 times in their career.

Larry Mullen, forced to miss these shows due to surgeries, attended the penultimate show, watching from the audience on March 1, 2024.

Shows on January 26 and 27 were filmed with additional cameras to capture video for the "Atomic City" video shared at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Shows on February 23, 24, and March 1 all had additional cameras present for a film which we are told will initially be shown at Sphere. The final show, on March 2, 2024 was recorded, and the audio was shared via U2 X-Radio on March 17, 2024. Additional plans for sharing this audio content have yet to be announced, but have been promised. The band also sat for an interview with creative director Gavin Friday and DJ Pauli the PSM at Zoo Station, which also aired on U2 X-Radio, and also has its own performance entry in our show database.

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