What's been rumored for months was made official during Super Bowl 57: Veteran rock band U2 will launch the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas with a concert residency later this year.
The show, titled U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere, was teased during a TV commercial near the end of the Kansas City Chiefs' 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. A press release went out moments later.
"[The concerts] will see the world’s biggest rock band launch the world’s most exciting all-new state-of-the-art venue, MSG Sphere at the Venetian, in Las Vegas this fall," the release states.
Fans can register at https://verifiedfan.livenation.com/u2 to receive information on specific show dates and ticket on sale information.
U2's performances, which will make use of the 17,500-seat Sphere's 500,000-plus square feet of LED screens, will apparently focus on the band's 1991 album Achtung Baby, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spent 13 weeks within the top 10. The album spawned five hit singles—"The Fly," "Mysterious Ways," "One," Even Better Than the Real Thing" and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," and remains one of U2's most beloved releases.
The press release also confirmed that drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who is set to undergo surgery this year, will not be part of the Las Vegas run. Drummer Bram van den Berg will fill his spot for the shows.
"It's going to take all we've got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right," read a statement from vocalist Bono, guitarist The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton.
