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November, | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 11 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media | VOLUME2023 9 October-November 2023
The Sphere
TINA AFTER DARK
I
n 1986, a few life changing experiences happened. My family immigrated from Taiwan and San Diego became my home. My family took our first American road trip in our Oldsmobile station wagon to Las Vegas. The burlesque dance show with the amazing visuals and the fancy hotel suite at Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas had my eyes wide open. A few months into my high school experience, my friends told me they were going to a concert after our daily boogie boarding session at Del Mar beach. They said you too will play tonight. I was so confused as I wondered to myself how I was going to play with them at the concert. I eventually figured out U2 was playing that night in San Diego. Now in the year 2023, I am in Vegas reliving that experience all over again, watching U2 at the most talked about venue in Vegas, The Sphere. I did not know what to expect when I purchased my tickets back in April but it’s safe to say I was blown away. Sphere at the Venetian is truly a visual and sonic marvel. The bubble-like theater along the Las Vegas Strip is 580,000 square feet, 366 feet tall and contains 1.2 million LED lights. There are hundreds of speakers hidden within its all-absorbing IMAX-like screen, delivering precision audio to each seat. Sphere is basically an indoor amphitheater, with four levels of seats and the top level being amazingly steep. If you have a fear of heights, be warned that the escalators and steps inside are steep, the seats certainly were in the 400-section. We were in section 107, but if I can do it all over again, I would most likely choose the seats in level 2 to be able to see the stage and also the whole visual effects that the Sphere offers.
For me it was a transformative experience. It was unlike anything I have ever seen or could expect. I know there are some videos online, but they don’t do it justice. They might give an impression of the visuals, but they don’t convey the emotion and wonder that the music, the band, and the visuals were able to convey when it was all working together. Below is the setlist for this concert, it’s helpful to be familiar with these songs and you can truly be fully immersed in the visual and audio experience at the Sphere. “Achtung Baby” part 1 1 – Zoo Station 2 – The Fly 3 – Even Better Than the Real Thing 4 – Mysterious Ways 5 – One/Purple Rain/Love Me Tender 6 – Until the End of the World 7 – Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses 8 – Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World“Rattle and Hum” interlude 9 – All I Want Is You 10 – Desire/Love Me Do 11 – Angel of Harlem/Into the Mystic/Dancing in the Moonlight 12 – Love Rescue Me“Achtung Baby” part 2 13 – So Cruel 14 – Acrobat 15 – Ultraviolet (Light My Way) 16 – Love Is Blindness/Viva Las Vegas Encore 17 – Elevation/My Way 18 – Atomic City 19 – Vertigo 20 – Where the Streets Have No Name 21 – With or Without You 22 – Beautiful Day/Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)/Blackbird
I booked a room at the Venetian, so we could walk through the bridge that brings you directly to the Sphere. I also splurged for the first time and signed up for the Prestige Club Lounge. Come visit me at our kiosk by the Shell station and I am hapThis allowed us to go directly up to the 23rd floor to check in py to share more pictures and videos and some more insider without waiting in the long line at the main lobby. tips for the Sphere experience! Getting into Sphere took about 15-20 minutes from the Venetian Box Office on Restaurant Row through the bridge to the detectors. There are merchandise booths and drink stations Tina Wu on every floor inside the Sphere. Single shot cocktails were Broker Associate® CalDRE #02070656 $15. Bottle of water was $7. This is when the Prestige Club Direct: (760) 473-8649 Lounge really makes sense, we made sure we drank and ate some snacks before heading over to the concert. There was a DJ playing music in the GA section to hype up the arena before U2 came on the stage. Its box-shaped stage was made to resemble a turntable with a circular platform on top. And it’s around 2 hours of show time once they take the stage.
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