U2 - The Sphere 2024

U2's residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas was one of the most talked-about concert events of 2023 and 2024, and the March 2, 2024 performance was the ultimate finale. It was the band's 40th and final show at the new Las Vegas venue, bringing the U2 Achtung Baby Live at Sphere run to an emotional close.

The performance was built around Achtung Baby, making the Sphere's enormous immersive screen an almost perfect match for U2's music. “Zoo Station,” “The Fly,” “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” and “Mysterious Ways” opened the show, immediately surrounding the audience with the strange, futuristic visual world that had become synonymous with the residency.

The early portion of the concert continued with “One,” “Until the End of the World,” “Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” and “Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World.” During “One,” longtime U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois joined the band onstage, an especially fitting appearance considering his role in the creation of Achtung Baby.

The acoustic portion of the show provided a dramatic change of pace. “All I Want Is You,” “Desire,” and “Angel of Harlem” stripped away some of the massive production and allowed Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and touring drummer Bram van den Berg to put the songs themselves front and center.

Then came an unexpected treat: “Don't Dream It's Over.” The Crowded House classic was performed with Neil Finn contributing through a prerecorded performance, giving the song an unusual but surprisingly effective place in the set. It was also dedicated to Yulia Navalnaya.

The second half returned to the darker side of Achtung Baby with “Acrobat,” “So Cruel,” “Ultraviolet (Light My Way),” and “Love Is Blindness.” These songs were particularly well suited to the Sphere's technology, with the massive visuals turning the performance into something much closer to an immersive art installation than a conventional rock concert.

The encore began with “Elevation,” followed by “Atomic City” and “Vertigo.” Then U2 launched into “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “With or Without You,” and “Beautiful Day”—three songs that practically guaranteed an enormous reaction from the 18,000-plus fans in attendance.

But there was still one more song. As Bono and the band prepared to leave, Edge and Adam switched sides of the stage, a familiar bit of U2 stagecraft that longtime fans recognized immediately. The band then performed “40,” a song they had not played during the Sphere residency until this final night.

“40” was the perfect ending. The song's history, its connection to the number 40, and the fact that this was U2's 40th and final Sphere performance made the moment feel almost deliberately scripted. Afterward, Brian Eno's “Sky Saw” played over the sound system, bringing the entire residency to a close.

The March 2 concert demonstrated why U2 had been the ideal first major resident for The Sphere. The band already had decades of experience using giant screens, lighting, video, and stage design, while the venue provided technology on a scale that even U2 had never previously had available.

For anyone who attended, the final U2 Sphere show was much more than another night on a tour. It was the conclusion of a 40-show experiment that successfully combined one of rock's biggest bands with one of the world's most technologically advanced concert venues. With Daniel Lanois, Neil Finn, a career-spanning encore, and “40” providing the final goodbye, U2 left The Sphere exactly the way they should have—with one last unforgettable show.