Sphere Draws Rave Reviews As U2 Opens Unique Las Vegas Venue Residency

The Sphere didn’t fall flat on opening night. The Las Vegas venue debuted Friday night with U2 as its resident artist, and drew foaming at the mouth raves from reviewers.

Paul McCartney, “Breaking Bad” costars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre were among the A-listers at the grand opening. Sphere owner James Dolan was saluted on the night, dubbed “a madman” from the stage by U2’s Bono for his vision and planning in the venue’s construction.

More from Deadline

• Tupac Shakur Killing Suspect Charged With Murder After Arrest In Las Vegas - Update

• Inside The MSG Sphere In Las Vegas: Darren Aronofsky Offers First Look At "Largest Screen On The Planet" In Action

• Cardi B Won't Face Charges After Throwing Microphone At Fan Who Doused Her With Liquid - Update

Reviewers were beside themselves to come up with superlatives that could adequately convey the venue’s multimedia. They called the $2.3 billion Sphere a “stunning spectacle” (USA Today), “mind blowing” (The Verge), and “utterly astonishing” (The Guardian), among other media kudos.

The visual and audio effects of the 17,500 seat Sphere were so overwhelming, they seemed to eclipse the actual attraction of the night, namely U2’s music. The Irish rock group has 25 more shows at the venue to change that, but even they seemed overwhelmed at times at the stunning visuals.

“Look at all this stuff,” Bono said at one point as he looked about the arena. “Elvis has definitely NOT left this building. It’s an Elvis cathedral and tonight there is a password to enter: flirtation.”

Some of the online reactions:

Best of Deadline

• SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements: Full List Of Movies And TV Series

• 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

• Film Festival Calendar Listings For 2023

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.