An all-star roster of celebrity guests were on hand to experience the first night of U2‘s UV: Achtung Baby residency in Las Vegas. On September 29, thousands arrived at Sphere, a new immersive concert and event venue wrapped with the world’s largest LED screen.
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Paul McCartney, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Katy Perry, Diplo, Flava Flav, and Martin Garrix were among the artists and DJs attending the highly-anticipated show. A range of actors, athletes, fashion designers, and other VIP guests also joined the festivities, including Oprah Winfrey, Matt Damon, Lebron James, Chelsea Clinton, Orlando Bloom, Jimmy Kimmel, Connie Britton, Luke Wilson, Oscar De La Hoya, Zane Lowe, Jon Hamm, and Andre Agassi, among others.
Bono, The Edge, and Adam Clayton with Bram van den Berg performed on a turntable-like stage, inspired by Brian Eno, to play their classic 1991 album Achtung Baby in its entirety. Throughout the show, the arena’s massive screens shifted through a stream of bright, eye-catching videos and images specially designed to accompany the themes of each track. U2 recruited talented artists Es Devlin, John Gerrard, Marco Brambilla, and Industrial Light & Magic to create the concert’s unique backdrops.
Just hours before the band took the stage at the Sphere, U2 shared their new single “Atomic City.” The track takes its title from the nickname Las Vegas earned during its economic boom in the 1950s, thanks to its close proximity to a nuclear testing facility.
[RELATED: U2’s Emit Pre-Las Vegas Residency Single “Atomic City”]
The UV: Achtung Baby residency will resume tonight (September 30) and continue through the next three months before wrapping up with a performance on December 16. Fans can find more information about the band’s Las Vegas residency and view ticketing options by visiting U2’s official website.
Photo by Sam Jones, Courtesy of Live Nation
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