In brief: There is lots to see and do in Las Vegas, and in September this year, what could become the city’s biggest attraction will open: the largest spherical building in the world, one packed with programmable exterior LEDs that can display incredible visuals. Inside, visitors will be able to watch music concerts, film events, and some sports while experiencing the 250-foot-high wrap-around interior screen.
Measuring a monstrous 366 feet high and 516 feet wide, the bowl-shaped Madison Square Garden Sphere, or just Sphere, has a 580,000 sq. ft exterior. That’s an impressive set of figures by themselves, but what’s truly amazing is that it’s covered with 1.2 million LED pucks, each of them containing 48 individual programmable LEDs.
You might have already seen some of the images and animations the exosphere can create – it was activated for the first time last week to celebrate the Fourth of July. And while there were fears it would cause vehicle accidents by distracting passing drivers, there have reportedly been no such incidents so far.
The Sphere isn’t just a monument for people to look at. Its primary function is as an entertainment venue, offering 17,600 seating capacity, or 20,000 including standing areas, for music concerts and sports such as boxing or MMA.
The Sphere’s inside, which hasn’t been publicly unveiled yet, contains a 250-foot-high, 16K x 16K curved screen. The company says the interior has 160,000 square feet – or roughly the area of three football fields – worth of programmable space. Spectators will also be able to enjoy 120 frames per second imagery in 18K square formats captured by a specialized camera system.
“It keeps you fully immersed when you’re sitting in that bowl. I used to love IMAX in New York City, but this will blow that away,” said Rich Claffey, Sphere’s chief operations officer.
The Sphere is also said to offer an unparalleled audio experience, thanks to over 160,000 speakers spread around the bowl that deliver the same sound to every seat, no matter where they’re located. The company promises that customers who speak other languages will see the same visuals but hear audio in their native tongues, without headphones or wires.
Additionally, up to 10,000 seats will feature 4D technology, including haptic feedback, environmental effects such as simulating a breeze, temperature changes, and even different smells.
The Sphere will show exclusive screenings of Postcard from Earth by Darren Aronofsky that will utilize the inner screen’s technology by giving viewers an immersive tour of our planet.
The attraction, which reportedly saw its costs jump from $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion in 2019, and then to $2.3 billion by this May, is set to open on September 29 with the first of 25 U2 concerts that run through to mid-December. ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere’ is focused on the band’s 1991 Achtung Baby album. If you would like to be one of the first to experience Sphere, tickets start at $140.