U2 at Sphere
September 29, 2023
Opening Night
Photos by Harry Kantas for U2Songs.com.
Full write up:
https://www.u2songs....re_las_vegas_nv
Set List:
"Zoo Station" / "The Fly" / "Even Better Than the Real Thing" / "One" / "Love Me Tender" / "Until the End of the World" / "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" / "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World" / "All I Want is You" / "Desire" / "Angel of Harlem" / "Love Rescue Me" / "So Cruel" / "Acrobat" / "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" / "Love is Blindness" // "Elevation" / "Atomic City" / "Vertigo" / "Where the Streets Have No Name" / "With or Without You" / "Beautiful Day"
Spotted tonight in attendance were U2's producers of "Atomic City", Steve Lillywhite and Jacknife Lee. Former manager Paul McGuinness was also present to see the opening night as were members of the band Inhaler. The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman was also at the show.
Entrance to GA, to the VIP GA area, and to seated areas all opened at the same time, at 6pm. Pauli the PSM, Atomic MC took to the stage at approximately 7:30 and played until 8:30, before spinning up a new remix of U2's "Lemon" into "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer. (Co-written by Giorgio Moroder, who also gets a co-writing credit on "Atomic City")
The show starts right out of the performance by Pauli the PSM at about 8:30, with U2 kicking off the show with "Zoo Station". The band went through six songs in a row from Achtung Baby. "The Fly" was up next with words flashing on the screens around Sphere. Then Bono introduces Adam and the Edge, and then asks "Who the hell are you? I think I know you! Let's Go" moving into "Even Better than the Real Thing". For "Even Better than the Real Thing" the center of the record player stage rises as images of Elvis fill the screen, and allows Bono to spin around. The audience gets a little breather with "One" (with a snippet of "Purple Rain"). After "One" Bono moves into "Love Me Tender", a cover of an Elvis Presley song, and then back to Achtung Baby for "Until the End of the World" and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses". "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World" is next.
Bono takes a minute to talk about the stage, and being on a turntable courtesy of Brian Eno. Up next is a four song set from Rattle and Hum. "All I Want is You" is the first U2 song played not from Achtung Baby tonight. Bono shares, "This song is an intent to write a wedding song from a woman's point of view." After the song, Bono speaks about Larry, and then introduces Bram, and shares with the audience that is is Bram's birthday. Bram speaks to say "Let there be no mistake there is only one Larry Mullen Junior. Up next is "Desire". "Love Me Do" makes a brief appearance at the end of "Desire", done for Paul McCartney who is at the show tonight, before dedicating "Angel of Harlem" to Billie Holiday, which is followed by a short snippet of Thin Lizzy's "Dancing in the Moonlight". The next song is dedicated to Jimmy Buffett, "Love Rescue Me". The Rattle and Hum segment is dedicated to Jimmy Iovine who is in the Sphere tonight and had produced the album, along with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog. Bono reveals they plan on swapping out this album segment each show.
The show returns to Achtung Baby with performances of "So Cruel" and "Acrobat", and "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" and finishing out the album with "Love is Blindness" (With a short piece of "Viva Las Vegas"). After a short break the band kicks into "Elevation" which is finished with a snippet of Sinatra's "My Way" and then into the song that name-checks Sinatra, the new single "Atomic City" played for the first time tonight. And then go straight into "Vertigo" which sees the red come up at the end and "Where the Streets Have No Name" kick in. The song is followed by "With or Without You". After the song, Bono does a round of thank yous, including one for Paul McGuinness, "we wouldn't be here without you." And points out Willie Williams is celebrating 40 years with the band, and that Joe O'Herlihy just celebrated 45 years with the band the day before.
The show ends with "Beautiful Day" with a snippet of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Blackbird", again for Paul McCartney who is at the show.
Many thanks to Harry Kantas for the photos. And to Tim, Adele, Jason, Kelly, Jesse, Jenna, Beth, Phillip, Eleonora, David, Elva, Michelle, and so many more for their help.
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