New Paltz, NY (L'Œil d'Assas) - Launched by hosting the new U2 series of shows, Sphere is a venue located close to the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. It defies the usual concert halls in terms of size and business plan but also brings ecological issues, specifically by pointing out a lack of energetic sobriety.
A technological gem that matches Las Vegas energy
Close to the very end of the emblematic Las Vegas Strip, we can see a gigantic round form taking its spot in the immensity of Sin City. Measuring more than 366 feet high and 516 feet wide, this sort of ball is covered by a massive spherical LED video wall displaying every type of short video. Showing an eye from very close to psychedelic colors and strips, or a map of the world…
On its X (ex Twitter) account, Sphere highlights that thanks to their innovation :
« Entertainment will never be the same ». Nevertheless, the company that constructed the venue, the Madison Square Garden Company, which also owns the emblematic performance venue in New York City, chose a place that remains on the track of what we usually think when talking about entertainment. Las Vegas has been the home of major musical shows for many years: from Elvis Presley at the International Hotel to the classic residences of Céline Dion at the Caesars Palace including The Red Piano by Elton John, in the same hotel. With the new U2 residence for 25 nights entitled U2:UV Achtung Baby Live, Sphere is on the same path as those classic musical Las Vegas shows.
Despite that, to be sure to realize their promise to shake up the landscape of entertainment, Sphere is relying on specific economic assets.
Sphere can rely on its business plan based on advertising its structure
The novel trait of such a bizarre and never-before-seen structure has given ideas to the Madison Square Garden Company to maximize their investment of 2.3 billion dollars. With 1.2 million LED lights covering more than 580,000 square feet, Sphere is the ultimate immersive billboard that companies will fight against each other to have the blessing to use. Last week, some information about the advertising rates coming from Sphere leaked on the Internet. The prices are high. The company is charging $450,000 only for one day of display on the Sphere’s screens.
In comparison, the higher price for the day rent of a billboard in Times Square is close to $50,000. Way lower than the prices proposed by Sphere. The impressions of such a screen are supposed to reach 4.7 million people per day. Inevitably, some companies jumped on the opportunity and set deals with Sphere and the MSG company. It’s the case for YouTube. The social media promoted early September their pay-per-view subscription for NFL Sunday games : NFL Sunday Ticket. They’ve displayed helmets of the major American football teams in the U.S. on the big ball.
Major concerns on the ecological impact of such a technological madness
To run such a big facility, the resources needed are beyond imagination. According to a study led by S&P Global (a financial analysis company) in 2019, Sphere is projected to use more than 95 000 MWh per year, which represents four times more than what one of the biggest stadiums in the country, the AT&T Stadium in Arlington (TX) is consuming each year. The main difference is that while the AT&T Stadium can host more than 80,000 people, Sphere’s capacity can only reach 18,000 persons.
To be representative of the era, Sphere had to make decisions that go in the same path as the public demand for the use of renewable energies and to limit the increase of climate change. MSG communicated on that, saying that the theater hall will use more than “70 % of solar power to operate”. However, some questions remain. This decision has to be approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and if it’s approved, it will only be effective in 2027. Until then, the Sphere will stay an energetic and ecological abyss and aberration.
The first images of the U2 shows are astonishing. The spectator is immersed in a parallel universe where all the possibilities become achievable. For its first week of existence, Sphere succeeded to propose a new form of entertainment, relying on technological progress. However, the challenge for the next years will be simple for the venue. Keeping those visual prowess but also promise to adapt their structure with ecological concerns of nowadays.
Thomas Dagnas