Las Vegas 10/19/23 - 10/22/23: A Togo, A Dam, and A Sphere (With Spoilers)

You can disagree with me. Who am I to deprive you of the opportunity to be totally wrong? Hahahaha

Acrobat was not one of the two songs lacking energy. Those would be So Cruel, which I actually really like, and Love Is Blindness. Why strikes me with Acrobat, though, is that for all its energy, it didn’t seem like it engaged the crowd. Elevation was the first song where I noticed people starting to get back into things, but I do admit to looking around to confirm my suspicions on that one. I base my comments on crowd engagement by how much I saw people getting up and heading out of the seating, and it seemed like a fairly steady stream from the interlude all the way until Elevation.

I also agree on Ultraviolet’s visuals. I personally didn’t find it too much of a letdown, but the original visuals were definitely better. Either way, that song carried the last run of four songs. It really popped.

Tommytheduck:

War is their best album, fight me!

No argument here, except that it's my #2 just behind Unforgettable Fire. Something about Eno's production on that one hits just right. Plus, the opening track is one of their best.

Vater:

Something about Eno's production

"Old Sourpuss."

TR for the 02/10 show sometime soon.

For my return trip to see U2 at The Sphere (Feb 10th) I planned out a mini vacation just for myself. Did I mention that my wife absolutely hates U2? Well, mostly Bono. Those of us who know, know that The Edge is the real star of the band. I flew into LAX Thursday, went to Universal Studios Friday and then drove to Vegas for the show on Saturday, flying out of Vegas just a few hours before Superbowl kickoff.

After the disappointing seats under the overhang for the Dec 6th show, I made sure that I bought the perfect ticket for my return. Section 305, one section over from center, at what I believe was the perfect distance to maximize the Sphere viewing experience. Not too close, not too far.

As I said previously, when I was with my friends under the overhang it was a great view of the band, with about 1/5 of the screen in view. For 3 of them, it was their first time seeing U2, and we all enjoyed the close view of the band and seeing everything they did. They really were great seats for that. Of course, while I enjoyed the show, all I could focus on was how much I was missing. My friends didn't seem to mind, but it was eating me up. I couldn't let it go, obsessed over it, and decided that I had to come back (ir)regardless of the effort or the cost. I haven't, and won't, tell my friends that I came back, lest they think I didn't appreciate our 3-day Vegas trip, which believe me, I do.

On the second viewing, from the aforementioned "perfect seat," I was like a little kid. The crowd sat, which is fine with me, honestly. I bobbed along, clapped, cheered, and had a giddy childlike smile on my face the entire time. I was so overcome with the pure joy of just being there that I almost teared up at least once. That kind of surprised me. I took in the entire show, really focused on it. Not only that... I left my phone in my pocket the entire time! Seriously. After all the whining about "missing out" I was not going to be distracted by something as dumb as trying to get my own subpar pics and videos when there are literally thousands of them available on the internet.

As I already said, the show was incredible. I was in awe of the spectacle and so glad I was able to see what I had missed. The moment in The Fly, with the numbers effect, was what I was looking forward to seeing the most. And while it lasts maybe 20 seconds, it was more mind blowing than I ever thought it could be in person. End Of The World, with the lightning effects and the flag made of fire absolutely blew me away. And I even had haptic seats which vibrated with the thunder and lightning, and later with the helicopters that appear to kick off Vertigo. Biggest disappointment, as I thought it might be, was the change to the visuals for Ultraviolet. The cloudbursts looked so amazing the first time, only to be replaced with truly terrible disco ball effects. They were awful. 16K and all you can do is mono color squares that move in unison and don't flicker? That $#!t could have been done on an 80's computer!

But don't let that one negative comment fool you. This was an absolutely mind blowing experience, and I had an amazing time, despite being by myself. The residency is nearing it's end, and I am so grateful that I got to be a part of it!

Tommytheduck:

Those of us who know, know that Adam Clayton is the real star of the band.

Fixed that for you.

Agreed on the new visuals for Ultraviolet. The old ones were vastly superior. That said, that particular stretch is rough, so I was just happy to have a song I really like in there. Well, along with So Cruel, but a get-you-out-of-the-seat song So Cruel is not.

Also, I forgot there were haptic seats. I kind of wish I’d have just ponied up a bit more for better seats to really get that full experience.

Glad you had a great time, though!