U2 waited until the Super Bowl to (finally) announce its residency at the MSG Sphere. As reported by Casino.org back in July, the superstar Irish rock band will perform 12 shows at the $2.2B entertainment venue behind the Venetian. Its first Las Vegas residency will also not feature founding U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who requires neck and elbow surgery so badly, he already stated that he “won’t be performing live” in 2023.
Drumming with the band will be Bram van den Berg, a virtually unknown musician from The Netherlands.
Via a press statement released Sunday night from MSG, U2 members Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton said: “It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg, who is a force in his own right.
“The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time,” U2’s statement continued. “We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience … Bottom line, U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again.”
The band’s blink-or-you-missed-it Super Bowl commercial directed fans to the website u2xspehere.com, from which they can sign up for a Verified Fan presale with Ticketmaster. The site also contained the promotional video below. The video does not star the band or reveal when its residency will launch, other than “this fall.” However, it does provide a name to the residency, “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere,” thereby confirming previous reports that it will zero in on the band’s best-selling 1991 album.
U2 isn’t the only superstar act from the ’80s poised to rock Las Vegas in the coming months. Duran Duran will bring its “Future Past” tour to the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Aug. 26. The ‘80s glam-rockers will be joined by special guests Nile Rodgers & CHIC, and Bastille. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. PT through AXS.com.
Extensions Worth Mentions
Beyoncé added a second tour stop in Las Vegas, on Aug. 27. Allegiant Stadium announced the additional 40K opportunities to see her on social media “due to high demand.” According to Ticketmaster, access codes will be sent to Verified Fans who were waitlisted for the first Las Vegas show during the BeyHive and Citi Verified Fan presales. The receipt of a code – which does not guarantee tickets – will be determined by a lottery-style selection process … Also extending a Las Vegas run is Carlos Santana, who adds 16 shows in September and November to his residency at House of Blues. Santana’s new dates begin Sept. 6. Tickets are on sale at HouseofBlues.com/Santana, MandalayBay.com, or Ticketmaster.com.
Festival Postponed
Psycho Las Vegas, the heavy metal and psychedelic rock festival that debuted here in 2016 and most recently took place at Resorts World in August, has postponed its next edition until 2024. The festival – whose previous editions have featured headliners Mercyful Fate, the Original Misfits, and Danzig – was slated for Aug. 18-20. “Despite our love for Las Vegas and all of our devoted fans, the desired lineup could not be achieved given external factors outside of our control,” organizers said in a statement. Fans who purchased passes – which went on sale in August – will receive an email with instructions on how to receive a full refund, according to the announcement.
KISS Your Cash Goodbye
Gene Simmons of KISS is selling the opportunity to hang out with him May 6-7, 2023 at the Rio. For $4,995, each purchaser and a guest receive a photo with Simmons as well as “personally selected items” from his memorabilia collection, two of which Simmons will sign. They’ll also get to see a performance by his solo band in a private Rio room, and join a “buyers only” exclusive dinner with Simmons at Voodoo Steakhouse. For information, visit genesimmonsaxe.com.
If you prefer unique but very expensive musical events whose proceeds benefit charity, the 26th annual Keep Memory Alive Power of Love gala may be more your speed. It will feature a live jam by Sammy Hagar, John Mayer, Alice Cooper, Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon, Paul Abdul, Rick Springfield, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback. The event, benefiting the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, takes place on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Seats are still available at poweroflove.org for $7,500 per seat or $75K and $100K per table.
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