U2 launched their Las Vegas residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, on Friday, September 29, treating fans to a totally immersive experience.
The venue’s huge LED screens flashed a gallery of images created for the show, while the rockers dazzled the crowd on a Brian Eno-inspired stage that looked like a turntable
According to Setlist.fm, U2 opened with Achtung Baby’s “Zoo Station,” and in the end played all of 1991 album, including “Mysterious Ways,” “One” with bits of “Purple Rain” and “Love Me Tender” added, “So Cruel” for the first time since 1992, and “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” for the first time since 1993.
The set also featured U2 classics including “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “With or Without You,” “Elevation” and “Beautiful Day,” which featured bits of The Beatles‘ “Blackbird” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in honor of Paul McCartney, who was in the audience. They also played their brand new single “Atomic City.”
U2 even treated the crowd to an acoustic set, which, according to Variety, Bono said will focus on a different album, or other people’s albums, each show. This show featured the Rattle and Hum tunes “All I Want Is You,” dedicated to drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who’s skipping the residency to recover from surgery, “Desire,” dedicated to McCartney, “Angel of Harlem” and “Love Rescue Me,” dedicated to the late Jimmy Buffett.
The show also brought out many of U2’s celebrity fans, including McCartney, Bryan Cranston, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Kimmel, Matt Damon, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King.
U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere will consist of 25 shows, wrapping December 16. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.
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