U2 have announced the initial run of dates for their upcoming concerts at the new Sphere in Las Vegas. 

The group will be the first to perform at the venue when they launch their ‘Achtung Baby’ shows – celebrating U2’s 1991 album – in September. 

First announced in February during the Super Bowl, the shows at the 17,500-capacity venue will be the Irish quartet’s first since 2019.

“U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again,” they said in an announcement. “And what a unique stage they’re building for us out there in the desert… We’re the right band, ‘Achtung Baby’ the right album, and Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level… 

“That’s what U2’s been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this fall.”

They added: “Sphere is more than just a venue, it’s a gallery and U2’s music is going to be all over the walls.”

The Edge continued: “The beauty of Sphere is not only the ground-breaking technology that will make it so unique, with the world’s most advanced audio system, integrated into a structure which is designed with sound quality as a priority; it’s also the possibilities around immersive experience in real and imaginary landscapes.

“In short, it’s a canvas of an unparalleled scale and image resolution and a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We all thought about it and decided we’d be mad not to accept the invitation.”

Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 28. 

The full list of ‘Achtung Baby: Live at Sphere’ dates is below. 

SEPTEMBER

29 – Las Vegas, Sphere at The Venetian
30 – Las Vegas, Sphere at The Venetian

OCTOBER

5 – Las Vegas, Sphere at The Venetian
7 – Las Vegas, Sphere at The Venetian
8 – Las Vegas, Sphere at The Venetian

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Bono and The Edge opened up further about their upcoming gigs, during which they were asked what drew them to the new venue. “It’s not a line we just throw out, but the idea behind U2 is always to make the worst seat of the house, the best of the house,” said Bono. “This changes the whole dynamic on that.

“Most music, over playing a theater, most music venues are sports venues. They’re stadiums, they’re arenas. They’re built for sports. They’re not built for music, they’re not built for art. So this building was built for immersive experiences in cinema and performance. It was not built for, you can’t come here and see an ice hockey game.”

“The sound has been designed as a priority from the beginning. Best sound, I’m sure we’ll ever hear. Really excited about it,” added the Edge.

Bono continued: “There are no speakers. The entire building is a speaker. So wherever you are, you have perfect sound is the plan.”

He also praised the intimacy of the venue, despite having such a large capacity, insisting: “We can achieve intimacy at a level that we could never, whilst playing to 10,000 or 18,000 people. We work very hard to achieve that intimacy in arenas.

“We get there, we work very hard to achieve that in a stadium, we get there, or a festival. But here, the building’s made to work for the audience, it’s made to work for us.”

Earlier this year, U2 released their latest album ‘Songs of Surrender‘, featuring 40 reworked recordings spanning the group’s 40+-year catalogue, which was accompanied by the Disney+ documentary film ‘Bono and The Edge: A Sort Of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman‘