U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere - Las Vegas - Fall 2023

WARNING: Anyone travelling to Vegas - make damn sure you download your tickets into your wallet before you travel. I was there last weekend and my Iphone's internet access - Google Maps included - simply didn't work at all despite everything being switched on, roaming etc. I know a few other people had similar problems. Thankfully my tickets were stored in my wallet and weren't affected but if I'd been intending to use the Ticketmaster app when I was there I'd have been screwed.

Went to the Apple shop on the Strip and was told it was a hardware problem for which - of course! - only a new phone would work. At that stage I knew that the tickets were safe so I said no thanks. Not having Google Maps was a major pain but I was able to find my away around eventually without it. Had to go old school with hard copy maps. Can you imagine? 😛

Oh and the show was stunning, worth every cent. I was dithering and diterhing about going even after I got a ticket in the pre-sale but am now delighted I went.

Great news !!!

Hopefully Larry will be back for these , rumoured 10 night run March/April also

Was there on Saturday 30th Sept. Section 305 fab seats. Had the tickets in my wallet thankfully so no issues with Ticketmaster app. The show was absolutely mind blowing!! The Sphere lives up to the hype!! Stayed at the Bellagio got a very good deal for 5 nights. (Cheaper than 2. nights in a Dublin hotel. Vegas is expensive in general but you can get by on a budget if you are careful. U2 were almost an hour late coming on stage. They didn't appear until after 9pm. Both D.J. and crowd a little miffed!! Bono did apologise so all forgiven. Great show seriously worth the outlay. Did the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam tour. Better to book yourself rather than through the hotel concierge. Would highly recommend!!

Further gigs announced into Feb and possibly beyond.

I really think I'm going to try and make this happen if I can talk the missus into it! It now covers birthdays aswell as Christmas so I think it might be a goer.

I was lucky enough to see the solo Bono show last year and it was a real experience.AB my favourite album and I missed out on RDS in 93.

A basic question but how would one go about getting tix?

I stayed in the Bellagio for 4 nights and then moved to the M Resort Casino on the Friday night as the Bellagio pricing was going high for the weekend. The Bellagio is manic and a spectacle, it's all-go and full-on; it's quintessential Vegas of course. A continuous thoroughfare of pedestrian traffic and I didn't find it at all relaxing. There isn't a nice comfy chair where you could have a quiet pint in the whole building. Am I showing my age? 😁 The M Resort is a different kind of bonkers - it's a massive modern hotel on the outskirts, but you'd want to be a Las Vegas Raiders fan for sure. Our room had a great view of the city and Sphere, enjoyed looking at that!

I hired a car and did the Hoover and Grand Canyon West. GCW is pricey for what it is, but it ticks the box, that's for sure. It's some drive and I'm just sorry that I didn't pull over more often to appreciate the views, but 5L convertible hire-cars don't drive themselves. 🤣

Seems like you won't get it much cheaper. Sorry

SmarterVegas has codes (like "Insider" with Caesers properties for example) but I've ran a bunch of them and can't get it much cheaper than what you have it at.

The MGM slots apps won't ever let you use the discounts on really popular nights.

We paid $140 a ticket (block 406) for the October 11th gig.

The same seats are $260 each for the new dates. 😲

Actually, there are some $140 tickets for the newly announced shows. Its just that they have split the pricing in the top floor.

People have subscriptions to the fan club and are getting access through that.

I was at the concert last night, section 105 row 23 and yes, the overhang obstructed our view. Didn’t matter in the slightest, I don’t feel hard done by, BUT any further back and I’d be pissed off.

it was the gig of a lifetime, Bono was in top form, no lectures or pontificating and they all seemed to be having a ball. The dj before they came on was amazing and had everybody out of their seats, I didn’t sit down all night. Everyone seemed to stand/dance for the entire concert. The sphere is an incredible venue. I’d love to se AC DC here!

We flew in 12 hours beforehand, Vegas is crazy! Going to Lionel Ritchie tonight!

Yes, it’s a nightmare. We’re walking everywhere in the 33* heat!

Going by the tik tok pages I follow on Vegas it's no better than a few weeks ago, not being able to walk in front of the Bellagio is the biggest difference I found a few weeks ago. Other than that it never inconvenienced me.

In my opinion I do think some are using it as an excuse. The Deuce bus were and likely still are trying to use the construction as an excuse for delays but from what I could see it was lack of buses. Personally believe there should be a tram that runs up and down the centre of the strip but I couldn't see that taxis allowing it.

Re:Hotels

The cheapest while still decent hotels that are on the strip are probably the Luxor and Excalibur. Circus Circus is a kip and the Strat is just too far away from everything else and is in a dodgy spot. You might get lucky and also get Horseshoe/Ballys cheap maybe Planet Hollywood.

Few tips for anyone that's traveling over for the gigs and has never been before or in a long time. Vegas has definitely gone expensive but it is possible to go about it a cheaper way.

Target is the cheaper supermarket I found for food and drink. Especially water and goodies like chocolate, fizzy drinks and cans of beer. Shops in the casinos are robbing c**ts.

Food prices is dependent on where you go of course. I ate between Shake Shack, Chick Fill A, Whalburgers to Gordon Ramsay's. The average meal and drink is upwards of $20 to $50 each. Some can be higher. Do not tip in fast food outlets !

Uber over taxis for the most part. Taxi fares from the airport are now regulated so no need to worry about taxi driver doing you over anymore.

Never take anything of anyone on the street I.e a CD or a bracelet. They'll tell you it's free but its bollocks. Not worth the hassle talking to these lads/scammers.

Some nice deals to be had for shopping over there. North & South Outlets I found decent.

Get another show in if possible, Penn and Teller is my recommendation. Don't walk to the Rio from the strip though.

The Irish pub between Luxor and Mandalay Bay is nice very place I found. I was looked after well by the staff there.

And enjoy yourselves and stay safe. I was over there when the first of the gigs kicked off but wasn't able to get a ticket. The Sphere from the outside looks amazing so can only imagine what the inside is like to be in.

Another thing I should mention as well for potential concert goers looking to head over.

British Airways has become quite competitive on pricing lately including their own holiday packages I found. They fly direct from Heathrow and Gatwick to Vegas.

Definitely worth considering as it's easier going from Ireland to the UK to Vegas then to Chicago or New York then another 3-5 hour flight.

Can we expect this show to base itself in Dublin (first choice) or some other European city once the Vegas stint is done?

Somewhere out near the Red Cow off the M50 would be a great location for the Sphere. Accessible for most of the country.