Here’s the Deal With Las Vegas’ Psychedelic Orb, the MSG Sphere
a giant shapeA changing sphere has invaded the Las Vegas metropolitan area. If you have seen pictures, you can be forgiven for being concerned. It resembles something that might land on earth during an alien invasion. The orb is a huge pulsating orb that likes to change color and appearance. Sometimes she looks like one bomb explodes. In other cases, it resembles one huge eyeball. Or the moon. Or, in some cases, a gate to another dimension…
So yeah… what is that thing?
Unfortunately it is not an alien spaceship, an interdimensional gateway or even the head of one giant, color-changing octopus. Instead, it is a new concert venue.
The MSG ball has been under construction for almost five years but will finally open its doors later this summer. Originally announced in early 2018 by the owners of Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, The Sphere is the newest component of Venetian resort– a gigantic casino/hotel complex developed by Sheldon Adelson and operated by Apollo Global Management. It was designed by a global architecture firm Populouswhich is the best known for designing event stadiums and used for concerts, film screenings, etc sporting events.
As you might have guessed, the sphere is quite different from your typical arena. At 366 feet high and 516 feet wide, it can accommodate 18,000 people. IThe creators say it is the largest spherical structure in the world. Most importantly, the venue’s walls are lined with thousands of LED lights, allowing it to project an endless variety of bizarre images onto the surface of its 55,000-square-foot programmable outdoor space:
But there aren’t just LEDs on the outside of the Sphere. Inside the venue, the structure also features a “towering” 16K LED screen. which, CNN reports“envelops a large part of the audience and can enrich the concert experience with trippy animations or close-ups of the performers.”
In short, this is one fun place to see the Blue Man Group perform.
The Sphere is expected to officially open later in the summer. Events announced so far include the screening of a Darren Arronofsky film in August and a series of U-2 concerts beginning in September. If you want to see Sin City’s new giant ball, you can go to Sphere website for tickets.
