U2 announce Las Vegas residency

Bono and the boys will be living it up in Las Vegas soon enough.

U2 has been confirmed to join the legends who have played residencies in the iconic city.

The news came during the Super Bowl over in the States in the wee hours of Monday morning.

So for us here in Ireland, we’ll be waking up to the news!

The Irish rock legends will begin their run of dates at the MSG Sphere later this year.

The announcement video showed reports of an “unidentified flying object” floating through the air, with U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at The Sphere expected to kick off in the autumn of 2023.

Unfortunately, drummer Larry Mullen Jr will miss the performance as he is due to undergo surgery and subsequent rehabilitation throughout the run.

“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,” U2 confirmed in a statement on their website.

Announcing U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at The Sphere. Watch the extended trailer and register for ticket information and Verified Fan access at https://t.co/GvWdke7mOZ. #U2SPHERE pic.twitter.com/I9gbj9q6Ym

— U2 (@U2) February 13, 2023

The band said the Sphere show “has been in the works for a long time”.

“We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band. 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. And what a unique stage they’re building for us out there in the desert…” they continued.

“We’re the right band, ACHTUNG BABY the right album, and the 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.

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

The news comes ahead of the band’s upcoming release Songs of Surrender which will come out on March 17th. It is a collection of 40 songs from U2’s back catalogue, re-recorded and reimagined.