U2’s 25-day Las Vegas residency has been described as “the Sistine Chapel on steroids” by the man who produced their first demos.
U2 will perform 25 shows between September 29th and December 16th from the Sphere in Las Vegas to a crowd of 20,000 people and are expected to earn $1 million per show.
Before landing in Vegas, however, Horslips member Barry Devlin was extremely sceptical when Bono told him about U2’s plans.
“I thought Vegas is where show bands go to die,” he told The Anton Savage Show.
“We used to visit the Bakkt in Vegas when we were touring and the thing that most wafted out of the dressing room was the smell of loneliness and homesickness.”
Mr Devlin, who produced the first U2 demos, said Bono was confident the Las Vegas residency was “going to be the greatest thing we ever did”, however.
“I took that with a pinch salt – but this morning I'm thinking I should've asked for a ticket,” he said.
U2 are the first band to perform in the Sphere, a $2.3 billion venue.
Mr Devlin said the Sphere is “the most extraordinary venue I’ve ever seen”.
U2 at the Sphere. And yes, the video screen is insane! pic.twitter.com/hYXBR5Gctv
— Joseph Fahmy (@jfahmy) September 30, 2023
“I looked at the stuff and the first pictures in and honestly, it’s like Dante's Inferno,” he said.
“It's like the Sistine Chapel on steroids – there's row of dancing angels, I've never seen anything like it.
“It’s entirely composed of video pixels and so inside you can be anywhere in the world... so during ‘Beautiful Day’, you’re out in the desert.”
Mr Devlin said the sound has not been compromised by the “extraordinary” visuals either.
“They're playing better than they ever played,” he said.
One concern for many performers is making it through the repetitive shows in the one location for weeks – but Mr Devlin is confident U2 will adapt.
U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas was fucking insane#U2 #Sphere #U2Sphere #U2UVSphere #AtomicCity #AchtungBaby pic.twitter.com/3qwkIbaQ6s
— ThannusYT (@ThannusWhyTee) September 30, 2023
“They’ve done 40,000 gigs over the years,” he said. “And they pace themselves as well.
“They’ve had a four-year break as well as that... when we were on the road, if we got two hours off for a cream bun in the afternoon, that counted as our annual holidays.”
Mr Devlin will appear with fellow bandmate Jim Lockhart at the Printworks to celebrate 50 years since their album 'The Táin' tonight at 9pm as part of Dublin History Festival.
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