Having a Ball in the Sphere - The Travel Oracle

Ah December…in our family, there’s nothing like it. There is Christmas, of course, but we also have both our birthdays and the birthdays of many of our friends and relatives. This means…in December, we eat and celebrate. (Which makes our clothes a bit tighter through February…at least!) But this December we decided to do something REALLY special, we saw one of our favorite bands, U2, at a newly opened concert venue in Las Vegas. Are you ready for ONE CRAZY weekend with us in Vegas?? If you are, buckle in and let me tell you about having a BALL in the Sphere!

The Back Story

Since the Sphere’s opening on September 29th, Stephen was absolutely entranced by what it could do. I know this, because he showed me videos – like 150 videos over two week’s time. But who could blame him? It is PRETTY righteous!

The Sphere in Las Vegas looking like a large basket ball — Big old basket ball

The Sphere is Las Vegas looking like a giant eye ball. — Big old basket ball

A plan was hatched

I suggested that rather than take a beach vacation over Christmas, which neither of us was all that committed to, we use the money for heck of weekend in Vegas to see U2. It would be an early birthday present for him and I knew it would be something he would actually LOVE and look back on for years. You may be surprised to know that this took very minimal arm twisting to pull off.

43 Hours and GO!

Tray table in first class showing a breakfast of an omelet, a croissant, and fruit — The first class brekky

The trip began with first class tickets from Detroit to Las Vegas the morning of Friday December 15th. The concert was scheduled for 8pm on Saturday the 16th and our flight out was at 5:30 in the crazy, early morning on Sunday December 17th. This means we had 43 hours to make the most of our time away.

Checking in and Strolling around the Palazzo and Venetian

Since we still had our luggage from our trip to Detroit, our first stop after landing was our hotel. We were several hours earlier than check in but we thought it was worth a try. If you haven’t been to the Vegas Strip, let me tell you…everything is super sized! The signs, the accommodations, and even the decorations. These bad boys were behind the counter and had to be at least 2 feet tall. For scale, if these were to hang on a tree, it would have to be AT LEAST 100 feet tall. (I bet if we put our mind to it, we could have found a tree with those dimensions some where near a casino.)

Large red Christmas ornaments next to a small, golden tree — Would you get a load of these?

After lunch, we explored both hotels and made sure to note where the nearest gelato stand was, in case there was a later emergency.

Canal in front of the Venetian with gondolas floating in it — Gondolas at the Venetian

Interior at the Venetian, painted to look like an outdoor piazza in Italy. A very large gelato counter spans from the camera to the distance. — Gondolas at the Venetian

We also made our way over to the Sphere to find out exactly where we had to go in the morning and when. Our tickets were general admission seats and we heard we needed wrist bands to ensure us a place in line. At this stop, things then got VERY interesting.

The Fan Line

On our way back to the hotel, we passed two women sitting in lawn chairs. One of them was holding a clip board and asked us if we wanted “a number”. Turns out, the U2 fans manage the general admission line for the band and here is the process:

Get a number written on your hand the afternoon before the concert.
Come back that same night between 9 and 10pm to verify your number.
If someone doesn’t show up during the 9 to 10 hour, everyone moves up in the line.
Come back the next morning by 5am and line up in the order of the number on your hands.
If someone isn’t in line by 5am, everyone moves up.
At 8am, get your official wrist band with numbers on them.
Come back by 5pm the day of the concert to wait to get in the venue.
At 6:30, the doors open and you dash in for a spot.
Stand there until the concert starts.
Try not to need the bathroom at any time…the ENTIRE weekend.

Numbers literally in hand, we made our way back to the hotel to continue waiting for our room.

Two fisted hands, showing the numbers 48 and 49 — Got our numbers!

The Afternoon Repose

Since our room was apparently taking a minute, we strolled through the casino until we came across this VERY inviting space.

Darkened bar with shelves of bottles back lit. — Afternoon repose at The Grand Lux

I mean…how could we not stop in for an adult beverage and behold this MAGNIFICENT display??

Woman holding a glass of wine and a man holding an orange cocktail with a lemon slice. The wall behind them is gold. — Cheers at the Lux

The Zoo Station – A U2:UV Experience

Tab paid and getting antsy, we made one more stop at the U2: UV Experience. This indoor gallery is full of images from the Achtung Baby era including concert footage, photos and even a Trabant – which was all the rage in East Germany way back when Stephen served there.

Wall with multiple TV screens showing black and white images of the band U2 — The gallery at the Zoo

Man standing next to a small car known as a Trabant — The gallery at the Zoo

Back to the Desk and then a Dash out the Door

At 3pm, the ACTUAL check in time, we made our way back to the front desk to find out “what the heck”. It turns out, they had recorded our phone number incorrectly and our room had been ready for hours. (GRRR) But as compensation, they gave us a room with a view of the Sphere!

Man flashing a peace sign, standing in front of a window. Behind him is a Sphere in Las Vegas that is lit in pink and shows U2 Achtung Baby — Stephen and the Sphere

The Sphere in Las Vegas lit in yellow and displaying a surly face — Stephen and the Sphere

Stephen enjoyed the view while I ran around like a mad woman, trying to get ready for the evening. We were only about 5 minutes late for our lane time at Flight Club. This dart bar is a little like Top Golf with fun games that can be enjoyed regardless of your skill level. And if you’ve ever played darts with us, you KNOW we have varying degrees of ability.

Dart board on a wood panel with a screen above it and white decorative lights on either side — Steel tipped darts with electronic scoring!

Man throwing darts — Steel tipped darts with electronic scoring!

Next stop – The Oldest Bar in Vegas

As you may know, we make it a point to visit the oldest bar in any town we’re in. And Atomic Liquors did NOT disappoint! They’re just far enough away from the action that you can enjoy a really chill, local vibe. However they are close enough that you can walk to the action in about 10 minutes.

Sofas and little round tables at a bar. On the wall behind the seating are signs that warn about radiation — Proceed with EXTRA caution

Interior of a bar. Behind a table of customers is a mushroom cloud — Proceed with EXTRA caution

Apparently back in the 1940’s and 50s, folks liked to raise a glass on their roof while watching nuclear tests in the desert – hence, the Atomic Bar. Does it make you wonder if there just wasn’t enough to do decades ago? Maybe it’s just me.

Fremont Street…Don’t Tell Mama

Fremont Street was just starting to pick up when we got there around 7. And we were the very first people at Don’t Tell Mama, a sing along piano bar, when they opened at 8.

Multi-colored circles on the LCD roof display over Fremont Street — Fremont Street

A pink spot light illuminates a stage with a white baby grand piano on it. A man is sitting behind the keyboard, playing and singing. — Fremont Street

The bartender filled in for the regular piano player, who was running a little late. He played some Billy Joel and John Lennon. I could have stayed there all night but as you may remember…we had to get back by 9 to confirm our numbers!

Numbers and then One Last Drink

Since some people didn’t make the check in, we moved up almost almost 10 spots. Our next big milestone was the 4:45 am line up outside the Sphere. It was 10pm Las Vegas time, which was 1am to our bodies and we were starting to feel it. We decided we would call it a night when we were captured by another beautiful bar.

Dark bar wit6h gold gilding and shelves full of liquor, lit from behind. — Rosina Cocktail Bar

We looked at the empty space and the beautiful bar and thought…well we could have JUST ONE DRINK before calling it a night. In a related question, is it really lying if you’re only lying to yourself? I’m asking for a friend. After several “spirit forward” cocktails sent our way for tasting, and many other cocktails we enjoyed while talking with other customers as they filtered in, we finally went to our room.

Stephen sat at our window and watched the Sphere change its display for hours. At around 3am, he realized it switches to the planet Jupiter and keeps that display until 6am. I did not see the Jupiter display as I fell asleep. Or maybe I slipped into a coma. It’s hard to say.

The Sphere at Night displaying the planet Jupiter — Just Jupiter for hours

Ring a Ding – 4am

We were back at it at 4 and in line by 4:45. I’ve never really experienced hanging out with serious fans before and it was so interesting to listen to their stories. Many of the people we talked to had seen the band more than 50 times and followed them all over the globe. I like U2 but felt waiting in line at 4:45 was as much inconvenience as I was willing to endure.

Man standing and a woman sitting on the ground outside the Sphere — The AM line

Wrist bands and Breakfast

Two hands showing number written over other numbers and yellow wrist bands that read "The Sphere" — Finally wrist bands

Plate of eggs benedict and hashbrowns — Finally wrist bands

Wristbands installed, we stopped back at the Grand Lux for breakfast. As you can see, I wasn’t even up for coffee that morning. In fact, if I even THOUGHT about alcohol, my stomach did a dolphin flip. So…OJ it was followed closely by a nap!

High Rolling to Dinner

We managed to get a little sleep and got ready for the show. For fun, we played slots on the casino floor and managed to temporarily win $70! We, of course, gave that back to other slot machines before enjoying an early dinner at Trustworthy Brewing.

Display on a slot machine showing winnings of 65.80 — Temporary winnings

White plate on a white counter holding a sandwich on thick bread and a cone of french fries — Temporary winnings

Hi-ho, hi-ho, back to the line we go!

By 4:45pm, we were back in the line…to get in the line. Again folks had to present their numbers and if people missed their check in, we all moved up. In the end, I think we ended up 38th and 39th. The doors opened and we raced to the floor, managing a space only about 4 people back from the stage.

Woman holding a plastic cup that has colored lights at the bottom — My fancy diet coke glass

Looking up at the interior of the Sphere. The walls look to be made of concrete panels — My fancy diet coke glass

Finally…the Show

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy going to the Sphere as much as a regular concert. I worried the displays that surrounded us would be the main attraction and that the band would be background music. Also I wasn’t sure it would be worth all the hours of waiting in line to be on the main floor. Let me tell you, in both cases I WAS WRONG!

Band back lit by a huge LCD screen showing a colorful display — U2 Baby

Lead singer and bass guitarist in front of a black wall with red letters — U2 Baby

Being on the floor made the Sphere feel like something you were experiencing WITH the band, like all of us on the same journey. Since I was feeling poorly earlier in the day, I also worried that the immersive display would activate vertigo and require me to only listen. I’m pleased to report that only one time did I need to close my eyes in order to convince my brain all was well.

LCD display of a desert scene that includes a sphere. The band performs in front of it. — The desert

Lead singer, Bono, kneeling at the edge of the stage and singing — The desert

My favorite part of the show was near the end when they made the Sphere walls disappear and it felt like an outdoor venue. Then they made all the Las Vegas structures disappear until we were standing in desert together. They wrapped with my two favorite songs, “With or Without You” and “Beautiful Day”, where they filled the dome with animals, insects and birds. It was an amazing experience that I can still feel when I talk about it.

By the Numbers

From most to least, here were the stats from the weekend:

20,000 fans in attendence
43 hours in Las Vegas
22 songs in the set list
8 hours of waiting in line to see the show
5 hours of sleep…not in a row
1 happy husband
Number of adult beverages consumed…unknown.

Man with his eyes closed, singing along to the music — I love this guy

We hope you enjoyed our crazy journey to the desert. If you like our vibe, consider subscribing for free. Or you can give a subscription to a friend and pretend it was really expensive. We won’t tell.