Tour updates: Who’s heading back to the Sphere?
Dead & Company are set to return to the Las Vegas Sphere for an 18-show residency celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary.
The group drew close to 500,000 fans to their 30-show run at the venue earlier this year, and will be back for a second stint in 2025 from March 20-22 & 27-29, April 17-19 & 24-26 and May 9-11 & 15-17. Tickets start at $145.
Comprising John Mayer, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, Dead & Company play Grateful Dead covers and have played to almost five million attendees across 300 shows since forming in 2015.
In other tour news, the Black Keys have announced a European tour of large-scale outdoor headline shows and festival dates for next summer. Kicking off at Denmark’s Tinderbox on 26 June, the tour will stop at Luxembourg’s Rockhal (29 June), Zitadelle Spandau in Berlin, Germany (1 July), The Hall in Zurich, Switzerland (2 July) and France’s Garorock (4 July), Beauregard Festival (5 July) and La Nuit De L’Erdre (6 July).
The US duo will also visit the UK, with shows at Millennium Square, Leeds (8 July), Castlefield Bowl, Manchester (9 July) and Alexandra Palace Park in London (11 July), plus Belgium’s Cactus Festival (12 July), Bospop Festival in the Netherlands (13 July), Italy’s AMA Music Festival (15 July) and Rock In Roma (16 July) and Benicassim, Spain (19 July).
AC/DC will hit the road in North America for the first time in nine years for 13 stadiums coast-to-coast next spring. This run launches on 10 April 10 at Minneapolis’ US Bank Stadium, stopping off at venues such as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, BC Place, Vancouver, Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and Soldier Field in Chicago, before concluding at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on 28 May.
Drake will tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 2017
Also in North America, Kendrick Lamar and SZA will take over 19 stadiums between April and June. Stops include MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (8-9 May), SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (21 & 23 May) and Toronto’s Rogers Centre (12 June).
Meanwhile, The Weeknd has announced that tickets for his one-night-only stadium show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, sold out in under an hour, having attracted over 300,000 fans in the ticket queue. The 25 January concert, produced by Live Nation, will feature an in-the-round stage setup, taking over the entire stadium floor.
Elsewhere, Drake will tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 2017, taking in Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (9-10 February), Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena (16-17 February), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (24 February) and Spark Arena in Auckland (28 February-1 March).
After announcing their biggest headline show to date at London’s Finsbury Park on 5 July, plus a date at Cardiff Castle on 30 July, Fontaines D.C. have added further outdoor gigs at Exhibition Park, Newcastle (13 July) and Wythenshawe Park, Manchester (15 August).
And fresh from supporting Blink-182, Pierce the Veil have revealed a 46-date tour spanning North America, Europe and Latin America. Beginning in Charlotte on 13 May, the band’s biggest headline tour so far will include stops at venues like Madison Square Garden in New York, Kia Forum in Los Angeles, OVO Arena Wembley in London, UK, and Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, Brazil.
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Las Vegas: Rock & Rolls the Dice
Las Vegas, “America’s most competitive marketplace,” has emerged from the pandemic a new beast. As summer turns up the heat on the desert town, IQ tracks how Vegas has transformed from a glitzy casino town to the hottest entertainment market in the world.
Relieved of any pandemic hangover, Las Vegas has boldly reclaimed its crown as the world’s entertainment capital. Its crown jewel, the Strip, is just under 4.5miles (7.3km) in length, yet the city welcomed its highest number of visitors since pre-pandemic last year, a mere 40.8 million. Formerly known as a graveyard where “legacy acts go to die,” it’s clear that Vegas is evolving into a new destination entirely – one where the industry is cashing in.
A sin-sational city
Nestled in the arid Nevada desert, the illustrious, extravagant, and infamous Sin City serves as a hedonistic playground for those looking for an escape. From world-renowned restaurants and luxury experiences to high-stakes gambling and unique headline performances, Vegas is unlike anywhere else. With a population of just over 656,000, it’s a true paradise for visitors, who spent a record $51.5bn last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Those who visit do it big, and travellers don’t seem deterred by the rising prices: spending by tourists has ballooned by 45.4% between 2019 and 2023, with the average person spending $1,261 last year (LVCVA).
As new venues, reimagined residencies, and a plethora of entertainment options grace the Strip, competition has never been greater. For those on the industry side, it’s vying for venue space and available artists; for consumers, it’s the abundance of choice, monetary cost, and available time. What happens in Vegas isn’t staying in Vegas – it’s attracting international attention from partygoers and industry leaders alike.
Go big & go home
At the heart of its ecosystem lies Vegas’s transient audience. The city’s population pales in comparison to its annual visitor numbers, comparatively a light 1.5% of 2023’s visitors. Hordes of travellers have only increased since the pandemic subsided, and with international visitors bouncing back to 4.7m in 2023, the curation of the entertainment mecca is designed for tourists.
“It’s Vegas! People are coming into town to let loose, have fun, and spend their hard-earned money on a vacation,” says Kyle Bandler, a WME agent booking acts like Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki. “It’s not just about seeing one of your favourite artists but also an opportunity to live the full ‘Vegas experience’ that people are looking for on a holiday weekend.”
Beyond what may come to mind as a traditional vacationer – a wedding party, a gambling fanatic, or a late-night reveller – a key group of tourists coming to the Nevada hub are corporate colleagues. The metropolis hosts roughly 24,000 conventions and meetings and 75 major trade shows annually. With over 154,000 hotel rooms, a plethora of unique meeting spaces, and luxurious opportunities to unwind, it’s no wonder Vegas is a commercial target.
“Conventions bring all sorts of people from out of state into the market, and that’s in addition to the tourists that want to come into Vegas and party,” says Chris Hammond, VP talent at AEG Presents’ Las Vegas office.
“Wednesdays and Saturdays are kind of neck and neck from a business standpoint, and that’s because Vegas has two sets of travellers”
Last year, according to LVCVA, 6m conventioneers descended on Vegas, a 19.9% increase from 2022. They dominate the weekdays and depart before the weekend, yet are on average spending 25% more than leisure visitors, racking up over $1,500 per trip. Their impact is clear for AEG Presents Las Vegas – while Saturday is the classic blockbuster date, Wednesday is on par with the weekend mainstay, even surpassing the typical travel-day Friday.
“Wednesdays and Saturdays are kind of neck and neck from a business standpoint, and that’s because Vegas has two sets of travellers: midweek convention travellers and weekend travellers,” says Bobby Reynolds, SVP of AEG Presents Las Vegas. “If you’re out here for a convention and there’s only one show that week that’s on the Wednesday, that’s the show you’re going to.”
Programming with the visiting audience in mind is a priority for the AEG Presents Las Vegas office, which opened over 20 years ago. Reynolds dubs it “fishing where the fish are,” or aligning programmed content with other big events in the market, and thereby, their incoming audiences.
“The more people that come to town to see a [Golden] Knights game, odds are, they’re going to be here for a couple of days. The team is only going to play out here one night. The other night they’re going to see Carrie Underwood, Kevin Hart, or Lionel Richie with us,” he explains, adding examples of country music programming alongside rodeo, NASCAR, and professional bull-riding events.
Artists up the ante
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley – all names synonymous with the showtime glitz and old glamour of a neon-soaked destination. The history of Vegas is as rich as the gambling halls it boasts. Never short on iconic and inventive shows, from the introduction of Cirque du Soleil’s first permanent show in 1993 to Siegfried & Roy’s awe-inspiring magic tricks, the entertainment hub has consistently evolved as an all-in capital. And after the turn of the century, a new residency form arose.
Up until Britney Spears, there had never been a residency with a young, pop, generational artist like her
Celine Dion is widely credited as the resident revolutionary for the Vegas scene, with her four-year, 714-show A New Day… stint still earning her the top spot of Billboard’s highest-grossing residency list. In the early noughties, Caesars Palace invested $108m to build the 4,000-seat Colosseum for Dion and her residency, and AEG Presents kickstarted its Las Vegas office with the series. The venture grossed $385.1m and sold 2.8m tickets, opening a new chapter for contemporary artists to try something new.
“That really changed Las Vegas,” explains Glenn Alai, manager of the city’s longest-running headliners, Penn & Teller. “It made people take notice. You can come into Vegas, and you can still have music that is charting, and you can still be a really viable name in the industry playing Vegas and doing really well.”
The shift toward a more modern music scene, according to CAA’s MD Rob Light, was driven by a single popstar in 2013.
“Up until Britney Spears, there had never been a residency with a young, pop, generational artist like her,” he explains. “Suddenly pop music became a phenomenon in terms of playing residencies in Las Vegas, so it really was the catalyst that opened all the doors.”
Britney: Piece of Me saw the superstar take over Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s AXIS auditorium, now called the Bakkt Theater, for 248 shows across four years, grossing $137.7m and 916,000 tickets. The success of her dance-driven, pop spectacle was aided by an under-utilised audience in the market – a younger demographic who were busy spending nights in the lucrative club scene.
“When you look back at the phases, in that moment of club culture that exploded before Britney, you sort of see the evolution in the market right before your eyes,” Light shares.
“The beauty of the residency model is there’s flexibility in structure [so we can find] something that works for everyone”
Then came the flood of available artists, purpose-built venues, and audience hunger, all hunting for something flashy and fresh. The model is largely driven by artists’ visions, says Mojave Ghost’s Greg Young, an independent producer who helped bring Donny Osmond’s first-ever solo residency to Harrah’s Showroom.
Bandler echoes a similar sentiment: “The beauty of the residency model is there’s flexibility in structure [so we can find] something that works for everyone,” he says.
Artists can “build a different kind of show,” Light says, one without the need to pack up and move every night. They can escape the rigours of touring and settle down with family, all while selling out performances.
“The residency model was a way for artists to say, ‘I’m going to perform in a way that’s more appealing to me, physically and mentally,’” Light explains.
CAA has brought icons like Spears, Shania Twain, Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, and countless others out to the desert. Light cites seeing Gaga’s stripped-down residency, Jazz & Piano at Park MGM’s Dolby Live (6,400), as a standout moment in his career. She was the first artist to host dual residencies, coupling J+P with pop-forward Enigma, which landed her at #8 on Vegas’s highest-grossing residency list with over $110m of revenue.
The amalgamation of high-profile artists, technological advancements, and crowd-drawing residencies can be seen in the club scene. Taking over pools during the day and clubs at night, electronic music has crept up to become an unstoppable sound across America’s other city that never sleeps. The club-based series are unique in that their growth is driven by high-rolling VIPs, as “the money generated from individual ticket sales pales in comparison,” Bandler shares.
“Table sales and VIP are what drive revenue for the clubs. So artists that have a strong following in the VIP space or are willing to develop that side of their business have more financial success in the Vegas market,” he explains.
“You can see this honeymoon period of the Sphere has really drawn a lot of audiences away from their typical disposable dollar habits in Las Vegas”
But, if there’s one thing Vegas is good at, it’s rolling the dice on something new.
“We’re starting to see Vegas take some shots already, but with the explosion of house and techno currently happening in North America, expect to see more and more properties take bigger chances on artists in those sub-genres over the coming years,” Bandler says.
With an ever-expanding calendar, there’s always something for everyone in town. Wu-Tang Clan are currently on stage as the first hip-hop residency and Mexican group Los Bukis as the first Spanish-language residency. Country music has hit a new stride, with massive stars like Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Garth Brooks all performing. Add in DJs, pop divas, legacy rockstars, and the horses Shania Twain once performed alongside, and you’ll never be bored.
If you build it, they will come
The biggest thing to hit the Strip in recent memory is undoubtedly the futuristic, $2.3bn Sphere. A technological marvel, the 20,000-capacity arena boasts 580,000 ft2 of fully programmable LED screens, wrapping almost completely around the audience. U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere grossed nearly $245m and slots in behind Celine Dion in Vegas’s highest-grossing residencies with only 40 shows, cementing the venue’s crown as the place to play.
“You can see this honeymoon period of the Sphere has really drawn a lot of audiences away from their typical disposable dollar habits in Las Vegas,” says Young.
Add in four nights from Phish, 30 from Dead & Company this summer, and 20 from the Eagles later this year, and the first 12 months of operation have cemented the MSG Entertainment project both in the city and internationally. Coming up, multidisciplinary artist Anyma, known for his “one-of-a-kind, audiovisual live experiences,” will host six shows around New Year’s Eve, bringing the first electronic music act to the venue before the year’s out.
“When a show does or doesn’t go to a certain property or certain venue within that property, it changes how the entire resort performs”
New builds and redevelopment are a constant feature of the Strip. After the renovation of the Colosseum in 2003, countless other hotel-casino resorts refreshed their entertainment offerings to make way for a growing audience. Diversifying and expanding entertainment spaces – theatres, clubs, casinos, restaurants, pools – is key to keeping audiences on-site.
“When a show does or doesn’t go to a certain property or certain venue within that property, it changes how the entire resort performs,” Reynolds explains. “From hotels to gambling to meals and spa reservations, all of these integrated resorts get fed by foot traffic – and concerts are a great conduit of foot traffic.”
The $3.7bn Fontainebleau Las Vegas arrived on the Strip late last year, bringing the 3,800-capacity BleauLive Theater to life with an opening from Post Malone in December 2023. The Strip’s most expensive resort, the $4.3bn Resorts World, opened in 2021 with an AEG Presents-backed, $170m, 5,000-seat theatre. AEG Presents Las Vegas also exclusively books the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (4,500) and the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas (1,480).
MGM Resorts International is widely recognised as the grandmaster of the Strip, operating some of its most renowned spaces: the Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, Park MGM – home to the 5,200-cap Dolby Live – Mandalay Bay, and more. Its portfolio also includes the city’s three arenas, the MGM Grand Garden Arena (17,000), Michelob ULTRA Arena (12,000), and the $375m T-Mobile Arena (20,000), which opened in 2016 as a joint venture between MGM and AEG. Its unique portfolio widens the selection of artists and residencies it can bring to life.
“At an arena capacity, it is exceedingly difficult to find artists who can sell out more than a couple shows at any given time,” says Paul Davis, MGM’s SVP entertainment booking. “The value proposition at Dolby Live is ‘major artist, small venue’ along with the up-close experience that comes with it. It’s a very different model, which further enhances branding and diversity in our programming.
“This also allows us to develop early relationships with artists and have them perform at multiple venue sizes as their career evolves,” he adds. Dolby Live has played host to residencies from Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Usher, and others.
In 2020, the $1.9bn Allegiant Stadium emerged, opening the door for bigger artists and sporting events
As the Vegas landscape continuously transforms – “it is no longer sufficient to purchase digital billboards and cab tops,” Davis states – elevating marketing strategies to meet a newer, younger audience who want more than gaming and production shows is paramount to MGM Resort’s future endeavours. The influx of sports fans and events in the market, which Davis says has strengthened their ties to the local community, highlights how attracting new audiences has been crucial to the recent revitalisation of the region.
In 2020, the $1.9bn Allegiant Stadium (65,000) emerged, opening the door for bigger artists and sporting events – including the 2023 Super Bowl, which reportedly generated a $1bn economic impact. It’s gone on to welcome over 4m fans since. K-Pop supergroup BTS hold the stadium record for highest-grossing performances, bringing in nearly $36m from 200,000 fans across four nights in 2022.
Even more newcomers could be on the horizon. Last June, Oak View Group unveiled plans to build a $10bn entertainment district, including a $1bn, 20,000-seat arena. In May, developer LVXP announced it is moving forward with its “NBA-ready,” 20,000-seat arena, casino, and luxury resort, supported by infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, who recently completed LA’s $2bn, 18,000-cap Intuit Dome. With a rise in available space, will there ever come a point where availability outweighs demand?
That’s showbiz, baby
A decade ago, no major sports franchise called Vegas home. Now, almost every large venue plays host to a sports tenant. It began in 2017, with the Golden Knights settling in T-Mobile Arena. In 2018, MGM purchased and relocated the Las Vegas Aces women’s basketball team to Michelob ULTRA Arena.
In 2020, the NFL’s Raiders football team moved from Oakland to Allegiant Stadium, with MLB’s Athletics baseball team to follow suit for 2028. Formula 1 debuted a new Grand Prix in 2023, with a freshly built track taking over the entire Strip and encircling the Sphere. This November, a new $1m music festival is being launched in Downtown Las Vegas during the race weekend, courtesy of LVCVA. And with two potential new arenas on the horizon, an NBA team looks imminent.
Beyond merrymakers and conventioneers, sports fans are the third piece of the audience puzzle: “You’ve got kind of a triple threat that is a necessity for all the venues we have, the acts we have, and the tickets we need to sell,” AEG’s Hammond says. He adds that the rise in sporting events “brings a multitude of fans into this city, which is a big positive thing for us.”
“The town is changing for the better, really a world-class tourist destination, but it affects the ability to sell tickets – it’s becoming more challenging”
In 2022, out-of-town sports visitors generated upwards of $2bn in economic activity, according to a University of Nevada, Las Vegas study. The report precedes F1’s Vegas debut, Super Bowl LVIII, and a host of other noteworthy events, signifying how the sports sector is a prime market for organisers to tap into. But, with new audiences and events comes new competition, an underlying hurdle for those looking to pack their venues.
“The biggest challenge is definitely the sports teams and the increased competition that comes from that: the inventory of seats, available tickets, the choices,” Glenn Alai states. “The town is changing for the better, really a world-class tourist destination, but it affects the ability to sell tickets – it’s becoming more challenging.”
Alai manages the iconic duo Penn & Teller, who after 30 years at the Rio are still enchanting audiences with their magic show. They’re the namesakes on the 1,500-seat theatre they play every weekend and have helped build the acts they now
battle with in the consumer marketplace.
“Penn & Teller have made most of the competition because most of them got their start on their TV show,” Alai explains. “They’re kind of proud parents of these people, as they gave them their first exposure on TV, but they’re also now competition. The magic landscape is very crowded.” After working in the market for over three decades, Alai has a warning for those looking to break into the space and four-wall, or self-fund, their own productions.
“I often say, ‘Run the other way. Save your money or flush it down the toilet but run the other way. If you’re not a headliner, you’re not a huge name, and you’re not already established here, it’s tough. And if you’re not coming in fully funded and prepared to lose millions or at least hundreds of thousands, it’s going to be tough,’” he says.
“It’s incredibly difficult to develop up-and-coming talent specific to the residency circuit in Vegas”
A grassroots scene remains largely hidden in the shadows of the neon glow emanating from and around the Strip.
“It’s incredibly difficult to develop up-and-coming talent specific to the residency circuit in Vegas,” says WME’s Bandler. “Given the level of A-list artists coming through the market almost every weekend and given a residency’s overall success is largely determined by what they can turnover on tickets and tables, you need established acts that can drive numbers from day one.”
As with most of America, costs are rising across the board – one cocktail in Vegas can put you back $25 and more. The cost of entertainment has snowballed 150.6% from 2019, with the average spend per head rising to $278.44 last year. According to the LVCVA, roughly 25% of tourists (of which only 16% are first-time visitors) attended shows or entertainment during their trip, down dramatically from 51% in 2019.
While trip length may grant travellers the ability to see multiple shows, the cost may not.
“We came out of the pandemic, and people were spending anything just to see live music, and ticket prices skyrocketed,” Hammond says. “But with inflation picking up, things have gotten a bit tighter, and we as concert promoters need to be cognisant of that and make sure we’re not blind to the fact that the economy is changing.”
Bet on it
Vegas is, and will continue to be, a place for revellers to cash in on – it is the gambling and entertainment capital, after all. On any given night, you could see intimate theatre shows from A-listers, sporting events, a plethora of comedy and magic performances, a DJ at a swanky club, and even have a Michelin Star dinner. There’s truly something for everyone, and extravagance is celebrated.
Audiences may come and go in Vegas, but America’s most competitive marketplace looks hotter than ever. Every major agency, promoter, producer, and developer has a seat at the poker table, where audiences and artists divvy out the draw. In Sin City, what’s old becomes new again. At press time, The Mirage shut its doors after a 35-year run, set to reopen in 2027 as the next Hard Rock Hotel. A market built on leisure and pleasure, one that’s constantly reinventing itself, Las Vegas undoubtedly still has some aces up its sleeve.
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Vegas Sphere to screen immersive U2 concert film
Sphere Las Vegas is to debut an exclusive “cinematic experience” based around U2’s groundbreaking show at the venue.
Directed by Morleigh Steinberg and The Edge, V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas will open at Sphere on Thursday 5 September. Tickets are priced from $100, with U2.com subscribers receiving first access to presale tickets.
“V-U2 is a first-of-its-kind immersive film that will transport audiences back to U2’s groundbreaking live Sphere shows and make them feel like they are there,” says Josephine Vaccarello, EVP, live, MSG Entertainment, who oversees live bookings for Sphere. “This concert film was created specifically for Sphere, and will utilise the venue’s technologies to create an experience that is only possible at this next-generation entertainment medium.”
U2 sold more than 700,000 tickets across 40 sold-out dates at Sphere from September 2023 to March 2024. The residency saw the group reunite with creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams, as well as artists including Es Devlin, John Gerrard and Marco Brambilla.
According to Pollstar, the stint is Las Vegas’ highest-grossing residency of 2024 so far, grossing $84.7 million (€77.5m) from 249,122 ticket sales for 15 shows held between January and March.
The V-U2 show is a Sphere Experience, Sphere’s signature original content category, and is the first film to be shot entirely with Big Sky, the ultra-high-resolution camera system developed by Sphere Entertainment. The film was produced by band members The Edge, Bono and Adam Clayton, along with producer Alan Moloney, in collaboration with Sphere.
“The end result is a cinematic experience that transports viewers into the energy and beauty of the live show”
“We knew all the tremendous capabilities of the technology, but we didn’t know what to expect from the process of making this film,” adds Steinberg. “The work became a true collaboration between band, artists, producers, and technology teams. The end result is a cinematic experience that transports viewers into the energy and beauty of the live show.”
Sphere Entertainment executive chair and CEO Jim Dolan hinted at the expansion into immersive content as a means of extending the lifespan of the venue’s residencies during last week’s company earnings call.
“If you look at the concerts that we’ve had, and the events that we’ve had in the Sphere so far, and you think of them as an experience, then recording them actually in the Sphere itself is probably the most perfect place to make an experiential recording,” he says. “So that suggests that there’s a product there. I expect you’ll hear from us soon about that kind of content.”
In its fiscal 2024 financial results, the firm posted full-year revenues of $1.03 billion (+$453m on the prior year), with an operating loss of $341.2m (+$68.2m) and adjusted operating income of $80.7m (+$203.3m).
Sphere has also hosted residencies by Phish and Dead & Company, as well as the ongoing Darren Aronofsky-directed immersive production Postcard from Earth. The Eagles are due to kick off a 20-show run at the $2.3bn venue next month, while Anyma is set to become the first electronic act to perform with a six-night stint from 27 December to 1 January.
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Sphere Ent revenues top $1 billion for fiscal 2024
Shares in the company behind the Sphere in Las Vegas have jumped almost 10% following publication of the firm’s fiscal 2024 financial results.
Sphere Entertainment posted full-year revenues of $1.03 billion (+$453m on the prior year), with an operating loss of $341.2m (+$68.2m) and adjusted operating income of $80.7m (+$203.3m).
For the fiscal Q4 2024, the firm reported revenues of $273.4m – an increase of $144.3m compared to the prior year quarter – for an operating loss of $71.4m (+$1m). AOI was $25.7m (+$85.5m).
The groundbreaking 20,000-cap Sphere opened in September 2023 and has hosted residencies by U2, Phish and Dead & Company, as well as the ongoing Darren Aronofsky-directed immersive production Postcard from Earth. The Eagles are due to kick off a 20-show run at the $2.3bn venue next month, while Anyma is set to become the first electronic act to perform with a six-night stint from 27 December to 1 January.
“Fiscal 2024 marked the opening of Sphere in Las Vegas and a new chapter for our company,” says executive chair and CEO James Dolan. “Sphere has already welcomed millions of guests, world-renowned artists and numerous global brands. We are confident that we are on the right path to execute on our vision for this next-generation medium.”
Dolan shed further light on the company’s progress and future plans during an earnings call with investors.
“Artists continue to benefit from the drawing power of Sphere”
“Artists continue to benefit from the drawing power of Sphere,” he said. “Dead & Company just completed their 30-show run on Saturday night. The Eagles kick off their residency next month with a 20-show run through January. And we recently announced that Anyma will be our first EDM act with a multi-night run around New Year’s. Both The Eagles and Anyma have been extended multiple times due to demand.
“We are also making progress towards our goal of hosting multiple event types on the same day. The Sphere Experience ran on the same day as select Dead & Co. concerts in July and August, and we believe that this had a positive impact on attendance for Postcard from Earth on those days.”
Dolan noted the Sphere segment of the business generated Q4 revenues of $151m, along with an AOI loss of $5.5m, after welcoming more than 900,000 guests across 230+ events.
“These results were driven by our original content category, The Sphere Experience featuring Postcard from Earth, which generated approximately $74 million in revenue across 208 shows in the fourth quarter,” he said. “They also reflected Phish’s four-night run in April and the start of Dead & Company’s residency in May with 18 performances during the quarter.”
Dolan suggested The Eagles may extend their stay at the venue further still, and hinted at the identity of other potential artist residencies.
“I think The Eagles are not going to be satisfied with the 20-show run and neither will their fans, but we haven’t announced anything yet in terms of that,” he said. “The interesting thing about the Eagles show, though, if you might have noticed, is that they basically play on for two weeks and then they go off for two weeks. So when we get to [’25 it is ] likely that we will fill in the two weeks that they’re not playing, right, with another high-profile premier type act – probably with a woman. And that’s as much as I’m going to say about that.”
He added: “You can expect something in the country category coming in ’25. That will whet people’s appetite.”
“You could go almost anywhere in the world and say ‘Sphere’ and people know what it is, know where it is, and many of them know what it does”
Having revealed during the firm’s previous quarterly report that talks were ongoing with “several” markets about constructing a second Sphere venue, Dolan had no major update to give on the issue.
“Do I anticipate that we’re going to have something to say very soon? Yes, I do,” he said. “I think that’s about all I can say, other than you’re going to know when it happens.”
He continued: “When you take a look at this last year, we’ve really got much better at operating a Sphere. And by the time we open up another Sphere, we’ll really have got that operation down. When I look at everything that’s happened in the last year, I keep thinking to myself, well, the next guy is going to really benefit from the fact that we learned this and we learned that, and we changed this policy and this procedure, we became efficient at this.
“One of the things that we talked about in the script was what we call side-by-side. That’s where we have more than one event in the Sphere on the same day. The next Sphere will automatically know how to do that because of what happened in the Sphere in Las Vegas. A big piece of what the economic formula was for Sphere was to build a building that you could utilise 365 days a year and multiple times a day.”
Dolan added that the venue, which will host its first live sports event, UFC 306, in September, had already built up significant brand awareness in a short space of time.
“You could go almost anywhere in the world and say ‘Sphere’ and people know what it is, know where it is, and many of them know what it does,” he pointed out. “And every time we do something like Dead & Co., it just blossoms out again and a whole new group of people learn all about what the Sphere can do. So are they there for the building? Are they there for the content? I think it’s a combination of both.”
See the August issue of IQ for an in-depth report on how Vegas has become the hottest entertainment market in the world.
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U2’s Sphere stint leads Las Vegas residency charge
Sphere residencies by U2 and Dead & Company are the highest-grossing Las Vegas runs of 2024 so far, according to new data.
Pollstar reports the groundbreaking U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere stint, which launched in September 2023, grossed $84.7 million (€77.5m) this year to lead the way after selling 249,122 tickets for 15 shows from January to March.
Dead & Company’s Dead Forever – Live at Sphere drew $71.4m from 240,000 ticket sales across 15 dates, while Phish’s four-night stand at the next-generation venue was the third-highest for tickets sold (65,665) and fourth for revenue ($13.4m), with Bruno Mars’ 10 nights at Dolby Live at Park MGM registering fourth place for tickets (52,117) and third spot at the box office ($19.5m).
Lady Gaga’s Jazz & Piano show, also held at Dolby Live, came in at No.5 on the list, taking $13.1m from 42,398 sales.
Overall, Las Vegas residencies grossed $235m from 855,969 ticket sales in the first seven months of the year
In terms of gross, the top 10 is rounded off by Mariah Carey ($8.3m), Maroon 5 ($6.5m), Carrie Underwood ($4.7m), Scorpions ($4.6m) and Mexican grupero band Los Bukis ($4.5m).
Overall, Las Vegas residencies garnered $235m (€215m) from 855,969 tickets at 112 performances in the first seven months of the year. Pollstar notes that some residencies that do not appear on the list may yet to have reported their ticket sales data.
The Eagles will become the latest act to launch a Sphere residency next month, with Anyma, the solo project of acclaimed American DJ and producer Matteo Milleri, set to perform at the venue on December 29-31.
See the August issue of IQ, out next week, for an in-depth report on how Vegas has become the hottest entertainment market in the world.
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The Eagles confirm Sphere residency
The Eagles have confirmed their long-rumoured residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The American band will play eight shows over four weekends this autumn, offering fans “the ultimate connection to the band’s legendary catalogue in an immersive experience that only Sphere can provide”.
The shows will take place on 20-21 & 27-28 September and 11-12 & 18-19 October.
Tickets start at $175 and will reflect all-in pricing, while Vibee packages include a two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas with guests receiving priority entry to Sphere, commemorative keepsakes, and access to a fan experience. Limited VIP Ticket Packages will also be available.
“We will never have an act play the Sphere that doesn’t have something compelling up on the screen”
The next-generation $2.3 billion Sphere launched in September 2023 with the 40-night U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere residency, followed by a four-show stint by Phish last month. Dead & Company recently added six shows to their Dead Forever – Live at Sphere run at the 20,000-cap venue due to “increased demand” to take their total number of dates to 30.
“Every time an act books the Sphere, they have to create content around it,” said Sphere Entertainment boss Jim Dolan during the company’s most recent earnings call. “We will never have an act play the Sphere that doesn’t have something compelling up on the screen. It takes a while to do that, so we’re being too judicious about it. But the more an act plays the Sphere, like U2, the more they can monetise the content across multiple shows and therefore invest more on the content and create an even better show.”
The Eagles recently wrapped up a five-night UK stint at Manchester’s new Co-op Live as part of their Long Goodbye farewell tour and will perform a European stadium date with their first of two dates at Arnhem’s GelreDome in the Netherlands tonight (13 June).
The group, who are represented by manager Irving Azoff, revealed their plans to bring the curtain down on their 52-year career with one final tour last summer, beginning last September at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The tour is expected to continue into 2025, as “the band will perform as many shows in each market as their audience demands”.
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Latest Las Vegas Sphere residency extended
Dead & Company have added six shows to their acclaimed residency at the 20,000-cap Sphere in Las Vegas due to “increased demand”.
The band launched the Dead Forever – Live at Sphere run on 16 May and were originally due to wrap up on 13 July after eight weekends. However, they will now also perform from 1-3 & 8-10 August, bringing their total number of shows at the venue to 30. Tickets start at $145.
The next-generation $2.3 billion development launched in September 2023 with the 40-night U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere residency, followed by a four-show stint by Phish last month. Sphere Entertainment boss James Dolan appeared to confirm the Eagles would be next in line.
“Every time an act books the Sphere, they have to create content around it,” said Dolan during the company’s most recent earnings call. “We will never have an act play the Sphere that doesn’t have something compelling up on the screen. It takes a while to do that, so we’re being too judicious about it. But the more an act plays the Sphere, like U2, the more they can monetise the content across multiple shows and therefore invest more on the content and create an even better show. That’s what we’re seeing now.
A centralised hub, the Dead Forever Experience, has been set up at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas to coincide with the shows
“[Dead & Company] premieres on Thursday [16 May]. And I think you’re going to find that — even if you’re not a Deadhead – you’re going to love that show. And I think the same will be true for the Eagles and for the next acts that we bring on.”
Dead & Company, who comprise John Mayer, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, perform Grateful Dead covers and have completed 10 tours, playing to more than four million fans across 235 shows and breaking multiple records.
The band’s most recent outing, The Final Tour, generated more than US$100 million – the highest annual gross ever recorded on the road during the band’s eight-year run.
A centralised hub, the Dead Forever Experience, has been set up at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas to coincide with the shows, offering a space to gather, explore immersive exhibits and participate in interactive activities, as well as purchase exclusive merchandise.
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Sphere #2: Talks ongoing ‘with several markets’
Sphere Entertainment boss Jim Dolan has revealed talks are ongoing with “several” markets about constructing a second Sphere venue.
The futuristic $2.3 billion development launched in Las Vegas in September 2023 with the 40-night U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere residency, and while a proposed London replica was aborted in acrimonious circumstances, other territories such as the UAE have remained in the frame.
Speaking during the Madison Square Garden spin-off’s fiscal Q3 2024 earnings call, Dolan denied there had been any “hold-up” with the plans, but advised that building another Sphere was no simple feat.
“It’s not like building a McDonald’s; it’s complicated,” said the executive chair and CEO. “It’s a very expensive project. This will only be the second one… in the world that has been built. And so working out all the details and the construction cost and the relationships that are in there does take time.
“There has been plenty of interest over the year, but [it wasn’t] until we launched the product in late September that people really got to see what it was and began to see how it can perform.
“With all that, though, we are in discussions with several markets. We think we’re going to conclude at least one of those markets soon. How soon? I’m not going to predict, but soon. And we continue to hear from new markets too. As the Sphere becomes better known and people begin to understand the economics behind it and what it can do for our marketplace, the interest remains strong.”
“We will never have an act play the Sphere that doesn’t have something compelling up on the screen”
Dolan also appeared to confirm longstanding rumours that the Eagles would be next in line for a Sphere residency after U2, Phish and Dead & Company.
“We’re looking for the acts that are the biggest draws, and we are in discussions with a whole bunch of those,” he said. “Remember, every time an act books the Sphere, they have to create content around it. We will never have an act play the Sphere that doesn’t have something compelling up on the screen. It takes a while to do that, so we’re being too judicious about it. But the more an act plays the Sphere, like U2, the more they can monetise the content across multiple shows and therefore invest more on the content and create an even better show. That’s what we’re seeing now.
“[Dead & Company] premieres on Thursday [16 May]. And I think you’re going to find that — even if you’re not a Deadhead – you’re going to love that show. And I think the same will be true for the Eagles and for the next acts that we bring on.”
For the fiscal 2024 third quarter, the Sphere segment posted revenues of $170.4m – an increase of $169.7m year-on-year. Its operating loss of $83.5m was an improvement of $28.9 million on the prior year quarter, Event-related revenues were $34.3m, while revenues from sponsorship, signage, Exosphere advertising and suite licence fees were $32.9m. Adjusted operating income was $12.9m.
“Our early results continue to demonstrate Sphere’s potential to disrupt the traditional venue model”
“Since its October debut, the signature content category has already generated over $200 million in revenue,” noted Dolan. “That includes more than $1 million in average daily ticket sales in both the second and third quarters. These results reinforce our belief in the value of original content. And we are now developing new cinematic offerings to strengthen this core category.
“On the concert front, headline acts are seeing the advantages of performing at Sphere. U2’s 40 show run grew an audience on par with a national arena tour. Phish sold out its four nights in less than one hour. And Dead & Co. has already extended their upcoming residency.”
Sphere Entertainment reported an operating loss of $40.4m – an improvement of $61.5m compared to the prior year quarter – on revenues of $321.3m (up from $159.3m y-o-y). AOI was $61.5m, as compared to an adjusted operating loss of $18.7m 12 months previously.
“With the second consecutive quarter of robust revenues and positive adjusted operating income at the Sphere segment, our early results continue to demonstrate Sphere’s potential to disrupt the traditional venue model,” concluded Dolan. “We are encouraged by the demand for this new medium and remain confident in our future growth opportunities.”
Today (13 May), Sphere Entertainment announced it has acquired all of the remaining shares it did not previously own of 3D audio technology firm HOLOPLOT, having made its first investment into the leading global company in 2018 when the two companies partnered to develop Sphere Immersive Sound.
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Second Las Vegas Sphere residency wraps up
Rock group Phish have become the second act to complete a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The US jam band delivered a four-show stint at the 17,500-seat/20,000-cap venue from 18-21 April to follow in the footsteps of U2, who launched the $2.3 billion next-generation venue – the brainchild of Madison Square Garden boss James Dolan – last September.
The group did not repeat any songs over the four-night run, while each performance’s visuals were different and even improvised in the moment.
“All of our visuals can be executed, modified, and manipulated in real time,” co-creative director Abigail Rosen Holmes tells CNN. “They… follow the band’s musical performance, rather than being locked in, allowing Phish to play as freely as they would at any other show.”
The Sphere features a 160,000 sq. foot LED display inside the main venue, which wraps up, over and around the audience for a fully immersive experience in cutting-edge 16K x 16K resolution.
“The emotions of the music, mixed cohesively with the visuals on the screen, create an emphatic moment only truly felt by those in the venue”
Daniel Jean of Montreal-based multimedia studio Moment House, which co-produced the visuals for the concerts, says the technology “has opened the door to creativity in ways we haven’t been able to explore before”.
“The emotions of the music, mixed cohesively with the visuals on the screen, create an emphatic moment only truly felt by those in the venue,” he adds, speaking to CNN.
U2’s acclaimed U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere run, which was staged in partnership with Live Nation and Sphere Entertainment, saw the Irish group play to fans from over 100 countries from 29 September 2023 to 2 March 2024. The show grossed $244.5 million from 663,000 tickets sold across 40 sold-out dates to become the fourth-highest-grossing concert residency of all time, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Dead & Company will follow with 24 concerts from 16 May to 13 July, with a different setlist performed each weekend. General admission tickets are priced between $145 and $395.
No other artists have yet been announced for the venue, but the Eagles are heavily rumoured to be lining up a residency for the autumn.
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U2’s Sphere run closes after 700k+ ticket sales
U2 sold more than 700,000 tickets for their groundbreaking residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which wrapped up earlier this month.
In partnership with Live Nation and Sphere Entertainment, the band played to fans from over 100 countries across 40 sold-out dates from 29 September 2023 to 2 March 2024. Tickets started at US$140 (€129), with 60% of tickets priced under $300.
The acclaimed U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere run at the next-generation 17,500-seat/20,000-cap venue saw Dutch musician Bram van den Berg step in as a temporary replacement for drummer Larry Mullen Jr, who was taking time out due to surgery.
Mullen was in attendance for the Friday night of the closing weekend, later posting to the group’s social media: “What an incredible night at Sphere. So grateful to Bono, Edge and Adam and of course Bram for an amazing job, very emotional night for me personally.”
The Eagles have reportedly been in talks over a potential Sphere residency for later this year
The project saw the group reunite with creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams, as well as artists including Es Devlin, John Gerrard and Marco Brambilla. Billboard Boxscore reported that the first 17 shows grossed $109.8 million and sold 281,000 tickets, making it the fastest-grossing residency in Boxscore history.
American rock band Phish are the next major act lined up to play at the Sphere and will deliver a four-show stint at the 17,500-seat/20,000-cap venue from 18-21 April 2024, with Dead & Company to follow with 18 concerts across six consecutive weeks from 16 May to 6 June, with a different setlist performed each weekend.
TMZ recently reported the Eagles have been in talks over a potential Sphere residency to launch in the autumn. The band are currently in the midst of their final tour, titled The Long Goodbye, which is expected to run to 2025.
In its latest financial results, the Sphere in Las Vegas posted losses of US$193.9m for fiscal 2024 Q2 – its first full quarter of operation – on revenue of $167.8m. Sphere Entertainment reported event-related revenues of $55.2m, almost entirely from concerts, for the quarter.
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