The Killers have shared that they are “open” to doing a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The MSG Sphere is a $2.3billion (£1.8billion) dome with an 18,000 capacity and 160,000 speakers. It’s complete with an LED screen that completely wraps around inside the dome. The Sphere opened on September 29 with a residency performed by U2.
After being asked In a new Q&A interview with The Guardian if the ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ hitmakers would ever do a residency at the mega venue in their hometown of Las Vegas, The Killers frontman, Brandon Flowers said: “You can take the boys out of Vegas, but it will always be a part of us. When we were kids, it was a small town.”
He continued: “For a while it was the fastest-growing city in America. I was lucky enough to see U2 at the Sphere. Absolutely we would be open to doing something like that. It would be a big undertaking, but it would be a blast.”
U2’s highly-acclaimed residency was recently extended up until February 2024 due to “unprecedented demand”. An NME review of their opening night said The Sphere “truly takes your breath away”. Phish were recently announced as the next band to take up residency at The Sphere.
The Vermont band are due to play in April 2024 for four nights. You can catch Phish live from April 18-21 – get your tickets here, and travel packages are on sale here.
Recent reports have shown the venue has reportedly lost $98.4million. The company reported revenues of $118million, but it is down 71 per cent from a year ago, as per The New York Post. In a comment to NME, The Sphere’s Executive Chairman and CEO James L. Dolan said: “Sphere’s opening in Las Vegas in September represented a significant milestone, generating worldwide attention and marking the beginning of a new chapter for our Company.
“We are building positive momentum across Sphere and remain confident that we are well positioned to drive long-term value for shareholders.”
There has been recent debate over plans for a similar Sphere venue to be built in Stratford, London, announced back in 2018. The 21,500-capacity venue would have been the largest concert arena in London. However, Mayor Sadiq Khan rejected the plans on November 20, due to the “negative impact” the venue may have on Stratford residents.
However, on December 1, the UK Government have stepped in to try and prevent plans from being scrapped. According to The Standard, MP Michael Gove is working to convince Khan to go ahead with The Sphere via a letter to the London Legacy Development Corporation.
As secretary of state, Gove has the ability to overrule the Mayor, and Gove has suggested he wants a chance to look over the plans before they are scrapped.
Elsewhere, The Killers have announced a handful of extra dates and their opening support act for their ‘Rebel Diamonds‘ greatest hits UK and Ireland arena tour.
Ahead of the release of their ‘best of’ album, ‘Rebel Diamonds’, The Killers have added four extra dates in Dublin, Manchester, Glasgow and London to their celebratory 2024 tour due to exceptional demand during early ticket pre-sales.
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