The Neon City’s giant orb venue is a real game-changer in entertainment.
During a recent vacation to the Southwest, I had the opportunity to visit The Sphere in Las Vegas, the city’s newest and most social-media friendly attraction.
No doubt you’ve seen the countless videos uploaded on Tiktok and YouTube showcasing the outside of the Sphere. A complex network of LED light panels is what allows the exterior to show anything from a human eye to a smiling emoji. All viewable from large distances, including aircraft miles up in the sky, in crystal-clear HD. It’s basically an enormous highway billboard wrapped around a giant beach ball. Impressive enough, for sure.
But that’s only the outside. As for the interior, well, that’s where this orb becomes rather magical. Inside it boasts a massive 16K wraparound LED screen with 1,600 speakers, accomodating an 18,600 seat auditorium. The Sphere uses haptic, beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies. That’s just a fancy way of saying the imagery and sounds are set up to be as immersive as possible. It also uses 4D elements like wind and scent.
However, the Sphere is really in a league of its own, and impossible to compare to any other theater system. Watching something in IMAX feels like looking at a postage stamp compared to the massive, nearly 360 degree interior wrap-around screen. Well, maybe that’s too severe. But the following night while watching Godzilla Minus One on an IMAX screen at the Red Rock Casino Resort, I couldn’t help but feel let down by the viewing experience compared to what I’d seen the previous night.
Frankly, the Sphere is awe-inspiring, and represents a great leap forward in immersive entertainment.
For my trip to the Sphere, I chose to attend Postcard from Earth, a 50-minute documentary directed by Darren Aronofsky. The band U2 also has an ongoing live concert residency exclusive to the Sphere through March of next year for their album Achtung Baby. Phish is scheduled in April. Having seen that band nearly 20 years ago I can attest their unique style of psychedelic rock will flow perfectly from that glorious screen. Pink Floyd would be another suberb fit.
The Atrium
The Sphere Experience is a two-part journey that lasts two hours. The first hour is spent in the Atrium, where you are able to interact with several unique exhibits. I took several videos of the exhibits in the Atrium on my X account, which you can check out below.
https://x.com/deanmaxbrooks/status/1731921199012413593?s=20
The first video shows a humanoid AI robot named Aura that can interact with the audience, answer questions, and acts as a guide on a variety of futuristic topics. There are alternate versions of Aura within the Atrium, each covering different subjects, or orchestrating a different sort of interaction. The Aura in the video above shows the AI answering a woman’s question, “What is the meaning of life?”
The video below the one I took of Aura is just a simple pan of the Atrium ceiling, which contains some physical and holographic artwork. The blue lighting and overall ambience is meant to evoke a futuristic vibe. It did feel like I’d been transported to the 22nd century after standing outside in the cold Vegas air for twenty minutes in line. Sphere entry staff actually processed us rather quickly given the number of people attending. Like most venues, you still have to go through a metal detector and have your QR-code ticket scanned.
There are other interactive exhibits, such as one that scans your whole body to make a digital avatar. Then for a fee it will email you your virtual copy to yourself as a keepsake. That one had a long line, so I avoided it to focus on the different Aura models. Aside from the attractions, there are concession stands. But be warned, all food and drink items are priced like you’ll find at any sports stadium. I paid almost $10 for a single hotdog and $5 for a bottle of water. It seems our 22nd century future still hasn’t cracked the problem of overpriced refreshments. Maybe the 23rd will take care of that.
The Sphere
After mulling around the Atrium for about an hour, the real event was finally ready to begin: Postcard from Earth. I’ve taken a short video of the auditorium as seats were filling, which you can check out below.
You can get a real sense of the size of the Sphere from the video. I sat in the the 300 section, almost right in the middle. This, as I discovered, was pretty optimum seating. Though I don’t imagine there’s a bad seat anywhere in the house, really, with a screen that massive. My ticket ran about $178 after taxes, while “better” seats down closer to the screen were going for almost $300. However, I’m not sure it’s necessary to pay double what I did just to get closer. The Sphere also offers a Director’s Seat Package for their VIP experience.
Postcard from Earth
Postcard from Earth by Darren Aronofsky (The Whale, Black Swan) is a 50-minute documentary set in the far future inside a space ship that’s just touched down on a distant habitable planet. Three astronauts emerging from cryo-sleep undergo a lengthy reawakening process in which a computerized voice orients them by helping them remember their place of origin.
Over the next 45 minutes the characters, and by extension, us, the audience, are greeted with a series of images and scenes from all over the world. It’s a fun and creative means to invite the viewers into the world of the story. Aronofsky makes fantastic use of colors, textures and sounds, sweeping across virtually every form of geography, environmental condition and architecture, from just about every culture on the planet. There’s a transitional shot in the beginning where we leave the spaceship and descend from orbit onto earth that is so breathtaking it literally gave me anxiety.
The Sphere is truly HD, giving unmatched crystal-clear imagery made even better by the naturalistic scnery in the documentary. All the while a soothing voice over speaks to the astronauts (and us). It’s like the most intense and visually stunning affirmation video ever made, and showcases the Sphere’s many immersive features.
After the show ended, crowds were lead out through a wide corridor that took us through to the Palazzo at the Venetian Resort on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Important Note: If you’re looking to get an Uber following a visit, you’re much better off going through the Palazzo and connecting with a ride on the Blvd rather than right by the Sphere. When I arrived in my Uber, there was a huge mass of people waiting for return rides at the drop off section. However, I was able to get a return ride from the Palazzo fountain in about five minutes.
Overall, my experience at the Sphere was amazing. The only drawback is that right now it’s still in its experimental phase, with very limited selections. This is the first venue of its kind, afterall, though there are plans to build other spheres in London and Dubai. The structure was designed by an outfit called Populous backed by the Madison Square Garden Company.
I see a great deal of potential in the Sphere. It supercedes IMAX and pretty much anthing else. Aronofsky’s documentary and concert films are perfect to start with, but a feature film custom-designed for the immense screen would be phenomenal. If it were up to me, I’d be moving heaven and earth to get Avatar 3 to premier in the Sphere when it comes out December 2025. I don’t doubt Populous has been in talks with top studios and directors for potential projects in the future.
If you live in the Southwest or are planning to visit, be sure to check out The Sphere in Las Vegas for an unforgettable experience.
Dean Brooks 