#NInjaVerdict: The Sphere, Las Vegas USA

“Have you seen that big dome circle thing in Vegas?! Its absolutely mad looking, whats it all about!?

An early year visit to Las Vegas was on the cards for the NInja – so the perfect opportunity to see what all the fuss was about, and what exactly THE SPHERE was ….

The Sphere is the latest concert and entertainment attraction in Las Vegas, just off the Strip behind the Venetian Resort Hotel – it opened last year at a reported cost of over $2Billion! This giant orb with the bright eye-catching outer moving designs (due to the fully covered LED screen exterior) is impossible to miss when in Las Vegas and has made this new structure a headline attraction on the Vegas skyline.
The ever-changing exterior images have been going viral over the last 5-6 months, making the orb structure look like a giant basketball, an earth, a giant eye ball,  even a smiley face that seems to follow you around!
The rock band U2 played on the opening night (and following weeks on a residency gig) …. but we were visiting for the ‘Postcards from Earth’ show – described as “a sci-fi journey deep into our future as our descendants reflect on our shared home” – a fully immersive experience that has 2-3 show times per day

As we were previously at the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign beforehand, we decided to Uber to the venue. There’s a drop off point for taxis/Ubers, plenty of parking spaces if you’re driving, and staff on hand to direct you to the venue. If you’re already on The Strip the better solution would be to walk from the Venetian as it’s a direct route, takes 10 minutes and will shelter you from the heat in the hotter months (or cold wind in our circumstances in an unseasonably VERY cold day in Vegas). If you do attend via the Venetian walkway, definitely head outside to see the lights wrapping the building up close, its fascinating and mesmerising at the same time!

Our tickets were for the 2pm show, and we arrived at 1.45pm and slightly shocked at the long queue length. There are lots of friendly staff with ‘here to help’ signs to assist and you can also easily join the wifi which worked well. We were slightly concerned that the doors only opened at 1.50pm but never fear, like all big events in Vegas, it’s a smooth and fairly quick process and the line moved very quickly. You will be required to have bags checked and go through a security scanner. Any larger bags/backpacks will be required to be checked in, and this is mandatory, although there is zero charge for this. I would advise travelling light to speed all up.
In hindsight, we thought the show started at 2pm, but if you have a 2pm ticket it’s really for entry from 2pm, you have an hour to look round the building – the tech pods including interactive robots, 360-degree avatar capture and seeing some 22nd century technology which really blew my mind – it has that futuristic feel of Epcot at Disneyworld at times.
There are plenty of eateries and concession stands within Sphere. We had already eaten so didn’t order anything – the prices here would be on par with most of the Vegas attractions and the offering looked really good to be fair!

After passing some time exploring the four Pods and feeling like we were on some type of Space Station, it was up the multiple staircases to take our seats. We were in Section 406, right in the middle of the top tier. We had read the various pros and cons of the different seats and areas that you can sit in, but being up higher is without doubt what i would recommend, as it allows you FULL viewing access and if I was coming again they would be the exact seat choice I’d be aiming to select (*unless Bono wants to give me free front row seats for his next gig…). You are VERY high up, and the steps were quite steep but there were also people in that section on mobility scooters so there is access in specific areas for all requirements.

The visual impact of the show was absolutely spectacular and breathtaking – to the extent it would be wrong to go into a lot of detail with full spoilers. The screen quality is sublime, and I have never experienced anything like it and not sure I ever will again – I believe it’s the world largest high def screen! The narration was just as impressive as the visual imagery in front of you. One note though – I like loud music, but found it was VERY loud at times so if you have people in your party with any sensory issues, I would bear this in mind.

This show, is like nothing I have ever witnessed – via an audio/visual experience that will show you earth and life in all the forms, making you feel that you are observing it LIVE as a passenger in their world. The content also highlights the current challenges from humans, with the real dangers posed that the generations behind us will face – sobering to watch but an important message for us all to consider and hopefully take something from.

As with most things in Las Vegas, the tickets are not cheap for what is effectively a 1 hour show (tickets range from $70-270 for this show) …. but Vegas is all about new experiences, and there is nothing like this anywhere else and it really was an all-out assault (a good one!) on the senses!

I can only imagine the new shows, concerts, attractions and events that will be on show in Sphere in the near future – its an unbelievable venue, and if the tech for music concerts matches the capability they displayed throughout this visit, it would be comfortably be the best venue on this planet – wont be long before Taylor Swift and Queen Bee have a show here …. better start saving those pound coins!