LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Sphere amazed crowds on opening night as thousands lined up just get a look at this new state of the art venue on Friday.
"This venue is literally mind-blowing," said Las Vegas native Joey Smadar, who went to Saturday's U2 concert at the Sphere.
"I don't even know the right words. It was just incredible. It was awesome," said Nikol Markert, who traveled from Texas to watch U2 on opening night.
Not only did fans enjoy the U2 concert, but the special effects as well.
"All these numbers and colors and movement, it's just really mind-blowing. I don't know. Speechless," Smadar said. "This was really something that was never done in the world."
Creating this new state-of-the-art venue was not an easy task. It took more than five years and $2.3 billion to build. However, fans say it was well worth it.
"This is just different," Smadar said.
Financial Analyst Steve Budin said the Sphere being different from other Las Vegas venues, with its state-of-the-art sound system and having the largest continuous LED screen in the world, will help it become profitable.
"I think it will be easier for them to book talent than other venues," Budin said.
The Sphere has several forms of revenue. U2 will host concerts there through Dec. 16 with tickets on the Sphere website ranging from $500 to nearly $1,500.
The venue also has "The Sphere Experience" where guests can walk through the venue, interact with the A.I. robot, Aura, and watch "Postcard from Earth".
The Sphere also has several business collaborations showing advertisements on the Exosphere. This includes the Sphere's collaboration with Dreamworks Animation, the Sphere's first movie studio collaboration showcasing ads for Trolls Band Together.
Budin said he believes with all the forms of revenue, it won't take them long to recover.
"The entertainment business is very risky, but for them to recover their investment in three to five years would not surprise me at all," Budin said.
U2 will play again on Thursday and over the weekend but there's still no word yet on the new shows or artist that will take over after U2 ends their residency on Dec 16.
