The Sphere; residencies; and Haus of Gaga
Even if you’re not a gambler (we’re not), there are plenty of excellent reasons for a long weekend or more in Las Vegas.
According to The New York Times – and in our own conversations with drivers – tourism has dropped significantly this year. One reason cited by The Times is the Canadian tourism boycott in response to the tariffs imposed on Canadian goods.
There also are indications that tourism is down because of the perception that Las Vegas is pricier than it used to be. Adam’s first visit when he was a kid was in the era of $19 hotel rooms and $5 all-you-can-eat buffets. We certainly saw none of that in our trip this time.
Residencies
Known for its iconic residencies from Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga, Vegas has hosted the biggest superstars in the world in relatively small venues.
Our latest trip was all about seeing the fabulously fit Lenny Kravitz, who had an August residency at the 5,200-seat Dolby Live venue in Park MGM.
If you’re interested in Dolby Live, know that seating charts can vary with performers. Kravitz had standing room only on the floor in front of floor seating (we actually had to get someone on the phone – it’s possible! – to clarify this) – and strangely the floor seating was considerably more expensive.
We opted for the first row in the first elevated section – and never understood the presence of more expensive floor seating behind people who never sat down.
Lenny put on a phenomenal show – and came out into the audience to fist bump Adam!
The Sphere
With 106-degree temps outside in August, the only reason we wanted to leave the massive world-unto-itself Park MGM was to experience the Sphere, officially The Sphere at the Venetian Resort.
This state-of-the-art $2.3 billion immersive entertainment venue, located just east of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nev., literally redefines live and visual entertainment.
At 366 feet high and 516 feet wide, it has 580,000-square-feet of programmable outside LEDs that transform it into a completely realistic blinking eye overlooking the Strip, or a multitude of other video and animations.
As you enter its dimness, you pass humanoid interactive robotics, and an incredible about 50-foot holographic installation in the eight-story vaulted lobby that puts you in sci-fi territory.
Inside the theater, a massive wraparound LED screen of 16K resolution, about 160,000 square feet, literally envelopes you. You are told not to take pictures, but I was apparently the only person not following that rule.
Here are some numbers. There are: 1,586 permanent loudspeaker modules; 300 mobile speaker modules; and 167,000 speaker drivers. All providing precise, directional sound coupled with physical effects – seats that vibrate or move with the sound.
There are about 18,000 seats on nine levels. This place is by no means small. But it feels intimate.
It’s hosted residencies of huge international stars such as U2 and The Eagles, but otherwise it showed the Darren Aronofsky film “Postcard from Earth,” a futuristic look at Earth.
The film is worth every cent. I swear I felt an elephant’s eyelashes brush my face as one appeared to swing right past me.
But now, the Sphere has started showing a reimagined “The Wizard of Oz,” and is making use of its full tech – AI-restored and -enhanced visuals, scent, wind, etc. The apple trees throw fake apples; the flying monkeys are drones; the formerly limited landscapes are no longer limited.
We will go back to Vegas just to see it.
A good tip: Get your tickets as far ahead of time as possible. Tickets for Oz start at about $175 a pop.
Lady Gaga
Maybe you missed Lady Gaga’s Vegas shows. Maybe you can’t make a local show.
But if you go to Park MGM you can see many of her incredibly iconic costumes. Haus of Gaga is located adjacent to the Dolby and there is no entrance fee.
It’s an ever-changing collection from Gaga’s personal vault and also includes some of her merch.
Items you can see could include her 2010 MTV Video Music Awards meat dress, her custom bodysuit worn during her performance of Paparazzi at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, her Versace gown worn to the 2012 Presidential Inauguration, or her custom Alexander McQueen lace gown worn in the Alejandro music video.
The takeaways? She’s incredibly bold and creative – and geez, is she small!
