On the topic of round shapes and formidable designs, I thought it might be worth writing a little piece on a massive sphere I came upon earlier this month.
The Sphere is an entertainment arena currently under construction in Las Vegas for the Venetian Resort, funded by Madison Square Garden (MSG). Right now, it is set to be finished by fall 2023 and U2 is the only performer scheduled.
Like a blacked-out planet rising over the horizon or a big bluetooth speaker, the Sphere is a sign. Thinking about the ways the buildings in Las Vegas use symbolism to convey their meaning in literal ways, I was interested in the form of this building in relation to its purpose.
“Baroque domes were symbols as well as spatial constructions, and they are bigger in scale and higher outside than inside in order to dominate their urban setting and communicate their symbolic message.” - Learning from Las Vegas
Like the Baroque dome, the enormity and divergent structural shape of this building is meant both to convey what it is and the luxury you will experience whilst inside. By emulating a speaker, literally in its physical construction and by having the outside be an LED screen that reflects what’s happening inside, the building itself becomes what it represents.
The 366-foot high and 516-foot wide entertainment arena will fit over 18,000 people and is advertised to be the most technologically advanced stadium in the world. Extremely high-resolution LED screens will coat both the interior and exterior of the building and the fully immersive sound system is composed of 164,000 speakers. Once it’s finished, visitors will feel like they are inside a speaker — or inside the music itself.
On a tour with Apple Music, The Edge, guitarist in U2, describes the sound system: “throughout the entire building are speakers that are focused so that you have the capability of placing the audience inside a whole 360 degree sonic spectrum.”
The Sphere is designed to create intimacy between the band and audience, despite the immensity of the crowd and the distance from seats to stage. The screen can present images in hyper-reality and the speaker quality makes it seem like the performers are playing right before you. It erases the excess noise and distraction that comes from being in a crowd of strangers.
Introducing a rock band as the first performing act at Sphere is an interesting move. When the Beatles first performed in the United States at Shea Stadium in 1965, which arguably was the first stadium show in history, the band could barely be heard over the screaming crowds. Rock and roll music can be defined by the energy at the live shows — the flair and the feedback— though sets are rehearsed, each night is different, reflective of the audience present and the energy they give. It is a one-time experience, with you and the thousands of other fans/ strangers there with you.
At the Sphere, the thousands of speakers bring music directly to each audience member and any notion of distortion or compression will have to be added in artificially by the sound engineer. The visual elements will be pre-programmed — the band will have to play to accommodate the technology. There will be less room for error and moments of connection with the crowd.
I wonder if part of the influence to build the Sphere came from a desire to tap into the rising popularity of personal home entertainment and VR. Why venture out to a show when it is possible to set up surround sound in your home, or listen through over ear headphones in an environment of your choosing? The “immersive” qualities in the screens and audio will essentially feel like being inside of a virtual reality, after all.
It's fun to be with people who appreciate the music that you do — it makes you feel like you can believe in something. If that singer in that band really gets you, all these other people singing along must get you too. It's a sort of tribe mentality — it brings people together. But I think that experience is supposed to be loud and distorted and full of screaming fans. It’s meant to be imperfect and experiential — that’s what being with a large group of strangers philosophically should be like. What does it mean to provide the “perfect experience” with music? To invite the audience into the music, to give them an experience that goes beyond just seeing their favorite band and hundreds of other fans nod their heads in unison? To actually be inside of it?
When I first started looking into the Sphere, I didn’t like it. I was convinced it was indulgent, a $1.2 billion dollar superfluous project, providing no housing or services beyond expensive entertainment. It isn’t accessible architecture by any means. But if this sort of money is spent on sports, why not on music? Anyway, as it is, almost finished and a vanguard for live music events — I’m starting to see this could be a cool new way to appreciate rock and roll. It might be a changing industry, that’s for sure, but as technology for sound and visual improves, rock music might as well roll with it.
In other words, if MSG is looking for a copy-writer in their marketing department, I am available for hire.
xo