Achtung Baby is arguably U2's creative peak; a moment of bold change in the early 90s that saw the band, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois emerge from Berlin and Dublin seclusion to successfully redefine their sound without sacrificing the knack for towering anthems that had already made them a stadium act. The Zoo TV tour that would follow set a new benchmark for huge live shows. Now they're revisiting it all with a Las Vegas residency.
The news was announced during a Superbowl commercial last night; the band will play the city's brand new Madison Square Garden Sphere venue at the Venetian Resort.
The choice of Vegas may seem somewhat kitsch to some fans and detractors of the Dublin band but it's very much in keeping with the Zoo TV ethos, and the band are huge Elvis fans, of course.
A much longer trailer below clocks in at nearly four minutes and sets out the concept of an Achtung Baby sphere arriving on Earth as various fans of the band from different countries are abducted by it. Oh come on, you weren't expecting modesty, surely?
Will we see the return of Bono's devilish comic-book MacPhisto alter ego? One thing is for sure, we'll see the Edge showcasing some of his most brilliantly creative parts in this set.
No dates are announced but it will take place in the fall of this year. Fans can register their interest in tickets at livenation.com.
But come on, where are the UK and Ireland dates for an Achtung Baby set? With the climate change crisis highlighted at the start of the video above, we can't have fans hopping on planes to the US.
Surely the band have plans to go home to Slane Castle at least? Perhaps the original 30th anniversary tour plans that came and went in 2021 were changed following the pandemic. For those of us without the will or way to get to Vegas, we await more news.
There is a sphere that's been approved for Stratford, London… but there's not even a potential opening date yet.
