Larry Mullen Jr. Was At U2’s Penultimate Sphere Show

Larry Mullen Jr. was forced to sit out of U2's Sphere residency in Las Vegas. However, the drummer was in attendance to take in the penultimate residency gig.

During the Friday, March 2 show, Bono took a moment to acknowledge the sidelined Mullen Jr. In fan-shot footage, Bono said, "The rumors that Larry will be playing with us tonight are not true, sadly. But he is here with us!" Mullen Jr. was then shown in a crowd on the Sphere's screens, which led to loud ovation from fans.

U2's official X (formerly Twitter) account shared a brief statement from Mullen Jr. He wrote, "What an incredible night at Sphere. So grateful to Bono, Edge and Adam, and, of course, Bram [van den Berg], for an amazing job. Very emotional night for me, personally - Larry Mullen Jr."

U2's Sphere residency was the band's first live shows in four years. Unfortunately, they were without Mullen Jr. He told The Washington Post in November 2022 that he won't be able to perform in 2023 due to needing surgery due to the wear and tear of drumming for decades.

At the time, the outlet wrote, " ... if the band plays live in 2023 it will probably be without him, as he needs surgery to continue playing." (Indeed, Mullen Jr. underwent shoulder surgery. If you watch the aforementioned fan-shot footage, he only raises his right arm to wave to fans. He kept his left arm in a stationary, fixed position.)

In honor of its residency, U2 released a new song in September 2023 titled "Atomic City." The video for the single harkens back to the band's classic video for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which was also filmed on Freemont Street in Las Vegas in 1987. The video is also reminiscent of the clip for "All Because of You," which also saw the band perform on a flatbed truck through the streets of New York.

Despite not taking part in the residency, Mullen Jr. took part in the recording of "Atomic City" and its accompanying video.

Sphere in Las Vegas is one of the coolest venues to open in decades. There truly hasn't been anything like it, especially when it comes to its many visual aspects.

To begin with, its sheer presence as a building just off the Vegas Strip is awe-inspiring. Your eyes are just drawn to it, regardless of what it projected on its external surface. Sphere's website notes the "Exosphere" features 580,000 sq feet of LEDs that are so bright they can be seen from space.

Its interior is also magical, and we don't just mean its spatial audio system. Sphere's website states, "Events at Sphere are immersive experiences that, depending on the event, may include elements such as seat haptics, movement sensations, flashing lights, intense lighting, visual effects, loud noises, and atmospheric simulations including fog, scent and wind."

In other words: There are seemingly few limits to what can be done with Sphere's remarkable technology.

After breaking ground in Sept. 2018, Sphere opened in Sept. 2023. U2, of course, was the first artist to perform a residency at the new Vegas venue, which cost $2.3 billion to build. In December 2023, The Hollywood Reporter noted the 17 shows U2 performed through Nov. 30 generated $30.7 million in revenue, which is an average of $1.8 million per show.

Additionally, Sphere has screened Darren Aronofsky's film Postcards From Earth. Through Nov. 30, the state-of-the-art venue has hosted 111 screenings of the film, which has resulted in $44.5 million in revenue. This averages to $400,000 per screening. Altogether, these two attractions have generated over $75 million in revenue for the new venue.

After U2 wraps their residency on March 2, Phish will be the next band to perform at The Sphere. Their show dates are currently April 18-21. After Phish, Dead & Company's "Dead Forever" residency will begin on May 16.

This all has us asking ourselves a very important question: Who should be next to occupy Sphere? After some thought, we think these five rock acts would make very interesting use of the unique space.

Gilmour doesn't perform much anymore, so having him do a Sphere residency would be really special. He undoubtedly has enough of a catalog to warrant such a grand venue. Also, you just know he could really bring an impressive visual experience, too. A Gilmour Sphere residency would continue to make the venue the most in-demand attraction in Vegas.

Let's just say it: Maynard James Keenan is a f---ing weirdo. (Yes, we do mean that in a positive way.) It would be fascinating to see how he would play to such a larger-than-life venue. As far as visuals go, their existing music videos could be projected on the massive screens, and it would be outstanding! The video for "Vicarious" alone would be trippy AF. Of course, Tool would likely create original visuals for the performance just because they could.

How do you make a larger-than-life rock figure even larger? Have them take on Sphere! If anyone could do it, it's obviously Sir Paul. Like with Gilmour, there's an ample catalog to play with. Plus, he'd be able to sell out countless nights at the venue. Nothing but wins all around for this one!

Giving Trent Reznor the kind of visual freedom Sphere could offer would be interesting, to say the least. It would just be fascinating to see what he would do with all of the technology. He would surely come up with a concept literally only he could dream up. Let's hope a NIN residency will eventually become a reality.

Remember how we noted Sphere is capable of "atmospheric simulations including fog, scent and wind"? Just imagine how Slipknot would utilize scent in a venue. Sure, there's a good chance it would be gross, but it's not like you'd want some earthy patchouli incense at a Slipknot show. Plus, their visuals are overwhelming at their shows already. Just think of what they would do with those screens!