I nearly wrecked my car when I first saw it last year driving down the Las Vegas Strip. What was that giant glowing orb that looked like it might have been dropped by aliens? Turns out it was built by entrepreneurs and cutting-edge engineers who designed “ Sphere ” as a unique entertainment venue, one that catches attention even in the flashy world of Las Vegas. Outside, the exterior — called the Exosphere — of this enormous globe is visible to anyone driving down the Strip and even from airplanes overhead, making it an instant Vegas landmark.
This immense orb is covered with LED lights. Sphere executives say it’s the largest LED screen on earth, covering 580,000 square feet with 1.2 million LED pucks and capable of displaying a billion colors, and also the world’s largest spherical building.
Inside the venue, one has the feeling of being in an immense planetarium, with 360-degree screens and graphics. It opened with its first show in September 2023. I went inside for the first time in May to attend the “ Dead Forever ” show by Dead & Company , which contains former members of the Grateful Dead, and also guest artists such as singer-songwriter John Mayer .
The Dead had always been known for its cutting edge technology and marvelous graphics, so I was interested to see what they’d do with an unusual venue like this. I had trouble getting tickets, because mobs of other Dead fans were also fighting for them, but I finally scored three for my birthday in May. I .