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Las Vegas Is Building the World’s Largest Sphere as a Concert Venue

Las Vegas has long been famous as the adult entertainment capital of the world. But now, facing competitors for its title in Asia and the Middle East, Las Vegas is stepping up its game.

The city is building the world’s first spherical structure, with the world’s largest and highest-resolution LED screen. The concert venue promises to remake Las Vegas’s skyline and revolutionize the entertainment industry, The B1M reports.

The giant sphere will sit near the Las Vegas Strip, just behind the Venetian. At its widest point, the sphere will be 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment is developing the project in partnership with Las Vegas Sands Corp. With a price tag of $1.8 billion, it’s a Vegas-sized gamble that indoor concerts will bounce back from the pandemic in a major and enduring way.

Las Vegas Sphere Has Awesome Sound, Lighting Features

The sphere, a.k.a. the MSG Sphere, will play host to 17,500 seats. What about its LED screen? That boasts a resolution of 19,000 by 13,500 pixels. And it spans an area bigger than three football fields.

As for the sound system, it’s pretty badass. It uses beam-forming technology to deliver multiple audio streams directly to individual seats. There will be 157,000 ultra-directional speakers in total. And an infrasound haptic system will create vibrations so the audience can feel the sound waves landing around them.

Meanwhile, cloaking the outside of the sphere will be 600,000 square feet of programmable lighting for pedestrians wandering the edge of the Strip.

Status Update: Construction Begins on the Steel Framework for LED Display, Sound System

As of last month, work had started on the steel framework for the sphere’s interior LED display and its sound system. Construction on the 730-ton framework is the next step after the completion of the venue’s domed roof, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

“Completing MSG Sphere’s domed roof is a significant milestone because it allows us to begin the next phase of construction — building the steel framework to support the advanced audio and visual immersive technologies that will make MSG Sphere a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination,” Nick Tomasino, vice president of construction for MSG Entertainment, said in a statement.

Construction on the sphere has thus far required 1,300 workers. They finished the concrete and steel domed roof in October. After 3,000 tons of rebar and 6,000 cubic yards of concrete were in place, a 10-inch-thick layer of concrete completed the domed roof.

The steel framework should hold roughly 50 million pounds of weight. And the LED display plane is supposed to connect to a hanger system on the dome’s underside.

The venue is set to open its doors in 2023.