Providing a unique opportunity to interact with U2’s rich artistic legacy, Vibee — the Live Nation-founded destination experience company and VIP package provider for the band’s highly anticipated ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’ shows — has developed “Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience,” the ultimate hub for fans. The fan portal, opening on September 28, was created to support U2’s groundbreaking run of shows, which will see the world’s biggest rock band launch the world’s most state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas kicking off the next day. Vibee VIP experience and hotel packages are available for purchase here.
Developed in collaboration with Gavin Friday, U2’s longtime Creative Director, and with direct input from the band, Zoo Station comprises more than 12,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space across two floors and is conveniently located within The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas, the only resort with direct access to Sphere.
Last night, Sphere’s impactful exterior – the Exosphere, which consists of approximately 1.2M LED pucks over its 580,000 sq ft surface – lit up with the first U2:UV Achtung Baby Live content to help celebrate the announcement of Zoo Station and leading up to the band’s run of shows.
The exhibit borrows its name from “Zoo Station,” the opening track on U2’s seminal 1991 album Achtung Baby, and the nickname for Zoologischer Garten, an actual Berlin train station situated in the city center, not far from Hansa Studios where much of the album was recorded. The exhibit, which is open daily to the public, allows fans to experience the origins and inspirations for Achtung Baby and its accompanying industry-defining Zoo TV Tour with its vision of a technologically-charged future: from the historic train station entrance to the sound design, the life-size subway car and vintage Trabant car display to the interactive Satellite of Love media station.
The industrial train station aesthetic of Zoo Station’s ground floor gives way to a more modern, futuristic environment on the second floor that pays homage to shows at Sphere and the band’s propulsive innovations in live music entertainment. Fans can visit the Ultra Violet lounge for music and shopping and the Fly Bar for drinks and more interactive art. Vibee’s VIP package purchasers get priority access and special events at the lounges. Also on the second floor is the Zoo TV Cinema, an intimate theater curated by The Edge, that will be hosting daily screenings of rare band footage and films.
Highlights include:
• Anton Corbijn Gallery: a retrospective exhibit of famed photographer Anton Corbijn’s work, featuring rotating photos and videos from across his five decades of iconic collaboration with U2. Corbijn will personally curate the space.
• U2 Pop Up Shop: this unique retail location will feature new, never before seen merchandise and a variety of music titles. A capsule collection of limited-edition products made exclusively for this experience will be available throughout the run. Additional exclusive shopping time and areas will be available for Vibee VIP pass holders and Fan Club members.
- Zoo TV Cinema: Curated by The Edge, this intimate theater is open to the public, and hosts five film screenings daily, including rare and unreleased concert footage from U2 shows around the world, original content including “Beyond The Tour,” “A Day In The Life Of The Edge,” and more. Tickets purchasing and schedule to be released in the coming weeks. For more information visit https://u2.vibee.com/. A limited number of complimentary tickets for each screening are reserved for Vibee VIP package purchasers.
Zoo Station will serve as a centralized hub/destination for people to celebrate, congregate, shop, view exclusive U2 content, and immerse themselves in the band’s history. The ground floor, home to the U2 Pop-Up Merch Shop, the Anton Corbjin gallery and interactive installations, will be open to the public and free to enter. Vibee VIP pass holders and Zoo Cinema ticket holders will get priority access to the second floor. The fan portal will be open exclusively to Vibee VIP passholders from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on performance days.
Location
The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas
Located adjacent to the LOVE sculpture in the Waterfall Atrium, just steps away from The Palazzo Casino Floor
Hours of Operation (starting Sept. 28)
Tuesday – Sunday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
About U2
U2 is acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world. Formed in Dublin in 1978, the band were marked out by their drive and ambition from the beginning. U2 has toured the globe countless times, released 14 studio albums, sold over 170 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award. U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and have twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song: in 2003 for ‘The Hands That Built America’ for Gangs of New York, and in 2014 for ‘Ordinary Love’ for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. U2’s fourteenth studio album Songs Of Experience – the companion release to 2014’s Songs Of Innocence – was released in December 2017 debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, setting U2 apart as the only band in history to have topped the chart in four successive decades. In 2018, the U2 hit the road with the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour, an arena production which saw the band continue to push the creative boundaries of technology and engineering. And following 2017’s acclaimed stadium run with The Joshua Tree Tour – the record-breaking smash hit tour celebrating the band’s seminal 1987 album The Joshua Tree – The Joshua Tree Tour took U2 to New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, as well as bring “the biggest band in the world” (The Guardian) to Singapore, Seoul, Manila and Mumbai for the very first time. In November 2019, the band released a track in collaboration with A.R. Rahman titled ‘Ahimsa’, which was performed live at Mumbai’s, D.Y. Patil Stadium. In 2020, SiriusXM and U2 announced the launch of U2 X-Radio, a complete immersion into the work and influences of the band from the Northside of Dublin, all curated by U2. Songs Of Surrender – a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalogue, re-recorded and reimagined for 2023 in sessions spanning the last two years – was released on Friday March 17th this year, topping the album charts around the world including the UK and Ireland. On September 29 of this year, U2 will light up Las Vegas and reshape the live music experience when they kick off their groundbreaking “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere” shows to launch the world’s most state-of-the-art venue, Sphere. This legendary run of 25 shows will run until December 16, 2023.
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