U2 confirm upcoming Las Vegas residency in Super Bowl trailer

U2 have confirmed they will return to the stage for the first time in four years - and the official announcement was made with a little help from a Carrickfergus fan.

The Irish band announced during a Super Bowl advert on Sunday that they will be taking up residence in Las Vegas as one of the first acts to perform at the MSG Sphere at The Venetian  this autumn with U2: UV Achtung Baby Live.

The extended trailer shows reports of an “unidentified flying object” with a large silver sphere floating through the air.

It starts by following Carrickfergus carpenter Seamus Doherty, who, it says, has been a U2 fan since 1980, as he listens to a radio report of a UFO.

Seamus is seemingly abducted by the UFO, which then goes around the world collecting other U2 fans from Tokyo, Paris and Rio De Janeiro.

The fans are then all dumped in a desert near Las Vegas, prompting Seamus to shout out 'where are we?' which is sarcastically followed up with a shout of 'Well we're not in Dublin'.

The four U2 members then appear and lead the fans towards the MSG Sphere, where the concerts will take place.

The Irish band will perform their 1991 album Achtung Baby at the venue, which is nearing completion having been under construction since 2019 at a cost of around $2.18 billion.

The area has a seating capacity of between 17,500 to 20,000, features 4D technology, immersive sound and a 16k screen that wraps around the seating.

The announcement comes just ahead of the band’s Songs of Surrender – a collection of 40 songs from U2’s back catalogue, re-recorded and reimagined – which is due to be released on Friday.

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at The Sphere will kick off in the autumn of 2023.

Although show dates have not been announced fans can visit U2xSPHERE.com for details and register for ticket information at verifiedfan.livenation.com/u2.

The residency will be going ahead without drummer Larry Mullen Jr, who is due to undergo surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.

“It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg, who is a force in his own right,” U2 said in a statement, shared with US media.

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Show dates haven’t been announced but fans can visit U2xSPHERE.com for details and register for ticket information at verifiedfan.livenation.com/u2.