The massive sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, has marked a significant advancement in the realm of live entertainment. Within its expansive arena, not only have concerts taken place, but entire 360-degree views of films have also been showcased, including a reimagining of “The Wizard of Oz.” More recently, the popular boy band from the early 2000s, the Backstreet Boys, took to the stage, demonstrating that the appeal of watching men perform intricate dance routines to catchy pop songs remains timeless.
The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a massive, dome-shaped arena with digital visuals both inside and outside. In fact, if you’re looking at the building from a distance, then you will likely see various idle animations programmed for when the dome is empty and is simply just a building. When it was finally finished after nearly five years of development, it became the most expensive entertainment venue in Las Vegas history, beating the Allegiant Stadium.
Last night, the Backstreet Boys graced the massive stage in Vegas, marking their return to the city after a two-year residency starting in 2017. What was probably even more surprising about the concert was the dancers, or rather, the lack of dancers. While the entertainers are known for having memorable choreography they they perform themselves, there are also typically backup dancers present as well. Instead of dancers, however, during the performance of Everybody, the venue provided their own dancers via a display of many robots dancing in tune with the artists.
The visuals are absolutely insane, appearing as though there is more depth to the venue than there actually is. One person in the comments replied with, “Nothing is a surprise anymore 😫,’ referring to how good everything looked. Various other commenters chimed in to agree.
Honestly, I’ve been waiting for the entertainment industry outside of theme parks to start taking on the concept of visual manipulation to create more intense, stunning experiences. The above video reminds me of the projection screens utilized in major immersive theme park experiences like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Na’vi River Journey in Orlando, Florida. The future of entertainment is looking to be more and more exciting every day.
