An orb lights up during the venue's grand opening in Las Vegas, Nevada Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
This is a concert venue dedicated to… transform live entertainment: a giant sphere rising above the horizon and beaming vibrant images (an eye, a basketball, the moon) through a thousand LED screens.
Concertgoers were stunned Friday by the opening of the $2.3 Sphere in Las Vegas billion dollars (£1.9 billion), where 18,000 people gathered in the world's largest spherical structure to watch U2 perform.
But the planned replica arena event in Stratford, east London, is facing opposition from local residents who say blackout blinds offered to them by developers do not compensate for the light pollution and inconvenience.
On Friday, Bono named the inventor The spheres of James Dolan, the American tycoon, were «mad bastard» as 16,000 seamlessly interconnected screens projected vast desert landscapes, whirling animals and kaleidoscopic visions onto the shocked crowd.
Every part of the building is connected to audio using patented technology that accurately directs focused sound waves through 167,000 speakers anywhere in the venue, delivering what critics call «crystal clear standard headphone audio to every audience member.»
Rivaling Big Ben's height (96 metres) and the same width as the London Eye (120 metres), the planned London arena will be able to accommodate 21,500 visitors.
A venue where, according to the manufacturer MSG, concerts can be held. , awards ceremonies, boxing matches and gaming events received planning permission last year.
But it is awaiting approval from Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Leveling Up.< /p> < img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/f7d468c906a84a06dd2f4e330d53ac20.jpg" /> Image of the planned MSG sphere in Stratford, east London
MSG has also been given the green light to broadcast advertising around the dome façade for the next 25 years.
It's an unattractive prospect for campaigners from the grassroots group Stop MSG Sphere London.
Lindsay Mace, a 44-year-old charity worker and spokeswoman for the group, said they were prepared to «fight this to the bitter end.»
She said: “The fact that we are now on a permit being issued is a travesty of justice.”
“The sphere is made for Vegas, the city of lights. It is not intended for a small plot surrounded by three residential blocks.
“Developers are insulting residents by offering blackout blinds… some of our group live directly opposite him.
< p>“One of our members, she lives 75 meters from us, all her windows face the opposite side of the site.
< p>“One of our members, she lives 75 meters from us, all her windows face the opposite side of the site.
< p>“One of our members, she lives 75 meters from us, all her windows face the opposite side of the site.
< p>“ p>
“We'll have huge illuminated advertisements blaring [into our homes] from one of the largest structures the UK and Europe have ever seen, it's just ridiculous.”
The Sphere site will be built in London < p>Mr Dolan, who built New York's Madison Square Garden and whose company MSG owns the New York Knicks basketball team, is said to have first come up with the «Sphere» concept seven years ago, when a rough sketch showing a stick man , stuck inside a circle.
Together with colleague David Dibble, CEO of MSG Ventures, the pair experimented with different design shapes, such as a cupcake, a box and even a pyramid, before settling on a sphere.
U2 performs at the premiere of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images < p>In an interview with Variety, Mr. Dolan said he has ambitions to build even more Spheres.
“London is still moving forward, and it's definitely a big part of the business plan to build more Spheres around the world.”
“And by the way, different sizes too — probably not much larger than the one in Vegas, but we have already looked at architectural drawings and designs for smaller Spheres for smaller markets.»
Green politicians have opposed the scheme in London, calling the structure «Orwellian» and scientists have warned about its impact on wildlife.
Zac Polanski, deputy leader of the Green Party and chairman of the London Assembly's Environment Committee, said, that light pollution from the area would cause migratory birds to fly in the wrong direction.
He said, “Ultimately, everyone should be able to enjoy the night sky and enjoy a home free of advertisements.”
“Where the plan is proposed, many of these sites are migration routes for both birds, wildlife, insects and light. both attract wildlife in the wrong direction or push them away. It's just terrible.
“People in hotel rooms in Vegas watching this only have to put up with it for a day or two, but the fact that it becomes your daily life seems inhumane.”
p>“Nobody wants to be the funny police, but it feels Orwell [and] 1984 when you have this huge screen staring at you all the time.”
Jamie Robbins, program manager at environmental charity Buglife, said: “Projects that light up the entire night sky will inevitably become a magnet for our nocturnal invertebrates.”
“We are in a biodiversity crisis. As outlined in last week's State of Nature report, our wildlife is declining due to pollution, habitat destruction and alien invasive species, yet we are still failing to limit the impact that our cities can have an impact on wildlife as a result of our illuminated lifestyle.” /p>
MSG says the site will generate around £2.5 billion and create 1,200 jobs for London in its first 20 years.
Local businesses will also benefit from the project. The company's annual revenue is estimated at £50 million.
A Sphere London spokesman said: “We are pleased with the progress we are making. «Sphere London will bring many cultural and economic benefits, including the creation of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds for the local, London and UK economies.»
Venues and local people who haven't always seen eye to eye
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