U2 Announces ‘Achtung Baby’ Las Vegas Residency

U2 made a big splash during Super Bowl LVII with the announcement of their new Las Vegas residency U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere.

Taking place in Fall 2023, the residency will take place at the new MSG Sphere at the Venetian. The residency was teased in a brief ad spot, but an extended cut clocking in at 3:57 is available to view below.

According to the video's YouTube description, the MSG Sphere contains approximately 17,500 seats and will have a scalable capacity up to 20,000 guests. The venue will feature state-of-the-art technology. Among its features are "the world’s highest resolution LED screen ... a multi-layered audio system – Sphere Immersive Sound – equipped with thousands of speakers." Additionally, "The venue will also feature 4D multi-sensory technologies such as immersive seating, evocative scents and changing temperatures, to take experiential storytelling to an entirely new level."

While these shows will be the band's first live shows in four years, they will be without drummer Larry Mullen Jr. He told The Washington Post in November that he won't be able to perform in 2023 due to needing surgery. U2's website confirmed this in an announcement of the residency. The band also announced Bram van den Berg will be filling in.

Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton said in a joint statement, "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."

The joint statement continued, "The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don't want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band. Bottom line, U2 hasn't played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again."

The statement added, "And what a unique stage they're building for us out there in the desert… We're the right band, ACHTUNG BABY the right album, and the Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level… That's what U2's been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this Fall."

Fans can register for the chance to buy tickets to U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere at VerifiedFan.LiveNation.com/U2.

U2 has been one of the biggest bands of the past 50 years and for good reason: Their catalog is a prime example of a band evolving and growing up before the eyes of the world.

So far, U2 has released 14 studio albums. Their catalog also features live releases, box sets, compilations and more. In total, they have sold over 175 million records worldwide.

The legend of U2 had humble beginnings. Its four members -- Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. -- were all students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin.

One day in 1976, Mullen Jr. put a flyer on the school's bulletin board searching for musicians to start a band. He was only 14 at the time. Among the people who responded were Bono (16), The Edge (15) and Clayton (16). The band's first practice was on September 25, 1976 in the kitchen of Mullen Jr.'s childhood home.

Who would've thought all of this success started with a just simple post on a bulletin board and a practice in a kitchen?!

U2's list of accolades is nothing short of insane. They've won 22 Grammy Awards out of 46 nominations. In 2005, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2022.

In addition to those awards, they've been a massive tour draw. Per Pollstar, U2 has sold over 26 million tickets since 1980. Their tours have grossed a staggering $2.12 million. The only other act to make more money on the road is the Rolling Stones with $2.16 million.

With all of this mind, we thought we'd take on the daunting task of ranking U2's best song. Scroll through the list below to see which songs from their vast catalog we think are their 50 best!