And the site of the next Sphere will be…

Over the last year, the Sphere in Las Vegas has proven itself to be one of the greatest music venues ever. The visuals, the sound, and the overall experience have blown away anyone who has attended a concert. Ask me about the U2 gig I saw last year and I’ll talk for hours about it.

Now that the concept has been proven, where will MSG build the next Sphere? London was an obvious choice, but the city government said no, saying that it would be too much of a distraction to the skyline. MSG said “Fine. We’ll look at cities that are more forward-thinking.”

Guesses immediately turned to the Middle East. And those guesses turned out to be correct. Abu Dhabi will be the next location for a Sphere. This no doubt pisses off neighbouring Dubai, but I’m sure they had their chance.

I quote from this morning’s press release:

“The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sphere Entertainment. “Sphere is redefining live entertainment and extending the reach of its transformative impact. We are proud to collaborate with DCT Abu Dhabi to develop Sphere in their city.”

The next Sphere will be very similar to the one in Las Vegas with a capacity of about 20,000 people. It will also occupy a “prime location.” When will it open? I haven’t seen a date yet.