Background The project, known then as the MSG Sphere, was announced in February 2018. The project was initially a partnership between the
Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) and
Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Sphere is just off the
Las Vegas Strip and east of the
Venetian resort, which was opened by Las Vegas Sands in 1999. As part of the sale, the land beneath the Venetian Resort and Sphere was purchased by
Vici Properties. MSG initially estimated the project cost at $1.2 billion. In February 2020, the company said the cost had increased to $1.66 billion as a result of design changes consisting of guest enhancements. The cost continued to increase, eventually surpassing $2 billion due to the
2021–2023 global supply chain crisis and the
2021–2022 inflation surge. With a final expected cost of $2.3 billion, it is the most expensive entertainment venue in Las Vegas history, beating out the $1.9 billion
Allegiant Stadium.
Construction A
groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 27, 2018, and was attended by approximately 300 people, including Las Vegas Sands'
Sheldon Adelson and Nevada governor
Brian Sandoval. In November 2018, it was reported that the MSG Sphere would be built along with new bars, private suites, a museum and retail space.
AECOM began working on the site in February 2019, through a preliminary agreement. AECOM had worked on several other stadiums, including the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Excavation was underway in March 2019. Approximately of dirt and
caliche were excavated to prepare the site for construction. The project had 400 construction workers. This number was expected to eventually reach a peak of 1,500. Construction of the basement was underway in July 2019. By October 2019, construction crews had completed the basement as well as the first ground level of the venue. The basement area will be used as public space for events. In March 2020, construction reached the widest point of the spherical structure, the diameter, The project had been scheduled to open in 2021. In August 2020,
MSG Entertainment announced that construction had resumed on the project, with the opening rescheduled for 2023. Over the subsequent 15 months, construction would be focused on concrete, followed by steel erection and then the 13,000-ton steel-domed roof, the most complex part of the project. In October 2020, crews completed the heaviest lift up to that point, with the installation of two 240-ton steel girders. MSG took over as general contractor in December 2020, although AECOM continued to provide support. A 170-ton steel
compression ring was added in February 2021, marking the heaviest lift of the entire project. Due to its size, the ring had to be assembled at the construction site. Work crews spent three weeks welding and bolting the prefabricated steel pieces together, and the crane was then used to lift the ring into place.
Roof, exosphere, and interior The dome's roof required 3,000 tons of steel. The roof started to take shape in March 2021, as crews began the installation of 32
trusses, each one weighing 100 tons. Truss installation reached the midway point in May 2021, and the crane had to be moved to the southern side of the property to install the remainder. Because of its size, the crane's relocation took two days. The dome was topped off on June 18, 2021, The exosphere is made of LED light panels which are visible from several miles away and is 30 percent taller than the dome. Upon completion of the roof's steel frame, of concrete were then pumped onto the roof. This formed a layer measuring in thickness, and weighing approximately 10,000 tons. Crews then turned their focus to the 730-ton steel interior frame which supports the LED screens and audio system. Work on the interior frame continued into 2022. took place on May 24, 2022. This was followed by installation of the interior and exterior LED screens. Sphere soon
went viral for its display of images.
Opening performing on September 29, 2023, Sphere's opening night On April 20, 2023, the venue's owner
Madison Square Garden Entertainment (which had, in turn, been spun off from the Madison Square Garden Company in 2020 in order to focus on its professional sports assets) spun off its "traditional" live events business under the Madison Square Garden Entertainment name in order to insulate them, retaining Sphere and its
regional sports network businesses under the new name
Sphere Entertainment. The MSG name was subsequently removed from the venue, which was officially renamed "Sphere". with the opening of
U2's concert residency
U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. It marked the group's first live show since 2019. Sphere plans on hosting four to six residencies each year. The venue will employ up to 3,000 people. Since opening, Sphere operated at a $98.4 million loss at the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2023. In 2024, Sphere grossed $420.5 million from 1.3 million concert tickets sold, ranking as the top-grossing venue of any size that year; it is the highest annual gross of any venue in
Billboard Boxscore history. ==Features==