The Sphere in Las Vegas is known for its mind-blowing visuals, but U2 scaled things WAY back for a performance of a legendary Christmas banger. It marked the first time in more than 35 years that the Irish rock band played Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) live!
Their cover of the song was released in December 1987 in conjunction with the charity compilation album ‘A Very Special Christmas.’ Darlene Love sang the original in 1963 and later said that U2’s rendition of her holiday hit is the best cover to exist.
Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Michael Bublé, Foo Fighters, Cher and Jon Bon Jovi are among the other musical artists and groups to perform Love’s song. U2’s version is her favorite.
However, Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. had not played Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) live since their Joshua Tree Tour in 1987. Nearly 36 years have passed!
The Sphere witnessed history!
U2 ended its three+ decade Christmas song streak on Friday night. They added an acoustic version of their Love cover to their set!
A large draw of the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency is the immersive visual experience. It came to a screeching halt for Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home).
The world’s largest LED screen went dark so the focus was on the music and only the music. Just the stage lit up for the momentous intimate performance.
U2’s residency at the Sphere will run through the first week of March. Everybody who has attended a show at the world’s most viral entertainment venue has been blown away.
For the Las Vegas crowd on Friday to experience the Sphere and get to witness U2’s performance of a song it has not played in nearly three decades is pretty epic. Taking the visuals out of the equation made it even more special!