Gaze upon London’s gigantic, terrifying space orb stadium
The event space looks like it was tailored specifically for U2, and U2 alone
Music Features Gaze
London is getting a humongous, 21,500-person capacity orb-shaped stadium boasting a “multisensory experience” for its future attendees—presumably most of whom will be there for U2, Coldplay, John Williams soundtrack concerts, and very little else.
Designed by the Madison Square Garden Entertainment Group, the MSG Sphere looks as disturbing as its name is contradictory (Madison SQUARE Garden Sphere? What in the hell?), and when completed will apparently be able to broadcast video across its entire exterior surface, so local passersby will have no choice but to learn who an “Imagine Dragon” actually is.
This isn’t the first uncanny, monolithic Sphere, either—another one is currently being built over in Las Vegas, which at least makes somewhat more sense, aesthetically and economically. The MSG Sphere’s sizzle reel mashes up a lot of people gazing lovingly up at their big, shiny balls with various awe-inspiring weather events to denote how intense said big, shiny ball will be. Check it out below.
Please note the no less than two (2) moments during the one-minute sales pitch in which a concertgoer/event attendee is depicted rocketing back into their seats while gripping their armrests, as if to imply “the MSG Sphere experience verges on traumatic levels of entertainment.”
It’s unclear exactly when the newest MSG Sphere will descend upon London’s populace, although it’s safe to say it won’t be for at least a few more years’ time—the Sphere in Vegas was first announced back in 2018, and has since been delayed for both pandemic-related and supply chain issues. Speaking of which: While we hope that 2026 or so will be safe enough to stand amidst 21,499 other loyal BTS fans… the past couple months haven’t exactly given us all that much hope.
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23 Comments
MSG SphereI believe that was an item on the menu at my grandfather’s Chinese restaurant.
Yeah they had me at “John Williams soundtrack concerts” though.
“Madison SQUARE Garden Sphere? What in the hell?”Madison Square Garden was so-called because it was initially located on Madison Square. Not because the shape of the venue was a square. I don’t think anyone expects every building built by the company to be in the shape of a square just because square is in the name of the development company.
Fun fact: Madison Square Garden is neither on Madison Square, nor is it a Garden. Nor is the actual Madison Square (about a half mile to the southeast) a square! It’s more of a long rectangle with a bevelled corner. And people drive on parkways and park in driveways!
I was just at the “Public Square” of a town near me and it’s a circle! What a world.
Were you in Wrightsville?
Columbia, but I bet it’s a common phenomenon.
I knew that was an obscure joke when I made it.
Wrightsville is a fictional town in the Ellery Queen series, and they always describe ‘The Square (which was round)’.
That’s your idea of fun?
And listen to Parkway Drive, for some inexplicable reason!
No this is cool and not everything needs snark.
As a middle-aged Londoner, I am obliged to object to any over-glazed, weird-shaped monstrosity shitting on everything around it (yes, I’m talking about you, Walkie Talkie building), but I would have done anyway. London has plenty of excellent live-performance places, and plenty of excellent massive-screened cinemas. I give it five years before it’s sold off and turned into flats for rich fucks from kleptocracies to buy, but never live in.Now if you’ll excuse me, that cloud’s not going to yell at itself.
Your opinion means more than mine that’s for sure! I have my own MSG (original recipe) to enjoy.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, now: that’s not necessarily how it’s gonna end up.It could end up as housing for poor people, but sheathed in flammable cladding so the toffs don’t have to look at the poors.
The 21sf century is way more orb-heavy than expected. We were supposed to be moving into more of a concentric floating ring-based era.
Maybe we shouldn’t tempt fate by building an arena that looks like something out of the finale of Akira, but that’s just me.
Who cares about this shit when
?!
Madison Sphere Garden was right there.Or possibly The Globe II.
Madison Sphere Garden is there for the taking. I’d go to a sphere garden, as long as it isn’t filled with dragons (which historically have all been imaginary).
The London one will be built next to Olympic Stadium in Stratford, northeast London.
I imagine anybody that lives within sight distance of it will be thrilled.
I fear that this genuinely cool thing will be wasted on stuff like “trying to make a Swedish House Mafia show slightly less shit.”