“Looks like the Eye of Sauron”: what the incredible Sphere in Las Vegas really is

Built next to the Las Vegas Strip, near the Venetian resort, the themed hotel inspired by the canals of Venice, the MSG Sphere is a futuristic 18,000-seat arena commissioned by the Madison Square Garden Company and designed by the famous Populous architecture. The huge sphere cost 2.3 billion dollars and is not only a futuristic location that will host sporting events and concerts – the first, in September 2023, will be those of U2 – but it is also a nocturnal attraction thanks to a coating made up of 1.2 million LEDs.

The Sphere was lit for the first time on July 4th, and enthralled motorists and Las Vegas residents with its impressive light show. One of the first animations – a fiery circle in which the inscription “Hello World” later appeared – hit social media users. On Twitter, someone wrote that the sphere resembles the eye of Sauron, the symbol of evil in Middle-earth from The Lord of the Rings.