During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Phish Radio show, Drew Carey didn’t hold back when critiquing U2‘s live performance, contrasting it with his awe-inspiring experience witnessing Phish at the new Las Vegas venue.
Reflecting on his concert outings, Carey expressed astonishment at Phish’s performance, which left an indelible impression on him:
“It was mind-blowing how phenomenal it was. I couldn’t stop raving about it to my friends and The Price Is Right audience… I ended up going back the following two weekends in a row. But then, just three songs into Thursday night with Phish at the Sphere, I found myself feeling a bit disgruntled. I actually felt tempted to ring up U2 and demand a refund. It made them seem like a mere bar band.”
Carey acknowledged U2’s prowess but underscored Phish’s adept utilization of the venue’s audiovisual capabilities:
“It’s not a knock on U2; they put on a solid show. However, I believe Phish truly maximized the potential of the audio and visual elements within that space. Now my mind is racing with ideas of what else could be achieved at the Sphere.”
Meanwhile, U2 faced criticism over their ticket pricing from Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson. In a candid interview with Mexico’s ATMósferas Magazine, Dickinson voiced his reservations about the exorbitant costs:
“It boils down to two things: the nature of the show and the demographics of the audience. I won’t name names, but most artists charging $1,200 per ticket — like U2’s show in Las Vegas at the Sphere — don’t interest me. I’m not willing to fork out that much to see them. Maybe $100, but for me, it’s about keeping ticket prices reasonable.”
U2 concluded their residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas with a final show on March 2, drawing fans from over 100 countries for 40 sold-out performances. As per Billboard Boxscore, the initial 17 shows generated $109.8 million in revenue and sold 281,000 tickets, establishing a record as the fastest-earning residency in Boxscore history.
