U2 King size @ Sphere

Challenge: A brief unlike any other. When you take one of the biggest bands in the world and put them on one of the most unique, technically advanced, and visually engaging venues ever built, you need an experience that’s truly breathtaking. For U2’s sold out Las Vegas residency at Sphere, renowned visual artist Marco Brambilla took on the challenge of creating a piece of visual art that was worthy of the band’s and the venue’s stature.

Insight and Idea: Like U2’s residency, it’s impossible to avoid Elvis in Las Vegas. So Marco set out to create King Size, a visual meditation on the intertwined legacies of Elvis Presley and Las Vegas, examining their roles as metaphors for the American Dream's entropic trajectory. The piece symbolically ascends from the Nevada desert to a futuristic Vegas metropolis, reflecting the transformation of Elvis from a popular entertainer to a mythic figure, and Las Vegas from a desert town to the apex of American consumerism and entertainment. The work represents the tension between reality and illusion, persona and image, inviting a reflection on the complexities of fame and cultural identity America.

The most ambitious and largest tribute to Elvis yet, Marco used generative AI to render Elvis hundreds of times to create a video collage four times the size of an IMAX theater. The video uses looping film samples and AI-generated imagery to create a surreal experience. And equally as important, it looks really fucking cool.

Results: Debuting on the opening night of Sphere at the first concert of U2’s residency, King Size was the visual highlight of the band’s more than two hour performances. Clearly awed by the visuals himself, listen as Bono asks “Marco Brambilla, who spiked your drink?” in the middle of the song “Even Better Than the Real Thing.” King Size garnered press coverage in publications including Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, Billboard and more for its innovative use of AI and the compelling visuals that kicked off Sphere’s introduction as a musical venue and helped make U2’s residency one of the most successful of all time.