All the Easter Eggs Hidden in U2’s Sphere Residency
Creative Director Willie Williams shares the hidden gems from the show
U2‘s groundbreaking residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas, U2:UV, came to a close last weekend yet the production has left an indelible mark on the landscape of live music experiences. Spearheaded by the visionary Creative Director Willie Williams of Treatment Studio in collaboration with the band, the show has been a masterclass in how to blend technology, lighting, video, music and digital artistry to create an immersive experience that resonates with both first-time guests and the band’s legion of returning fans. Reaching beyond the wow of the spatially mesmerizing performance, Williams designed 13 easter eggs that occur throughout the show—some more subtle that others.
The Sphere, with its state-of-the-art sound and visual systems and first-of-its-kind form factor, provided the perfect canvas for U2’s ambitious show. Yet it was Williams and his team’s innovative approach to the production that truly set the residency apart. Known for his ability to craft visually stunning and emotionally resonant experiences, Williams overtly blows our minds manipulating perception of space and time through the beginning of the show, gives us a chance to exhale and enjoy rich engulfing moments through the middle, then puts us back on the rollercoaster for a more intellectual spin at the end. “Given the duration of U2’s residency at MSG Sphere there was a lot of repeat business. Adding the Easter eggs gave a sense of the show staying alive and continuing to develop whilst creating talking points for audience members and the online community. It also kept the creative team engaged and sometimes even spawned new ideas for the show,” Williams shares.
The Balloon: This one is harder to spot. A dark blue helium balloon is stuck in one of the ceiling sections but eventually drifts upward and out of the central hole of the “Pantheon.” Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Pigeon: Before the show begins, up in the roof of the “Pantheon” of concrete slabs, a pigeon flies from perch to perch, before eventually escaping through the open center. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Worklight: A careless electrician has left a work light on, way up in the roof. It is a small fluorescent tube with a faulty connection, which flickers periodically before finally being switched off. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Helicopter: Just as the show is about to begin, the band’s departing helicopter can be seen through the hole in the roof of the “Pantheon.” In truth, the band arrives by car but the helicopter story feels much more rock’n’roll. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Baby: Aged just 12 months, Alice Wroe made a cameo appearance in the “Zoo Station” visuals on the Zoo TV Tour. At the Sphere, her son Larkin, also aged 12 months, appears at exactly the same moment in the song. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
Names: Originally conceived by Mark Pellington for Zoo TV, the text-based visual for “The Fly” has been continuously developing since the Zoo TV Tour. The majority of the large text words and phrases in the U2:UV show version are taken from the 1992 original. Hidden among the words are the names of everybody who has ever contributed to the piece over the past 30 years. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
MacPhisto and the Space Cowboy: Joining the countless Elvises in the visual onslaught of Marco Brambilla’s piece for “Real Thing,” keen eyes might spot The Edge’s “Space Cowboy” character from PopMart and Mr. MacPhisto himself. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
MacPhisto and the Space Cowboy: Joining the countless Elvises in the visual onslaught of Marco Brambilla’s piece for “Real Thing,” keen eyes might spot The Edge’s “Space Cowboy” character from PopMart and Mr. MacPhisto himself. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
MacPhisto and the Space Cowboy: Joining the countless Elvises in the visual onslaught of Marco Brambilla’s piece for “Real Thing,” keen eyes might spot The Edge’s “Space Cowboy” character from PopMart and Mr. MacPhisto himself. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
Zooropa: The billboards advancing through the sea of lights in “One,” showing the camera pictures of the band, exactly mimic the video screen configuration for the Zoo TV Outside Broadcast and Zooropa tours. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
Zooropa: The billboards advancing through the sea of lights in “One,” showing the camera pictures of the band, exactly mimic the video screen configuration for the Zoo TV Outside Broadcast and Zooropa tours. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Goldfish: The balloon bursts at the end of the song, revealing a goldfish within which nonchalantly swims away. As with the symbolism of the balloon itself, no one is entirely sure what this represents. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Goldfish: The balloon bursts at the end of the song, revealing a goldfish within which nonchalantly swims away. As with the symbolism of the balloon itself, no one is entirely sure what this represents. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
Where’s Marty? The staggeringly accurate representation of Las Vegas by Industrial Light & Magic includes reproductions of all the actual street posters on South Koval Lane. Just one of these isn’t real though, having removed an advertisement for an Italian restaurant and substituting a poster of U2 friend and collaborator Martin Garrix playing at Omnia night club. Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
Big Scary Moo: Very early on in the design journey of the U2:UV show, creative team member Gavin Friday suggested it might be interesting to reference the (somewhat random) portrait of the cow in the Achtung Baby album cover artwork. He proposed that a “big scary moo” might erupt from the sound system at some point to create some (equally random) sonic disturbances. Sadly this never happened but as a small tribute to a wonderful idea, we included a hand-drawn version of the album cow. Blink and you’ll miss it, popping up for just one frame on the final crash of “Vertigo.” Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
Vertigo Tour Logo: As “Vertigo” crashes to blackout (via one frame of Big Scary Moo), it leaves the stage showing the concentric red rings of the Vertigo Tour logo. The whole stage then bleeds to red, in anticipation of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Courtesy of Treatment Studio. 
The Nevada Desert: Some of the landscapes in the U2:UV show are imagined but the vista behind John Gerrard’s “Surrender Flag” is entirely real. The landscapes in all of John Gerrard’s artworks are accurate depictions of precise locations on Earth, reconstructed in minute detail using real-time game engine technology. Appropriately, the location for “Surrender Flag” is in the Nevada Desert, just outside the city of Las Vegas. Courtesy of Treatment Studio.
Among the myriad of hidden gems, attendees could witness a pre-show pigeon darting across the venue, a mysteriously stuck helium balloon making its escape and a flickering work light left carelessly by a fictional electrician. More intricately, the show paid homage to U2’s history and collaborators. During “Zoo Station,” the visual inclusion of Alice Wroe’s son, mirroring her own appearance years prior, and hidden names of all contributors within “The Fly” visuals, highlighted the collaborative spirit behind U2’s enduring legacy. Even “Vertigo” featured a brief appearance of the iconic cow from the “Achtung Baby” album cover, further tying the residency’s visuals back to U2’s rich discography and history. These carefully placed easter eggs not only enriched the visual experience but also provided a multi-layered narrative that rewarded both first-time guests and longtime fans with unique discoveries at each performance.
As the curtains close on this iconic residency, the legacy of U2’s time at The Sphere will undoubtedly be felt for years to come. Through Williams’ genius and the band’s unwavering commitment to innovation, the residency has set a new benchmark for live music performances. It was not just a concert series but a celebration of music, technology and the enduring power of discovery. For those lucky enough to have witnessed it, U2:UV was a reminder of the magic that happens when artists refuse to rest on their laurels and strive to create something truly extraordinary.
Stay tuned for our episode of Design Tangents with Willie Williams later this month.
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