U2 fans call Las Vegas residency a 's**t show' after being sold tickets with obstructed views

U2 fans are slamming the band's Las Vegas residency after being sold seats boasting an obstructed view of the venue’s video screens - despite forking over between $500 and $4,200 for what many assumed was a plum arrangement.

News of the mishap involving the Bono-led band's planned spectacle at the still-under-construction Sphere surfaced on Friday, as fans seated in the highest priced section of the venue reported receiving emails from sellers outlining the issue.

Sent from companies such as Ticketmaster or Vibee, the correspondence revealed  that while attendees in the 100 section will have a full view of the stage, an overhang will also obscure several concertgoers' view of several screens above the action.

The revelation regarding the obstruction - stemming from the seating platform for next level higher - served as a rude awakening for the fortunate few able to afford the cost commanded by the band's highly anticipated residency.

Their first live show in four years, the band's planned spectacle had been billed as a ground-breaking entertainment experience, largely in part due to immersive video experience offered at the unfinished, $2.3billion venue - set to open in September.

U2 fans are slamming the band's Las Vegas residency after being sold first-floor seats boasting an obstructed view of the venue’s video screens - created by the seating platform above

In seat maps posted by companies such as Ticketmaster, obscured seats - all in the sought-after 100 section were not marked as an obscured view, despite showing the presence of an 'overhang' created by the 200 section above

Being built on the first floor of The Venetian Resort, the venue is shaped like a sphere - and the four-man band's three month set serves as its inaugural act. Hundreds, however, are now being offered refunds, sparking ire seen over the past week.

'I get it, new venue, still being build[sic] etc.,' conceded Piotr Hryszkiewicz of the ongoing saga, speaking to NBC News after shelling out $501.35 per ticket only to find out his tickets were in the obstruction area.

'But seriously,' he went on to add of the oversight - slamming it as 'a sh*t-show' - 'there should be enough competent people to ensure it runs smoothly.'

Hryszkiewicz added that he has already opted for the refund - one of three options offered to him and hundreds of other who purchased affected seats in the hundreds section.

Other contingencies outlined by sellers included a chance to transfer the tickets for a new one for a sting of newly announced dates for December, or the option to keep the affected tickets and make do with the obstruction.

A spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment Co., the company that owns the Death Star-esque arena, further revealed to DailyMail.com Thursday that alternative tickets provided by the firm will have full views of the band, the stage and the screen.

Showrunners, however, did not specify whether those seats would still be in the venue's lowest seated section, or how they plan to address overhang issues for future shows - such as not offering tickets for affected seats.

'Our fans and their experience are always our top priority,' a spokesperson said Thursday, insisting that those affected a "very limited number" of accounts.

'As soon as we realized there was an issue, we worked closely with event organizers to reach the affected ticketholders with several make good options.'

News of the mishap involving the Bono-led band's planned spectacle at the still-under-construction Sphere in Las Vegas (seen here) surfaced on Friday, as fans seated in the highest priced section of the venue reported receiving emails from sellers offering refunds

News of the mishap involving the Bono-led band's planned spectacle at the still-under-construction Sphere surfaced on Friday, as fans seated in the highest priced section of the venue reported receiving emails from sellers outlining the issue

Of the upcoming residency starting in September, the rep simply said: 'We look forward to Sphere's opening with U2 and their incredible run of shows they planned for fans this fall.'

Meanwhile, no efforts have been made to accommodate attendees on the same date - despite several forking over up to $4,200 for a seat in the sought-after 100 section per prices previously seen from online sellers such as LasVegasTickets.com.

Compounding outrage currently being seen from fans online is the fact that those who purchased seats with an obstructive view were given a deadline of less than a week to to decide whether to keep, cancel, or change their bookings - a time constriction that came and went Tuesday morning.

Moreover, many of those able to snap up a seat on the hallowed first floor did so at a reduced rate - with the $500 spent by Hryszkiewicz coming as a good deal compared to other costly packages purchased by fans of the Irish rock group.

Those ranged from $2,600-$4,200, with many featuring an included hotel stay in Sin City and plush VIP packages.

For some, those arrangements were the only way to secure a first-level seat to the band's first shows since 2019 - with those now electing for a refund now forced to wait up to 15 business days.

Amid this uncertainty - as fans grappled with whether to change travel and flight plans to the unfinished venue - many are questioning how such an oversight occurred, as the overhang was marked on maps when tickets went on sale in April.

The seat maps show that the overhang appears to start at row 26 - 14 rows back from row 12, the first row of seating in the 100 section. This was noted back in April when tickets for the anticipated slate of shows went on sale - though hundreds were still sold anyway

'I could care less if I get picked for tickets,' fan Wendy Alexander tweeted Thursday in a post highly critical of TicketMaster, after electing to exchange her obscured first-level ticket for a new one. 

'I'm just so over Ticketb****d & their tactics,' she sniped. 'It's just ruined any desire to go see ANY concerts at this point. Which is sad, b/c before... covid I was seeing 15+shows per year.'

Another person, Elizabeth Prosser, revealed she also opted to exchange tickets, but instead of getting a seat in the 100 section - whose first 14 rows are not obstructed by the second level above - she was given a ticket on the 200 section.

'I’m one of those people who’ve now rebooked for Dec 13 in the 200s section and am still paying $501.35 per ticket,' she revealed. 

'I also had to pay $360 in flight change fees. No refund for first tickets purchased has been issued yet. Very disappointed with how it was handled.'

As dozens of others aired similar gripes, she clarified in follow-up post: [The email] came through late on Tuesday evening. 

'I went online yesterday at 11:50am EST and got in the queue. Got tickets for Dec 13 in the 200s. Same price as 100s which makes no sense to me. Charged for new tickets, no refund issued yet. Cost me $360 to change my flight.

Another fed-up customer added of the scrambling now being seen from showrunners: 'I’m not even interested. Yes, a fan since 1981, but I’m so over these ticket shenanigans. And this Vegas thing feels ominously like PopMart in its forced hastiness. I hope it’s worth it for everyone.'

U2, meanwhile, has yet to issue a statement on the ticketing catastrophe, following previous statements from the band touting the dome-shaped Sphere - which is specially designed for music acts. 

'It’s just an amazing playpen for us,' U2 guitarist The Edge told Rolling Stone last month, after Sphere already released seat maps outlining the obstruction - which affects roughly 800 seats  in the 17,500-seat venue in total.

The seat maps show that the overhang appears to start at row 26 - 14 rows back from row 12, the first row of seating in the 100 section.

It is unclear how or why these tickets were sold without a warning or disclaimer attached, or what stipulations might come with purchasing said seats at future shows - if they will even be available.

In seat maps posted by Ticketmaster, tickets in row 30 and behind were not marked as an obscured view - despite showing the presence of an 'overhang'.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Ticketmaster and Vibee for comment on why the tickets were sold with no such warning. 

The issues come after a problematic pre-sale forced fans to snap up costly packages to secure a ticket, with travel included. Sphere has made no announcement about and prospective reimbursement for those travel plans.