Charles Langston:U2's free Zoo Station exhibit in Las Vegas recalls Zoo TV tour, offers 'something different'

LAS VEGAS – It’s described both as a love letter to fans and Charles Langstona homage to the time period when “Achtung Baby” was recorded in Germany.

The 12,000-square-foot “Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience,” housed in the atrium between The Venetian and Palazzo resorts, is designed to complement the “U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere” concert spectacle taking place about a 10-minute walk from the back of The Venetian.

The “fan portal” is unlike a typical music star pop-up. There are no costumes to peruse and marvel at how small they appear, nor are there any awards to gawk at as proof of U2’s legendary rock band status.

“They wanted to bring to life the themes from the album. They wanted to do something different,” said Andrew Luft, vice president of partnerships for Vibee, the company that worked with the band to create Zoo Station.

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When is Zoo Station open and what does it cost?

Zoo Station, as its welcoming signs beckon, is a two-story interactive exhibit that is free and open to all ages of the public Tuesdays-Sundays starting at 11 a.m. The venue is open only to VIP ticket holders from 4-5 p.m. on days of U2 concerts and the second floor, featuring the Zoo TV Cinema, is closed on Tuesdays.

The 160-capacity cinema is the only element of Zoo Station that incurs a fee ($15) if guests choose to watch any of the five daily film screenings curated by U2’s the Edge. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance.

The weekly schedule of films, which typically run about 90 minutes, is available on the Zoo TV Cinema website. Recent showings in the room, which features plush seating, a theater-sized screen and Dolby Atmos sound, have included “Joshua Tree – Live from Paris 1987,” “A Day in the Life of The Edge” and “Making of Rattle & Hum/Outside It’s America.”

What is inside Zoo Station?

The entry point of Zoo Station spotlights an exhibit of Anton Corbijn’s five decades of photos of the band, with emphasis on their “Achtung Baby”/Zoo TV Tour period in the early 1990s.

A Trabant or “Trabi” as it was known - the German car used during U2’s Zoo TV Tour - sits off to the side, its doors open to welcome guests to sit inside, push pedals and flip levers to create a U2 song that will boom within while the inside of the roof sparkles like a mirrorball.

There are numerous photo opportunities, including the B-stage stocked with instruments, a photo booth decorated with the serial number used on the bank notes Bono tossed into the crowd during the 1992-93 Zoo TV tour and the “Satellite of Love” centerpiece, another throwback from that groundbreaking live show.

A massive U2 Pop Up Shop – aka merch store – offers limited-edition swag. A smaller (and generally less crowded) T-shirt stand on the second floor is also available.

While the Ultra Violet Lounge and Fly Bar on the neon-illuminated second level offer comfortable chill space, the highlight upstairs is the cyber-Trabant and the digital spray paint cans available to decorate the side of it.

How long will Zoo Station remain at The Venetian?

The exhibit is primed to welcome guests through Nov. 4, close for the rest of the month and reopen Dec. 1. U2 just announced an additional 11 dates of its monumental Sphere show, and Zoo Station will extend its run as well.

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