DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The world’s second Sphere is planned to be built in the capital of the United Arab Emirates after the opening of the first giant dome entertainment complex in Las Vegas.
Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism and Sphere Entertainment Co. announced the plan late Tuesday to bring a Sphere to the Middle East.
Under the deal, Abu Dhabi will pay a franchise fee to Sphere Entertainment to build the second location using its designs. Abu Dhabi's government will pay to build the structure, as well as annual fees to Sphere Entertainment “for creative and artistic content.”
The announcement offered no financing information, nor did it say where the Sphere would be built in the Emirati capital. Abu Dhabi's government did not immediately respond to questions about the project Wednesday. Sphere declined to comment beyond the initial announcement.
The massive $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere opened in 2023 as the gambling capital's most expensive entertainment venue. A high-resolution LED screen wraps halfway around the 17,500-seat audience. It has hosted concerts and sporting events inside the world’s largest spherical structure standing at 366 feet (111 meters) tall and 516 feet (157 meters) wide.
However, efforts to build a second Sphere abroad have been choppy. London Mayor Sadiq Khan rejected a plan to build one in the city's east over multiple concerns last year, including light pollution.
Abu Dhabi has been trying to differentiate itself as a travel destination from neighboring Dubai in the UAE, an energy-rich federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.
The UAE is also preparing to open the first casino in the country. While the only one currently under construction is in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, other sheikhdoms in the country are believed to be actively considering having their own.
Sphere is the brainchild of James Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and the owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers.
Stock in Sphere closed more than 6% higher Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange to $48.91 a share. That's a major boost after Benchmark last month downgraded Sphere Entertainment to “sell” over “concerns over the Sphere’s "scalability, high production costs and a potentially underwhelming profitability outlook.”
Meanwhile, some projects in the UAE have failed to be built or been delayed for years after being announced in economic downturns.
Trademark filings show Sphere Entertainment Co. trademark filings made as well in Japan, Oman and Qatar, though there's no announced plans for similar venues. Companies often protectively trademark their names in other markets without necessarily having business there.
FILE - Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, drives past the Sphere during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, on Nov. 18, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick, File)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Blaring trumpets and joyful voices resounded in a New Orleans neighborhood this week as about 100 people marched in honor of John “Prince” Gilbert, a key member of innovative brass bands that have become an important part of the city's music scene over the past several decades.
Gilbert, who died last weekend, played the saxophone for Rebirth Brass Band, which has been a favorite in New Orleans since the 1980s. The band is known for preserving and growing the brass band heritage, combining genres including funk, soul and jazz to create their own sound. He also was part of the New Birth Brass Band.
He taught, and recorded with, his son Orlando, who organized Monday evening's second line parade — so called because observers traditionally fall in behind the band and marchers to form a second parade line.
“He’s one of the innovators of New Orleans music, and he’s left an indelible mark on New Orleans culture and is and will always be a part of the history of New Orleans culture,” Orlando said of his father's career.
“My father’s playing was the bedrock of my own musicianship,” he added.
This undated family photo released by Orlando Gilbert shows Orlando with his father John "Prince" Gilbert in younger days. (Orlando Gilbert via AP)
Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician and son of John "Prince" Gilbert, plays and marches in an emotional second line parade, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Musicians and friends form a second line parade organized by Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician, for his father John "Prince" Gilbert, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Orlando Prince, center, a rising jazz musician and son of John "Prince" Gilbert, plays and marches in an emotional second line parade, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Musicians and friends form a second line parade organized by Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician, for his father John "Prince" Gilbert, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician and son of John "Prince" Gilbert, plays and marches in an emotional second line parade, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Musicians and friends form a second line parade organized by Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician, for his father John "Prince" Gilbert, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Musicians and friends form a second line parade organized by Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician, for his father John "Prince" Gilbert, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. John "Prince " Gilbert was a founding member of the Rebirth Brass Band and a fixture in the New Orleans Jazz community for decades. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This undated family photo released by Orlando Gilbert shows Orlando with his father John "Prince" Gilbert in younger days. (Orlando Gilbert via AP)
Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician and son of John "Prince" Gilbert, plays and marches in an emotional second line parade, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. John "Prince " Gilbert was a founding member of the Rebirth Brass Band and a fixture in the New Orleans Jazz community for decades. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This undated family photo released by Orlando Gilbert shows Orlando with his father John "Prince" Gilbert in younger days. (Orlando Gilbert via AP)
Orlando Prince, a rising jazz musician and son of John "Prince" Gilbert, plays and marches in an emotional second line parade, as a sendoff for his father who recently died, in the Treme section of New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. John "Prince " Gilbert was a founding member of the Rebirth Brass Band and a fixture in the New Orleans Jazz community for decades. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
