The “Zoo Station – A U2:UV Experience” is located in The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. The pop-up “experience” is a glorified gift shop temporarily opened in a storefront on the ground level of the Grand Canal Shoppes. Currently it is scheduled to shut down December 16, 2023 however there are rumors of an extended run of the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere into January 2024.
I’ve been a U2 fan for 25 years. My first show was on the Elevation Tour in 2001 and I have seen them play a total of 14 times. Still, my visit to the Zoo Station experience was a waste of time.
The promise is an immersive experience that celebrates the history of U2. In reality it is a money grab with a hint of nostalgia that fails in every area. Fortunately it is free to enter.
If you want a good exhibit on U2, I found The Little Museum of Dublin to be a better experience while only a fraction of the size.
To get to Zoo Station – A U2:UV Experience, you must enter The Venetian and make your way to The Waterfall Atrium. The pop up shop is located directly behind the “LOVE” sculpture if you are looking on a map. It is in the former Barneys New York space across from the St. Germain Café.
The first floor is the main exhibit area with some minor decorations to give it the feel of a subway station.
One wall is painted to look like a subway car with a photo booth and the queue to enter the gift shop where you can purchase $25 mugs and $50 t-shirts.
Along the back wall is a photo op made to look like a stage.
The wall opposite the subway car is a wall of video screens along with a painted Trabant car that featured in the set design of the 1990s tour.
In the middle of the exhibit is a satellite dish and video panels that feature photographs by Anton Corbijn.
Up stairs is a movie theater that screens various U2 films for an additional cost as well as additional merchandise area and a bar.
I probably should have lowered my expectations for a free, temporary experience. It felt cheap. I’ve seen other shops for musical artists in Las Vegas that do it right. The Haus of Gaga at the Park MGM comes to mind. They could have had some real artifacts from the Zoo TV Tour like costumes or instruments; instead it was wall graphics and video screens and merchandise for purchase. U2 has a devoted following that deserve better.