Photo courtesy of Peterson Companies

By Lani Gering

Let’s define “wicked”. It has several meanings according to the Oxford Dictionary including something extremely unpleasant (despite the lovely snow, the ice and extreme cold have been wicked) and something excellent (I make some wicked Bloody Mary’s).

Leading off with the official press release from Peterson Companies regarding a smaller version of the Sphere in Las Vegas coming to the Harbor:

“The proposed National Harbor venue would be the first smaller-scale Sphere, with capacity of 6,000 seats. Smaller-scale Spheres would feature an Exosphere – the exterior LED display of Sphere that showcases both artistic and branded content and reaches audiences globally. The venue would also feature a 16K x 16K interior display plane – the world’s highest-resolution LED screen. All of Sphere’s advanced technologies would be incorporated, including Sphere Immersive Sound, as well as haptic seating and 4D environmental effects.

Any construction, development, financing and operation of a Sphere venue at National Harbor is contingent upon, among other things, negotiation and execution of definitive agreements, as well as receipt of certain governmental incentives and approvals from Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland.

About Sphere: It is an experiential medium that is redefining the future of immersive experiences. Powered by advanced technologies that ignite the senses, Sphere is a venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that bring storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood creatives; concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists; and premier brand events. The first Sphere opened in Las Vegas, with a second venue planned for Abu Dhabi. More information is available at thesphere.com.”

When I saw the first social media message regarding a “Barbie Doll” version of the Sphere in Vegas coming to the Harbor I did a double take. The Sphere in Vegas has been on my “bucket list” since the first time I saw the hype and was really reinforced when I saw the clips of The Wizard of Oz production. I have had a few friends who have experienced shows in this amazing venue and all of them came away with saying they would do it again in a heartbeat not withstanding that the shows come with a pretty hefty price tag. I am sure that even though the proposed version is much smaller, the cost of attending a show isn’t going to drop proportionately either. In any case, if it comes to fruition, I will dig into my savings to experience a show…or two if it really lives up to its big sister/brother’s reputation.

After looking at the myriad of negative comments on my Facebook and Instagram pages that this proposal has generated in the last couple of weeks, I have been weighing the pros against the cons and am pretty much at a stand still at this point. On the plus side, this will be the only Sphere on the East Coast and it is in our back yard and doesn’t require a plane ticket to get to and I am confident the nature of the experience inside the “dome” will be amazing. On the negative side, it will be visible from the Beltway and most assuredly cause a bunch of “Lookie-Loo’s” to wander out of their respective lanes going 70 miles per hour possibly causing a pile up or two, and event traffic will no doubt make a difference to commuters just like most major events taking place in the Harbor or Old Town Alexandria do.

Before I get off of the fence, I think I will wait to see what actually comes down the pike in the next few months. Right now, selfish Lani wants to be one of the first people in the door no matter what the show is and the more practical side is taking a back seat. As with most controversial situations, there is always a chance that a plan could get squelched and we know in this day and age it all comes down to MONEY. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is a ton of it in this area.