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In recent years, the Las Vegas residency has switched from being one last hurrah for artists in the twilight years of their careers to being something new, exciting and innovative.
From Katy Perry’s cartoonish, colourful show to long-running stands from living legends like Britney Spears, Elton John and Celine Dion, Las Vegas is fast becoming the go-to city for live music.
Below, we’ve rounded up the most exciting shows happening in Las Vegas over the coming months, and who we’d love to see put on their own.
Adele
After the initial last-minute delay to her ‘Weekends With Adele’ residency at Caesars Palace, Adele’s run of shows in Vegas continues to go from strength-to-strength. As well as regularly going viral with onstage magic tricks and that matey rapport with the crowd, Adele has just confirmed an extension to her show, taking her scheduled performances through to June 2024.
“This residency, these shows have changed my life,” she wrote on Twitter. “I desperately needed to fall back in love with performing live again, and I have. I needed to reconnect with my songs and remember what they mean to me, and I have!”
“I’ve felt so much and learned so much about myself and you. It’s humanized everything I thought was scary. Mostly though – it’s just made me realize how much I really enjoy being on stage, that I’m bloody good at it and that it is 100% where I belong,” she added. Her fans seem to agree, as she’s currently the fourth top-selling global performer of 2023 according to viagogo.
Check out dates here.
U2
What better band to open the impressive, innovative MSG Sphere than U2, a band who’ve never shied away from the cutting edge of what’s possible for a rock band. Originally pencilled in for 25 shows over the course of 2023, the band have recently confirmed an additional 11 dates at the venue.
In a five-star review of U2’s opening night at the multi-billion dollar venue, NME described the event as one that “truly takes your breath away”.
Variety also reported that singer Bono revealed to the crowd that they plan to focus on a different album (or possibly other people’s albums) throughout the course of their residency.
According to viagogo insights, U2 is the best selling artist among this list. In fact, U2’s show at the Sphere in vegas is attracting so many fans from around the world, they recently topped Taylor Swift in daily ticket sales on the ticketing marketplace.
Check out dates and details here.
Usher
Ahead of headlining the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show, Usher is making himself at home in Vegas with a string of gigs at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
New album ‘Coming Home’ is set for release the same day Usher plays Super Bowl LVIII at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with his 2023 single ‘Good Good’ with Summer Walker and 21 Savage set to feature on the record, alongside an additional 19 tracks.
During a recent residency in Paris, Usher brought out Offset for a performance of Migos’ ‘Bad And Boujee’ while his Las Vegas residency (which began October 11) has already seen him serenade Doja Cat.
Get all the details about the upcoming shows here.
Kylie Minogue
Fresh from releasing smash hit single ‘Padam Padam’ and the brilliant ‘Tension’ album, Kylie Minogue is heading to Vegas. The first act to headline The Venetian Resort’s Voltaire venue, the space has been described as “blurring the lines between an intimate club, concert, and non-stop entertainment venue.”
Speaking about her Las Vegas residency, Minogue said: “I don’t want to do it when I’m at the sunset of my career,” about her So, I think I’ve got it right somewhere in the middle where I feel like I’ve earned the right to and have the experience to really enjoy being there.”
Kicking off November 03, Minogue has described the show as “the kind of essence of what a Kylie show has become, enough glamour and abandon. I’ve got some versions of songs that have not been heard, like reinterpretations of songs, which is exciting. Live bed dances, amazing costumes. That’s the base and then we’ll see what surprises we can come up with.”
Get all the details here.
Now it’s time for the wishlist
Rihanna
There have been plenty of rumours about Rihanna’s comeback in recent years but over the weekend it was reported that the singer is planning a return to the stage next year, alongside two new albums. And what better place to kick that off than a Vegas residency?
Her performance at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime show proved she has the ambition to really pull off a Vegas residency while her back catalogue remains flawless. Earlier this year, she became the first woman to have 10 songs reach a billion streams on Spotify and there’s talk of a possible Glastonbury headline slot. She’d absolutely smash a Vegas residency.
The Talking Heads
The iconic band briefly reunited earlier this year for a Q&A at the Toronto Film Fair to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads’ legendary concert film, Stop Making Sense (1984).
While they were coy about future plans (bassist Tina Weymouth said the band are “just savouring the moment”) The Talking Heads did say the reason they stopped touring was because they felt they couldn’t top ‘Stop Making Sense’. Well, a Vegas residency wouldn’t certainly bring something new to the table.
Vocalist David Byrne has already had a turn on Broadway with his ‘American Utopia’ show while drummer Chris Franz has hinted that there could be a further potential The Talking Heads reunion incoming.
Muse
Muse are one of the most ambitious rock bands around, a title they’ve held for close to two decades now. They’re stadium regulars while their love of sci-fi theatrics means their live gigs often dwarf the venues they play. With a sprawling back catalogue and a constant desire to push the boundaries, who knows what tricks they’d come up with if they had a Las Vegas residency to play with. As it stands, there’s nothing in their diary for next year either.
The post Las Vegas residencies: the artists we can’t wait to see – and those who should get one of their own appeared first on NME.
