Making music is just the first step for pop stars. Then comes the promotion. Interviews, TV performances, in-person appearances. Tours have always been an important part of the job for a lot of pop musicians. But a new trend is emerging in addition: the Las Vegas residency.
More and more musicians are deciding to stay in Vegas, performing multiple shows often over a period of months. It’s reportedly the equivalent of doing a tour, but with the convenience of staying in one place.
Celine Dion is one of the stars most well-known for this strategy; she’s been in residence at Caesars for eight years!
The names continue to get bigger, though. Lady Gaga, one of the biggest names in pop music, already started her 2019 residence. Other big names scheduled to stick around in Vegas for a while: Cardi B, Christina Aquilera, Cher (at age 72!), Drake, Pitbull, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Robbie Williams, (okay, we’re starting to drop in prestige here) Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, and quite a few others.
It’s not hard to see why the model would work. People go to Las Vegas expecting to spend money, so it’s not a huge stretch to drop a good chunk of money to go see a big name, maybe even one you wouldn’t go out of your way to see at home. And Vegas’s proximity to Southern California is certainly a help, but for selling tickets and for the artists, many of whom live in the LA area.
Whether the trend is short-lived or continues on will be interesting to see. Is there such a thing as star-saturation when too many big names are performing in one place?
