Written in the Stars: These Celebrities Have Had the Biggest Vegas Residencies of All Time
There are a few signs that you've made it as an artist. A world tour, platinum-selling records, and a few
CELEB Magazine
There are a few signs that you've made it as an artist. A world tour, platinum-selling records, and a few other milestones that really scream, "success!"
But there's one feather in an artist's cap that sets them apart from the rest: a Las Vegas residency. And some have made bigger waves than others.
Here's a look back the most successful Vegas residencies of all time – and you may or may not be surprised at who holds the top spot(s).
My Heart Will Go On to Keep Nailing Those Residencies
A new study by SlotsUp has compiled data from decades of Las Vegas residencies and found who's the best of the best at bringing audiences back over and over.
The first residency came about in 1944, with the great Liberace. Since then, the great Vegas auditoriums and venues have been a parade of world-class performers taking the stage to showcase their talents and hits in front of audiences who travel the world to see them, instead of the other way around.
The team at SlotsUp compared a variety of data points to get the top 10 of all time, including, "The length of residency, number of shows, estimated / expected gross, salary per show, social sentiment, average Youtube views, Instagram hashtags, global Google searches, review star rating and number of tickets sold/ attendance."
Here are the top 10 artists and their combined scores out of 100 using the data points above:
- George Strait: "Straight to Vegas" 51.7pts
- Rod Stewart: "The Hits" 52.6 pts
- Bruno Mars: "Bruno Mars at Park MGM" 54.0pts
- Katy Perry: "Play" 54.8pts
- Britney Spears: "Piece of Me" 57.7pts
- Lady Gaga: "Enigma + Jazz and Piano" 61.4pts
- Elton John: "The Red Piano" 63.2pts
- Celine Dion: "A New Day" 69.0pts
- Elton John: "The Million Dollar Piano" 70.9pts
And the top performer by points – Celine Dion for her "Celine" residency, with 82.8 points. As you can see, she pulls away from the rest of the field with a whopping 12-point spread – even over herself. Celine went on for an impressive 8 years and made nearly $300M.
For those familiar with the King and Queen of the Vegas residencies, it's no surprise that Celine and Elton both top the lists, although it is a little surprising that Cher didn't make the top 10. She is, however, in the top 20 – along with Jennifer Lopez, Calvin Harris, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Diana Ross, Adele, Bette Midler and more legends.
Vegas Residencies Kicking Off in 2022 – Upcoming and/or Ongoing
Of course, with such an impressive past the question remains: where is there to go from here? The exciting answer is: up.
In 2022 alone, a number of huge names have launched residencies or will soon.
These artists have current ongoing or upcoming residencies in 2022:
- Silk Sonic: August 10-19, Dolby Live at MGM
- John Legend: August 10-October 29, Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood
- Katy Perry: August 10-13, The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas
- Lionel Richie: August 12-October 22, Encore Theater at the Wynn
- Shania Twain: August 26-September 10, Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood
- User: August 26-October 29, Dolby Live at Park MGM
- Luke Bryan: August 31-September 4, The Theater at Resorts World Las Vegas
- Aerosmith: September 14-December 11, Dolby Live at Park MGM
- Bad Bunny: September 23-24, Allegiant Stadium
- Miranda Lambert: September 23-April 9, 2023, Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood
- Rod Stewart: September 23-October 1, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Van Morrison: October 7-9, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- John Fogerty: November 9-19, Encore Theater at Wynn
- George Strait: December 2-3, T-Mobile Arena.
There's nothing quite like the experience of a Vegas audience, and the above stars have topped their competitors to become the best of the best.