A concert residency [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] (also known as musical residency or simply residency) is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but only performed at one location. [6] [7] Pollstar Awards defined residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a single venue. [8] An artist who performs on a concert residency is called a resident performer. [9] [10] Concert residencies have been the staple of the Las Vegas Strip for decades, pioneered by singer-pianist Liberace in the 1940s and Frank Sinatra with the Rat Pack in the 1950s.
Celine Dion's A New Day..., from 2003 to 2007, is the most successful concert residency of all time, grossing over US$385 million ($565.73 million in 2023 dollars) [11] and drawing nearly three million people to 717 shows. This commercial success was credited with changing and revitalizing Las Vegas residencies, which previously had the negative perception of something that performers resorted to when their careers were in decline. Dion is further recognized as the "Queen of Las Vegas". [12] [13] [14]
The concept of a concert residency was established by pianist and singer Liberace with a 1944 debut in Las Vegas. [15] Nearly ten years later, Liberace had his own show at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, which reportedly earned "Mr. Showtime" around $50,000 per week. After years of pursuing other projects in Los Angeles, he returned to his Vegas residency and earned around $300,000 a week, until his death from AIDS-related complications in 1987. [16]
Liberace's 1944 debut was followed by Frank Sinatra with the Rat Pack, as well as Elvis Presley. [15] In April 1956, Presley began a two-week concert residency at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, following the release of his self-titled debut album. His shows were poorly-received by the conservative, middle-aged hotel guests [17] —"like a jug of corn liquor at a champagne party," wrote a critic for Newsweek . [18] Nevertheless, between 1969 and 1976, Presley would perform 837 consecutive sold-out shows at the (formerly) Hilton Las Vegas, which has since been renamed the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. [19]
In previous decades, many artists in high demand would perform multiple-show runs in various cities, such as the British pop group the Spice Girls; as part of their Spiceworld Tour, the group played to over 100,000 people over the course of eight sold-out shows at London's Wembley Arena between 14 April and 26 April 1998, with an additional two concerts—each one accommodating 55,000 fans—at the much larger Wembley Stadium. After their successful run in London, the group did a "mini-residency" of six performances at the Birmingham NEC Arena, from 28 April to 6 May 1998.
Kurt Melien, vice president of entertainment at Caesars Palace, explained that "Historically, Vegas residencies were more a loss leader event – famous artists playing in small showrooms just to draw in the gambling crowds." [20] In the music world, Las Vegas was known as the place where singers went to "die"—if their careers hadn't suffered already—and where they could earn a comparatively meager wage in their "twilight" years, entertaining tourists on the Strip alongside magicians like David Copperfield, illusionists and Siegfried & Roy's tigers. [20] Music journalist Jim Farber stated, "There used to be a certain element of cheesiness to playing in Vegas. I talked to Cher about that, and she referred to it as an 'elephant graveyard where talent goes to die' — and she was speaking of herself." [21]
Celine Dion revitalized residencies in the 21st century, with the resounding success of her A New Day... residency between 2003 and 2007. In 2011, she would begin another successful run at Caesars Palace, with a contract through 2019. Her residencies introduced a new form of theatrical entertainment; with a fusion of song, choral ensemble, orchestral accompaniment, performance art, innovative stage craft, state-of-the-art technology, and even a tribute to her friend and idol, Michael Jackson, Dion managed to popularize the Las Vegas residency as a desirable way for top artists to essentially tour in place, letting their most dedicated fans come to them. Kurth Meline explained, "Céline was a pioneer without question. Twenty years ago, we couldn't have got someone the stature of Britney Spears to appear in Vegas. Stars like her would never have considered it if Céline hadn't paved the way. She changed the face of modern Vegas." Dion's second residency, Celine, saw her perform a record-breaking 1,000th show at The Colosseum on October 8, 2016, which she dedicated to the memory of her late husband and manager, Rene Angelil. [22]
Since the 2010s, many other major performers have followed suit and accepted residency offers. [23] This includes a variety of top acts, such as EDM DJs Tiesto and Calvin Harris, [24] pop and R&B performers (including Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Diana Ross, Katy Perry, Usher, and Mariah Carey), and rock bands (such as Def Leppard and Aerosmith). [25] Towards the end of the decade, there were even shows by hip hop acts such as Drake and Cardi B. [26] [27] By 2017, a tenth of Forbes Celebrity 100 had signed a residency contract in Las Vegas. [28]
For decades, Las Vegas has been the central destination for concert residencies. [1] New York City has also grown as a residency destination, beginning with Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden in 2014. [29] In 2022 Harry Styles performed 15 nights at Madison Square Garden from August 20 to September 21. [30] American rock band Phish also performed a 13-show residency at the same venue, from July 21 to August 6, 2017. Bruce Springsteen held his 2017–18 residency, Springsteen on Broadway , at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City. [1] In August and September 2007, the O2 Arena in London held 21 concert series titled 21 Nights in London: The Earth Tour by Prince. [31] From January to March 2009, Luis Miguel played a run of 25 shows at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. Michael Jackson had scheduled 50 concerts series titled This Is It from July 2009 to March 2010 at The O2 Arena in London, but they were cancelled due to his death. Mexican rock band Maná signed a residency tour at the LA Forum in Los Angeles, CA. "Maná: LA Residencia", exclusively at the venue starting March 2022 and will continue until the end of the year or until ticket sales drop. [32] [33]
One of the most successful residencies in history was Elvis Presley's 636 consecutive shows at the International and Las Vegas Hilton from July 1969 through December 1976. [34] However, the box-office data for his residency is unavailable. Celine Dion's A New Day... is the most successful concert residency of all time, grossing $385.1 million and drawing nearly three million people to 717 shows. [35] Her second residency, Celine, is the second most successful one, generating $296 million from a total of 427 shows between 2011 and 2019. These two residencies made Dion the highest-grossing resident performer of all time. [36]
Following Celine Dion, Elton John has become the second-most successful concert resident performer; his Red Piano residency grossed a reported $169 million between 2004 and 2009, [37] and his Million Dollar Piano residency grossed $131 million between 2011 and 2018. Another top-selling residency was Britney Spears's Britney: Piece of Me, which began in December 2013 and ended in December 2017, [38] grossing $137.7 million. [39] From 2023 to 2024, U2 staged a residency called U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, which grossed $244.5 million from just 40 shows; [40] Billboard described it as the "fastest grossing residency in Boxscore history". [41]
Outside of Las Vegas, Bruce Springsteen grossed over $113 million with 236 shows of his New York residency Springsteen on Broadway. [42] [43] Billy Joel grossed $266.8 million with his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden since 2014. [44]
Rank | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2025 dollars) | Artist | Residency title | Venue | Year(s) | No. of shows | Average gross per show | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $385.1 million | $565.88 million | Celine Dion | A New Day... | The Colosseum at Caesars Palace | 2003–2007 | 717 | $0.54 million | [35] |
2 | $296.2 million | $352.99 million | Celine | 2011–2019 | 427 | $0.69 million | [44] [36] | ||
3 | $266.8 million | $266.8 million | Billy Joel | Billy Joel at The Garden | Madison Square Garden | 2014–2024 | 104 | $2.57 million | [44] |
4 | $244.5 million | $244.5 million | U2 | U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere | Sphere | 2023–2024 | 40 | $6.1 million | [45] |
5 | $169 million | $240.01 million | Elton John | The Red Piano | The Colosseum at Caesars Palace | 2004–2009 | 248 | $0.68 million | [37] |
6 | $137.7 million | $171.16 million | Britney Spears | Britney: Piece of Me | Zappos Theater | 2013–2017 | 248 | $0.55 million | [39] |
7 | $131.4 million | $131.4 million | Dead & Company | Dead Forever: Live at Sphere | Sphere | 2024 | 30 | $4.38 million | [46] |
8 | $131.2 million | $159.19 million | Elton John | The Million Dollar Piano | The Colosseum at Caesars Palace | 2011–2018 | 189 | $0.69 million | [44] |
9 | $124.5 million | $124.5 million | Bruno Mars | Bruno Mars at Park MGM | Dolby Live | 2016–present | 79 | $1.58 million | [44] |
10 | $113 million | $137.11 million | Bruce Springsteen | Springsteen on Broadway | Walter Kerr Theatre | 2017–2018 | 236 | $0.48 million | [43] |
11 | $110.04 million | $110.04 million | Lady Gaga | Lady Gaga Enigma + Jazz & Piano | Dolby Live | 2018–2024 | 72 | $1.53 million | [47] |
12 | $101.9 million | $123.64 million | Jennifer Lopez | Jennifer Lopez: All I Have | Zappos Theater | 2016–2018 | 120 | $0.85 million | [48] |
Michael Jackson sold a record-breaking 750,000 tickets in four hours on March 13, 2009 for his 2009–2010 This Is It residency at the O2 Arena, London, which was ultimately cancelled due to his death. [49]
Year(s) | Residency title | Artist | Venue | Tickets sold | Shows | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003–2007 | A New Day... | Celine Dion | 2.81 million [a] | 714 | [51] | |
2014–2024 | Billy Joel at The Garden | Billy Joel | 1.90 million | 104 | [44] | |
2011–2019 | Celine | Celine Dion | 1.74 million | 427 | [51] | |
2004–2009 | The Red Piano | Elton John | 0.98 million | 247 | [52] [53] | |
2013–2017 | Britney: Piece of Me | Britney Spears | 0.91 million | 248 | [53] | |
2011–2018 | The Million Dollar Piano | Elton John | 0.77 million | 189 | [53] | |
2024 | Adele in Munich | Adele | Adele Arena | 0.73 million | 10 | [54] [55] |
Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful work left a significant impact on popular music. Her recordings have been mainly in English and French, although she has also sung in several other languages including Japanese, Italian, German, Mandarin, Spanish and Neapolitan.
A concert tour is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific tour with a particular album or product. Especially in the popular music world, such tours can become large-scale enterprises that last for several months or even years, are seen by hundreds of thousands or millions of people, and bring in millions of dollars in ticket revenues. A performer who embarks on a concert tour is called a touring artist.
A New Day... was the first concert residency performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It was created and directed by Franco Dragone to support her seventh English-language and eighteenth studio album A New Day Has Come (2002). The show premiered on 25 March 2003 and ended on 15 December 2007.
The Taking Chances World Tour was the ninth concert tour by French Canadian singer Celine Dion, in-support of her thirteenth French-language and 22nd studio album, D'elles (2007), as well as her tenth English-language and 23rd studio album, Taking Chances (2007). The tour marked Dion’s return to performing on a global scale, after five successful years with her groundbreaking Las Vegas residency, A New Day.... It was also her first concert tour in nine years, following her Let's Talk About Love World Tour (1998/99).
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is a theater located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is the main entertainment venue for Caesars Palace.
The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her sixth studio album, Circus (2008). Rumors of a tour arose as early as October 2007, however, nothing was confirmed until December 2008, when the tour was officially announced, with North American and European dates revealed. The stage was composed of three rings and set in-the-round to resemble an actual circus. Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten created the costumes. A giant cylinder screen was set above the stage to showcase videos and backdrops. Effects were provided by Solotech. Magician Ed Alonzo joined Spears during the second act. The setlist was composed generally from her albums In the Zone, Blackout and Circus. Spears announced she would tour Australia for the first time in June 2009.
Celine was the second concert residency by the Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was performed at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning 15 March 2011, with an estimated 70 performances per year. The residency ranked 26th in Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tour (Mid-Year)", earning over $20 million. Being seen by over 200,000 people, the residency became the number one show in 2011. It made Dion the top earner in Vegas, earning $500,000 a show, and made her the "most profitable music act in Las Vegas" since Elvis Presley.
Britney: Piece of Me was the first concert residency by American entertainer Britney Spears, performed at The AXIS auditorium located in the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show, which opened on December 27, 2013, was initially set for two years; it was well received by critics and also achieved huge commercial success. The residency won the best of Las Vegas award in 2015 and 2017. In 2015, Spears extended her contract with Planet Hollywood for an additional two years, concluding the residency on December 31, 2017. After 248 performances, the show grossed $137.7 million from 916,184 tickets at an average price of $150.
Jennifer Lopez: All I Have was a concert residency by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. Performed at Zappos Theater located in the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the residency began on January 20, 2016 and concluded on September 29, 2018. The show has received critical acclaim for its production and Lopez's showmanship. The residency grossed $101.9 million after 120 shows, making it the sixth highest-grossing Las Vegas residency of all time, and the top residency by a Latin artist.
The Piece of Me Tour was the tenth concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. Although it largely mirrors her Las Vegas residency, Britney: Piece of Me, which concluded in December 2017; the stage-show was updated with new remixes, production technology, visuals and set list modifications to accommodate for arena shows.
Lady Gaga Enigma + Jazz & Piano is a concert residency by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga held at Dolby Live in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The residency consists of two types of shows: Enigma, which focuses on theatricality and includes the singer's biggest hits, and Jazz & Piano, which involves songs from the Great American Songbook and stripped-down versions of Gaga's songs. The Enigma show was built around a loose storyline about "healing and finding yourself", and saw Gaga wearing various sci-fi inspired outfits. For Jazz & Piano, Gaga aimed for "glamour and elegance", with her wardrobe harkening back to the Jazz Age and vintage Vegas. The Enigma shows opened on December 28, 2018, and the Jazz & Piano shows opened on January 20, 2019. After a 21-month long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the residency returned to the theater on October 14, 2021.
Bruno Mars at Park MGM is a concert residency by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. It is held at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Theater at MGM National Harbor, in National Harbor, Maryland, at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts and once outside of the United States, in China at MGM Cotai in Cotai, Macau. For performances, Mars is accompanied by his band, the Hooligans, and the setlists feature songs from his albums Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), and 24K Magic (2016), along with various covers.
Play was the first concert residency hosted by American singer Katy Perry. The first eight concerts were announced in May 2021, which ran at Resorts World Theatre from December 29, 2021, to January 15, 2022. Eight more shows were added later that month in response to popular demand, extending the residency to March 2022. Ticket sales became widely available to purchase on May 24 after a pre-sale for those with Citibank cards. Perry announced in January 2022 that she had added 16 more shows for May through August. On June 1, 2022, she announced that a further eight shows were added for October due to increasing demand.
U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere was a concert residency by the Irish rock band U2 that took place at Sphere in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. Consisting of 40 concerts from 29 September 2023 to 2 March 2024, the residency inaugurated the venue, with each show featuring a full performance of the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby along with a mix of other songs from their catalogue. The shows leveraged Sphere's immersive video and sound capabilities, which include a 16K resolution wraparound LED video screen measuring 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2), and speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies.
Canadian singer Celine Dion has made a significant impact on popular culture through her music, commercial achievements and performances. At age twelve, she pursued a music career as a Francophone artist with the release of her debut single in 1981 and first gained international recognition after winning the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Following the release of her English-language debut album in 1990, Dion steadily amassed fame, success and public interest throughout her career spanning four decades.