The concept of a concert residency was established by pianist and singer
Liberace with a 1944 debut in
Las Vegas. 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. (1959), where
Frank Sinatra was its headlining resident performer Liberace's 1944 debut was followed by
Frank Sinatra with the
Rat Pack, as well as
Elvis Presley.—"like a jug of corn liquor at a champagne party," wrote a critic for
Newsweek. 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. 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." 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. 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. Since the 2010s, many other major performers have followed suit and accepted residency offers. This includes a variety of top acts, such as
EDM DJs
Tiësto and
Calvin Harris, 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). Towards the end of the decade, there were even shows by
hip hop acts such as
Drake and
Cardi B. By 2017, a tenth of
Forbes Celebrity 100 had signed a residency contract in Las Vegas.
Residencies as part of tours Due to high demands, some artists extend their
touring schedule at a single venue, making it a "mini residency". In other case, after a successful standalone residency, an artist expands it into a multi-venue concert series.
Mariah Carey's
The Celebration of Mimi (2024–2025) started as a 24-show residency, then she added more international shows across Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Tours such as
Madonna's
Madame X Tour was conceived as a series of residencies in select cities.
Harry Styles' 15 shows at the
Madison Square Garden, as part of his
Love On Tour, won the
Pollstar Award for Residency of the Year. ==Venue==