What Artists Would Have Great Vegas Residencies? Here's a Wish List

Adele had promised one of the biggest residencies Vegas has seen in years – that was, until the entire enterprise collapsed when she canceled the last minute in a tearful social media post saying that the show wasn't ready for prime time. Weeks later, Caesar Palace, the venue where the event is to take place, hopes to make the residency happen. "Caesars Palace desperately want the gigs to go ahead because if they don't they are going to lose something like $150million," ITV reporter showbiz correspondent Ross King told British media on Monday, January 31, the Daily Mail reports. "They really want it to happen and they are saying they are doing all they can to make it happen, so it's kind of now all on Adele's side."

Whether or not Caesar's will reconnect the dots with the singer and the show will go on remains to be seen. But such Vegas residencies are nothing new; Liberace is credited with coining the idea way back in 1944, and all the greats from Frank Sinatra to Elvis had their own show at some point.

Vegas residencies fell out of fashion sometime in the '70s and '80s. Instead of it being a crowning achievement of one's career, performers in a career slump would often crawl out to the desert and try to make some money. As Cher famously said, Vegas is an "elephant graveyard where talent goes to die." She was talking about herself at that point: She headlined Caesars from 1979-1982. She'd sing a different tune 30 years later when she returned for her second residency at Caesars, which ran for three years and earned Cher $60 million

But everything changed in 2003 when Celine Dion opened her "A New Day" residency at Caesars, which ran for four years and grossed nearly $400 million, making it the most successful residency of all time. In 2014, the Vegas residency was revitalized again with Britney Spears' "Piece of Me," which became one of the hottest tickets in Vegas. Once again, landing your own Vegas show is considered a great and exciting honor rather than an antidote to a career slump. And it's not hard to see why: It's a quick 45-minute plane ride from LA, so most LA-based stars can sleep in their own beds if they want to, and it allows them the massive income that comes with touring without the grueling schedule. And, yes, the income for most Vegas acts is massive.

According to Billboard, Adele will earn $2 million for each of her shows, and Katy Perry – who just began her long-awaited residency at Resorts World – is earning over $5 million per show. To put it into perspective, Celine Dion was making about $500,000 per show, which underscores the revitalization of the Vegas residency in recent years, which shows no signs of stopping: Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic just announced a new residency, and this year will bring major talent back to the strip, including Carrie Underwood, Usher, Sting, Celine Dion (again), and – though we don't know any details yet – Drake.

From Barry Manilow and Donny Osmond to Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga, a slew of artists have already had their own major Vegas residency. But here are 10 artists we'd like to see land their own show:

The Weeknd

Although this one seems as inevitable as anything, The Weeknd appears to have other things on his mind, at least for now. His "After Hours" arena tour was scrapped twice: – first because of COVID, and again because he allegedly wants to embark on a summer stadium tour in support of his stellar new album, "Dawn FM." But The Weeknd feels made for Vegas, and his ability to create a technologically state-of-the-art show would be perfectly matched for the sit-down nature of a residency.

Rihanna

Is it likely that Rihanna has any interest at all in performing a show in Vegas? Probably not, (especially since she dropped she's pregnant), but that can't keep us from thinking about it. There's been a lot of talk over the last few years about Rihanna and her music career. She hasn't released new music in six years, and doesn't appear to be in any kind of rush to do so (though you can't blame her too much; she's been busy becoming a billionaire). Still, Rihanna embodies the edgy sweetness and alluring sin of Las Vegas, and as a result would no doubt mount one of the hardest-to-get-into-shows on the planet.

Fleetwood Mac

Baby boomers are a huge portion of Vegas vacationers, and they would no doubt flock – and pay through the nose – to see a dazzling Fleetwood Mac show created just for Vegas. It would be even better if they'd all grow up and learn to play nice with Lindsay Buckingham, who was fired from the band a few years ago for asking them to delay their tour. Fleetwood Mac isn't getting any younger, and the stability of a residency would be an ideal gig for the band, who – by the way – have still got it.

The Eagles

Applying the same logic as above, the Eagles would absolutely be a red-hot ticket on the Vegas strip. The Eagles love to do an exhaustive, three-hour set, but if they could refashion their epic setlist into a 90-minute, in-and-out Vegas spectacular, it would be a sensation. The Eagles are a sure bet in any town, but there's something great about the idea of seeing them on a strip in the middle of the desert that some consider heaven, and others consider hell.

Kylie Minogue

Getting Kylie to even perform a concert in the United States, let alone an entire residency, is hard enough – she hasn't toured North America for a decade. But her dazzling stagecraft, coupled with her extensive catalogue of hits, would be the one and only show that turns Vegas into an all-out dance party, something that not even Lady Gaga's "Enigma" does. And we'd be there in a second.

Shakira

Shakira is famous in America, but she's considered a bona fide superstar in most of the rest of the world, and a Shakira residency would be an exciting option for a wide array of concertgoers. It also might help to attract international travelers to the strip, which can only be a good thing.

Maluma

Latin music is the fastest growing genre of music in the United States, and it's about time that a Latin artist headlines a major residency on the strip. Just as Latin music is the fastest growing genre, Maluma is one of the fastest growing artists, who already has an impressive catalogue of music, and that's to say nothing of his red-hot sex appeal. Expect his public visibility to rise in the next few weeks due his featured role in the upcoming Jennifer Lopez rom-com "Marry Me," in theaters and streaming on Peacock on February 11.

Madonna

It will be interesting to see how Madonna returns to live performances over the next handful of years. She's known for headlining some of the highest grossing concert tours of all time, and her shows for decades have been out-and-out spectaculars, consisting of two hours of nonstop dance and epic stagecraft. But her life as a dancer has taken a toll on her body, and she even had to cancel a large portion of her last tour because she was in so much pain from a dance injury. If Madonna could return to the stage in a setting even more intimate than she experimented with for the residency-style "Madame X" tour, she'd be onto something remarkable. No one puts on a show like Madonna, and her perfectionism is apparent at every turn.

ABBA

ABBA has been offered millions of dollars over the years to reunite for live performances, and they've turned it down each time. But has there ever been a band more suited for the Vegas strip? There's already some sort of hologram tour in the works, which sounds like a dreadful waste of time, but with a new album on the horizon, you can't blame us for dreaming.

Josh Groban

As he has proven time and time again, Groban is far more than just a pretty voice (or face). He's got a natural-born showmanship that would translate ideally to something like a Vegas residency, and he would appeal to a certain portion of Vegas goers that are looking for something more low-key. Even a variety show-style show would be a treat, and it's one that Groban would excel at effortlessly.