Anita Baker
Monday, May 16, 2022 | 2 a.m.
When Anita Baker came to the Las Vegas Strip during her Farewell Concert Series tour in the summer of 2018, the soulful singer sold out five performances at Wynn’s Encore Theater and thrilled loyal fans ready to celebrate what appeared to be the grand finale of her stage career.
Audience enthusiasm and clamor for tickets extended the farewell tour, and Baker returned for three more concerts in 2019, this time moving over to the Venetian Theatre. Then, of course, the world shut down for COVID, and the 64-year-old singer known for smooth, romantic ballads like “Sweet Love,” “Caught Up in the Rapture,” “Giving You the Best That I’ve Got” and “Body and Soul” probably wasn’t expected to continue touring after essentially announcing her retirement two years earlier.
And yet here she is again, in Las Vegas, performing eight shows starting on Friday, May 20 and running through June 4 at the Venetian Theatre. The concerts were sold out on Ticketmaster at press time but tickets were recently available at Stubhub and other web outlets.
Last month, Baker tweeted that she may be back on the road again this summer. “The industry is knocking at our door … a little bidding war,” she posted, noting that mega-promoters Live Nation and AEG are both offering to help keep her farewell tour going for another year.
And why wouldn’t they? Any legacy artist who can sell out multiple Las Vegas Strip headlining appearances is obviously in high demand. Baker has added fuel to the fire by bringing an incredible roster of surprise guests to the stage during her tour stops in recent years, including Stevie Wonder, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys and Regina Belle. R&B artists have practically lined up to pay tribute to Baker and her music, which always stood out as some of the most refined contributions to the genre during her hitmaking days of the 1980s and ’90s.
Adding a cherry on top, she’s been teasing possible new music after settling issues concerning her master recordings with former label Elektra last year and signing a new deal with Rhino Records. So the Venetian shows likely won’t be your last chance to hear from Anita Baker, but that won’t stop true fans from hunting for tickets.
