Nela Koenig
Rock legend John Fogerty continues his Wynn Las Vegas residency in 2022.
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Have we entered a new peak period for the Las Vegas Strip superstar residency show? As if Adele’s upcoming performances at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace didn’t shake things up enough, this week brought the announcements of John Legend’s show at Zappos Theater and Michael Bublé’s shorter engagement at Resorts World Theatre. Tickets for both of those new gigs go on sale in the next week, and as expected, there will be no typical public onsale for Adele as the Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-registration program has locked down all available supply.
Here’s the current musical residency roster on the Strip: Adele, Sting, Usher, Keith Urban and Rod Stewart at the Colosseum; Legend and Shania Twain (and possibly Kelly Clarkson next year if she returns to her post-pandemic plans) at Zappos Theater; Bublé, Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and (eventually) Celine Dion at Resorts World Theatre; Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and (eventually) Aerosmith at Dolby Live; Journey at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas; John Fogerty and Lionel Richie at Encore Theater; Barry Manilow at Westgate; David Lee Roth and Santana at the House of Blues; and Donny Osmond at Harrah’s. There are other limited engagements and smaller rooms you might be able to toss into this mix, but these are the majors and it’s pretty unbelievable.
Those blockbuster Bublé and Legend announcements overshadowed plenty of other new Las Vegas concerts and entertainment events unveiled this week. Returning House of Blues resident David Lee Roth has added new dates on January 14, 15, 21 and 22 to follow up his sold-out comeback starting on New Year’s Eve at the Mandalay Bay music hall; Beloved Beatles tribute act The Fab Four will visit the Orleans Showroom for two performances on January 14 and 15; John Fogerty returns to his Encore Theater rock-and-roll residency on February 23, 25 and 6 and March 2, 4 and 5; Comedian Leanne Morgan will make her debut at Wynn with a show at Encore Theater on March 10; Frequent Vegas visitors Incubus will play the Theater at Virgin on March 25 and 26; Next-generation family musician Angela Aguilar will perform at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan on March 26; “In Living Color” comedian Tommy Davidson heads to the ‘burbs on April 9 with a standup set at Green Valley Ranch Resort’s Grand Events Center; Country music’s Russell Dickerson lands at the Sunset Station Amphitheater on April 22; Sibling rock trio Haim returns to the Strip with a show at the Chelsea on April 24 to kick off its One More Haim national tour; Breakthrough pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo plays the Chelsea on May 20; Keith Urban has set new dates for the new year for his Colosseum at Caesars Palace residency and they are May 27-29; Joe Jackson will play Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center on June 8; And “Weird Al” Yankovic’s new tour will make a stop at the Venetian Theatre for performances on June 8, 10 and 11.
The Las Vegas run of “Naked Boys Singing!” at the Jewel Box Theatre inside the Erotic Heritage Museum has been extended through March 6, 2022. Recently joining the cast is Robert Ryan, who has performed at the same site recently in “Puppetry in the Penis.” Continuing with all-male, all-nude cast are “American Idol” performer David Hernandez and “America’s Got Talent” finalist Marcus Terell along with Matthew Ludwinski, Louis D’Aprile and Jaden Lux. Performances are at 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday and more info is available at nakedboyssingingvegas.com.
Golden Rainbow and the Stirling Club will present a special holiday drag brunch show starring Edie from “Zumanity” along with Martina Brookshire and Joji Darling from “Faaabulous! The Show” on December 12 at noon. Tickets are $99 and include bottomless bubbles and a fabulous meal, and a percentage of proceeds will benefit Golden Rainbow’s mission to help Southern Nevadans affected by HIV and AIDS. For more information and reservations, visit goldenrainbow.org.
A very jolly version of the Composers Showcase will close out the year on December 15 at 9:30 p.m. at Myron’s at the Smith Center, featuring the great Keith Thompson guiding guests through original music from Dennis Blair, Bernie Blanks, Joe Chavira, Adam Dunson, Rylan Leo Helmuth, Chadwick Johnson, Richard Oberacker, David Wachs, Tymara Walker, Camden West, Mark Wherry and Justin Young. Don’t miss it.
Ivory Star Productions, the company behind Vegas favorites like Tape Face and “Marriage Can Be Murder,” will present “Hometown Holiday Hits” featuring The Swing It Girls and The Doo-Wop Kings performing live at 7 p.m. December 16-19 with a 2 p.m. matinee December 19 at the Suncoast Showroom. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
The Jazz Outreach Initiative’s JOI Jazz Orchestra will perform selections from Duke Ellington’s “The Nutcracker Suite” and other holiday favorites with singer Clint Holmes and trumpeter Kenny Rampton on December 21 at 6 p.m. at the Starbright Theatre in Sun City Summerlin. Tickets are available at suncitysummerlin.com.
