Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Madonna, Lovers & Friends, Ringo Starr and more Las Vegas showbiz news

Madonna

Ricardo Gomes

Madonna

Updated Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023 | 6:48 a.m.

Pop icon Madonna has announced an epic, career-spanning Celebration Tour set to trek across 35 cities around the world and the journey will bring her to T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip on October 7. The best-selling female solo touring artist of all time said in a statement that she’s “excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans they show they have been waiting for.” She last performed in Las Vegas in 2019 with a trio of concerts at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Bob the Drag Queen, who performed at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve, will open the shows. Tickets go on sale January 20 at axs.com.

The Lovers & Friends festival is coming back to the Strip after a successful inaugural run at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in 2022. This year the hip-hop and R&B-centered event will be trimmed down to just one day, May 6, with even more superstars topping the bill, including Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, Pitbull, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Boyz II Men, Nelly, Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Miguel, Summer Walker and many more (around 45 artists in total). Tickets go on sale January 20 at loversandfriendsfest.com.

There were even more Vegas concert and entertainment event announcements this week: WWE Smackdown will take over MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 24; Dane Cook performs at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan on April 1; electronic music producer Big Wild will play Brooklyn Bowl on April 12; heavy metal heavyweights Gojira and Mastodon are teaming up to storm the stage at the Theater at Virgin on April 23; comedian Chelsea Handler visits the Mirage Theatre on April 28; comedian Ali Wong returns to Encore Theater at Wynn for four shows over two nights April 28-29; Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band (Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette) will stop at the Venetian Theatre for tour dates this spring, on May 24, 26 and 27; “Saturday Night Live” alum Leslie Jones will perform at the Theater at Virgin on May 26; funnyman Jack Whitehall makes his debut at Encore Theater on July 1; and electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso touches down at Brooklyn Bowl on September 7.

Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, is bringing a unique rock-and-roll event to the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on March 4. His collection of iconic music and pop culture artifacts — essentially a traveling museum — will be on display for free on March 4 at the outdoor venue on Third Street, and his band (featuring Irsay on vocals along with rock legends like R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and drummer Kenny Aronoff) will perform that evening, also free of charge. Tickets are still required and are available at jimirsaycollection.com or on Eventbrite. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills & Nash are expected to perform as special guests.