From Celine Dion to Taylor Swift: Biggest Casino Concerts of All Time
When most people think of Las Vegas (aka Sin City), they often think of iconic land-based casinos, lavish hotels, the Las Vegas Strip, the Las Vegas sign, Elvis Presley, and even the Mafia.
However, over the past several decades, it has also become the place to see some of the world’s most famous singers and bands in concert. With that in mind, let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at some of the highest-grossing Las Vegas casino concerts/residencies of all time, hosted by some of the world’s biggest stars.
Which famous artists have hosted the biggest casino concerts in Vegas?
Countless solo artists and bands have signed up for Las Vegas residencies, hosting anywhere from just a single, one-off concert to multiple events over the course of several months or several years. Some of these performers have long since performed in Vegas, whereas others can still be seen on stage today.
Not everyone will get a chance to see their favourite performers playing live in Las Vegas or visit some of the area’s most iconic land-based venues, such as the MGM Grand, Caesar’s Palace, the Bellagio, the Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Foxwood Resorts Casino, or the Wynn Las Vegas Casino, to play their favourite games in person.
Instead, they can often watch these live events on demand on trusted video-sharing platforms such as YouTube or play thousands of computer-generated and cutting-edge live dealer games on fully licensed and regulated iGaming sites like the official LuckyKoala online casino. The choice is massive!
Without further ado, here are five of the biggest-selling Las Vegas casino concerts of all time:
- Artist/band: Britney Spears. Event: Piece of Me. Revenue generated: $137.7 million
- Artist/band: Elton John. Event: The Red Piano. Revenue generated: $169 million
- Artist/band: U2. Event: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. Revenue generated: $244.50 million
- Artist/band: Celine Dion. Event: Celine. Revenue generated: $296 million
- Artist/band: Celine Dion. Event: A New Day. Revenue generated: $565.73 million
Celine Dion currently holds the record for the most shows performed there. Her residency began in 2003 and has earned the Canadian solo artists an incredible $230,000,000.
Honourable mentions
Bruno Mars: Bruno Mars at Park MGM generated a cool $114.3 million from his residency, and Jeniffer Lopez generated $101.9 million from her All I Have concerts.
Adele is expected to be one of the highest-grossing stars of all time to host a Las Vegas residency, performing many of her hit songs at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace this coming November.
Over the next six months (into early 2025), you will also be able to see Lionel Ritchie, Shania Twain, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift, to name a few.
Which other famous residencies have been a success in Las Vegas?
Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey knew how to draw the crowds, and Cher’s residency was also a huge success. Some of the other major artists that have also played in Las Vegas are the Backstreet Boys, Wayne Newton, The Killers, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Bette Midler, and Kylie Minogue.
That’s not forgetting Christina Aguilera, Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Carlos Santana, Jonas Brothers, and many others.
Final thoughts
A concert residency in Las Vegas is often considered a series of shows (typically ten or more) at the same land-based Las Vegas casino (i.e., the same location).
Besides casino gaming activities on the strip, these events have been a staple of entertainment in Sin City for many decades, starting with Liberace in the 1940s and the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin) in the 1950s.
Over the coming years, we will likely see new revenue records being broken by the world’s biggest stars who will come to perform residences here at various iconic buildings.