Las Vegas is going country.
Blake Shelton just announced his upcoming residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in February 2025.
"We’ve been talking about a Vegas residency for a few years, and all the pieces just came together for a run next year," Shelton said in a press release to Fox News Digital. "The Colosseum is such an iconic venue, and I’m excited to bring some honky-tonk neon to the Palace."
The former "Voice" coach also has a live music bar, Ole Red, in the city, with additional locations in Tennessee, Oklahoma and Florida.
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"It's been swirling for years now, and ever since the idea was first floated about opening an Ole Red in Las Vegas, this conversation has been happening, too," Shelton told People.
He continued, "If you're going to have a stake in Las Vegas, you got to do a residency also if you're an artist. I've just been kicking the can down the road because I wanted the Ole Red to be open before I did it."
"The influx of country stars earning lucrative residencies in Vegas is directly proportionate to country music's rise in popularity across the U.S. over the last 20 years," Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR told Fox News Digital.
"There was a gradual delineation from the traditional Country Western genre of the 20th century, as the music took on a more pop-heavy influence. While conventional fans still long for the days of Cash, Straight, Haggard, Twitty and the rest, the album sales in the Chesney, Shelton, Wallen, Combs, Bryan era certainly justify the financial value of the stylistic pivot."
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Financially, a residency also makes sense.
"When country stars see other popular artists like Adele making almost $2 million a show, it’s just such a tremendous business model rather than touring in 40 or 50 different cities. You have much lower overall overhead and get to keep more of what you earn," Ted Jenkin, business consultant and co-founder of oXYGen Financial, told Fox News Digital.
Entertainment journalist Brian Balthazar broke down some of the revenue streams, telling Fox News Digital, "Most artists receive a guaranteed nightly fee for each show, and the number can be significant. The bigger artists often lean towards a bigger share of the revenue. There’s also big money to be made in the merchandising: CDs, shirts, posters, souvenirs, etc."
He added, "Some artists even negotiate a portion of the beverage sales into their deals. Not surprisingly, that can be a real moneymaker."
Shelton is just the latest country star setting up shop in Sin City.
Carrie Underwood began her residency, "Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency," at Resorts World Theater in 2021, and she just announced new dates spanning into 2025.
"I’m at a place where we just want to take the best, most exciting parts of my tours, and the things we’ve learned in doing them, and bring them to Vegas," Underwood told Billboard in 2021. "I’m super excited to have a residency in this brand-new, amazing theater, and the possibilities are endless."
Underwood shared the artistic benefits of regularly performing in Las Vegas with Rolling Stone in 2022.
"From a production standpoint, we can do something that we can’t necessarily do when we’re packing up all our gear and going from place to place," she told the outlet. "From a switching-things-up perspective, when you’re on the road, you’re in different towns, and all the people in the audience are from that general area of the world."
"What I love about Vegas is you’re in one place, but everybody is from everywhere," she continued. "It’s a mishmash of people from all over the place. It’s cool to look out at the audience and think about that."
Garth Brooks’ residency, "Garth Brooks/PLUS One," kicked off in 2023, with even more shows added this year.
When it was first announced, Brooks said in a statement, "Vegas is the place where anything goes, and The Colosseum at Caesars is the heart of Vegas," Brooks said in a statement. "The perfect combination to present a show that will not only push the envelope, it's gonna shred it."
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Brooks promised no two shows would be the same, with varying band members and special guests popping up as well as an ever-evolving set list.
Shelton told People he took inspiration from Brooks, saying he "played songs that he grew up loving and made him fall in love with music. I don’t want to just rip somebody off, but I do love the idea of doing something that you wouldn’t normally get to see out on tour."
Keith Urban is returning to Las Vegas after a successful residency at Zappos Theater in 2022 with a new residency at Fontainebleau Las Vegas titled "High" in October and February.
Like Underwood, Urban enjoyed being able to experiment with larger set pieces on stage.
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"Somewhere in the middle is hopefully where we can land it," Urban told Billboard in 2022. "I want to take advantage of being able to build certain things that you can’t disassemble and move and reassemble easily night after night. I want to take advantage of being able to build stuff that’s just going to stay, but the spirit of my show, I’m never going to change that. I’m going to have a certain way of playing that isn’t going to be too dependent upon behemoth props and production that kind of sweeps and drowns me. I’ve never been a fan of that for what I do."
Urban also has a new album arriving in the fall that coincides with his new residency, something Eldridge notes is an additional benefit to doing Las Vegas shows.
"The other aspect that's often overlooked is that while it keeps the money rolling in … it also keeps them in the forefront of existing and/or prospective fans, especially as they work on future projects," he explained.
"As an artist, the last thing you want when you're getting ready to release a new album is to fall victim to 'out of sight, out of mind.' It's called pop music for a reason – it literally means what's popular. If your catalog of past hits has been overtaken in more recent pop-heavy playlists, it's going to be an even heavier boulder to roll up the hill when you're ready to release new music."
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Balthazar added it’s hard to "put a price tag" on the publicity garnered by a residency.
"Having your face displayed over a building, digital billboards, cab advertisements, fliers in every hotel room, that reaps the benefits of building brand recognition. Whether someone attends the concert or not, the PR value is enormous," he said.
Thomas Rhett is doing what he’s calling a "mini-residency" in December at BleauLive Theater inside Fontainebleau titled "Thomas Rhett: Live in Las Vegas."
"For me, having the chance to set up in Vegas for a string of shows is something I've been trying to find the right time to do for a while now. It gives us the chance to be back in smaller rooms — for almost a mini-residency — and really be right there to play off the fans and be sure every single one of them is on their feet each night," he told People.
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Shania Twain has had multiple residencies in Las Vegas, starting in 2012 with her "Still the One" show, followed by "Let’s Go!" which ran from 2019 to 2022, and her current set of shows, "Shania Twain: Come On Over – The Las Vegas Residency – All The Hits!"
In February, Twain told Fox News Digital her new residency is "going to be a party. It's high energy, a lot of interaction. I really want to get up close and personal with the audience, so you'll see a lot of that."
Twain also recently told CBS News that doing a residency allows her to spend time on a ranch with her five horses.
"This is a little park oasis that I can just walk out my door and do this," she told the outlet. " It's so calming and peaceful."
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Balthazar noted, "A traveling tour is a grind. Riding on tour buses, or flying from city to city, schlepping from one hotel to the other, it’s a lot. Vegas rolls out the red carpet. Most artists get a huge suite at the sponsor hotel, and others get an opulent manse offsite. It’s hard to argue against the stability and comfort of being in one place for the long haul."
Wynonna Judd is also set to return to Las Vegas for a residency after nine years away to celebrate her 40th anniversary as an entertainer with a series of Greatest Hits shows.
"Sometimes I feel like you just need to throw a big party for yourself!" Judd said in a statement via People. "This is a milestone year for me."
She continued, "‘The Greatest Hits’ celebration is a chance for the fans and I to celebrate. They have been with me for so long, and my hope is that everyone will get to hear their favorite song. How many hits can we fit into one show? Let’s find out!!!!"
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The influx of country artists new and old to Vegas shows no signs of slowing either.
"You're going to see a lot more country acts dropping anchor, setting up shop, and printing money from the Vegas Strip, in the years to come," Eldridge said.
"It’s impossible not to notice the big country stars reaping huge gains from their performances on the strip. In some ways, it’s not just about the revenue that they’re going to reap, but also the high level company they’re keeping," Balthazar added.
