Certain performers -- like Liberace, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack and Elvis Presley -- have been synonymous with the Las Vegas Strip.
Pianist Liberace began appearing in Las Vegas residencies in the 1940s and continued for over 40 years until his final show in August 1986 at Caesars Palace on the Strip. Frank Sinatra's residencies in Las Vegas began in the 1950s, and he would bring the Rat Pack to the Strip in the 1960s.
Elvis Presley, who joined Liberace on stage in Vegas in 1956, began his Las Vegas Strip residencies in July 1969 at the International Hotel and would perform an estimated 636 sold-out shows through his final performance in Las Vegas on Dec. 12, 1976, Biography reported.
Las Vegas also had a major influence on Elvis's film career as The King's 1963 film "Viva Las Vegas" was shot in Sin City, with some scenes filmed at the Flamingo Hotel on the Strip.
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Several Ongoing Las Vegas Residencies
The tradition of Las Vegas residencies has continued on from the mid-20th century and into the 21st century with many scheduled in 2022, 2023 and beyond. Several major residencies are ongoing on the Strip in December.
Superstar singer Adele resumed her 24-show residency at Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Nov. 18 after postponing shows that were scheduled for Jan. 21 to April 16, 2022, earlier in the year. The original rescheduled shows were set to run through Feb. 24, 2023, with a break from Christmas through Jan. 20, but Adele added eight more shows through March 25.
Other December residencies include country star Luke Bryan performing at Resorts World Theatre through Dec. 10, Aerosmith through Dec. 11 at Vici Properties' (VICI) Park MGM and Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood through Dec. 11, then returns March 24-30 and April 1-9.
Other notable residencies in 2023 include Maroon 5, March 24-31, April 1-8; July 28-29 and Aug. 2-12; the B-52s will start a 10-show residency at the Venetian Las Vegas May 5 that will conclude Sept. 2; country star Garth Brooks returns to Vegas for a 27-date residency that begins May 18 and will conclude in December 2023.
Legend Books 70 Shows over 5 Months
Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton, who first headlined at the Fabulous Flamingo Hotel on the Strip almost 60 years ago, has just added 70 shows to his residency at the hotel in 2023, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Newton, who will wrap up his 2022 shows on Dec. 26 and 28, has planned a traditional residency schedule of several shows a week over a five-month period, which is different from the modern definition that considers a residency to be a number of performances that span more than a single weekend.
The 80-year-old "Danke Schoen" singer, who performed at the Flamingo in 1963 in the same year Elvis filmed scenes at the hotel, has lined up an intense performance schedule, appearing in his "Up Close and Personal" cabaret-style show in Bugsy's Cabaret for 70 shows from Jan. 16-June 28 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $69.
