Lady Gaga’s next album, “Harlequin,” is due out on Friday. The release is a companion piece to the upcoming film, “Joker: For Do,” and features 13 lucky songs.
But it’s unclear what this activity means for her plans in Las Vegas.
Lady Gaga announced her return to the Dolby Live stage with a permanent show, telling the audience during the final weekend of her “Jazz + Piano” performances: “We want you all to come along when we come back, and we have a whole new show for you.”
The ears and eyes were especially wide open to the musicians in Gaga’s orchestra, many of whom are Las Vegas musicians. Gaga has a rich performance track record, having performed 72 concerts at the Park MGM Theater with “J+P” and “Enigma.” MGM Resorts International is her Las Vegas performance base.
However, there’s no promise of a return to Dolby Live or the jazz format in the future. With no contract in place, Gaga is a free agent in Las Vegas.
Speculation surrounding Gaga’s Las Vegas show has blown up like a balloon, with Online Betting Guide (OLBG) putting her as the 2/1 betting favorite to be the bulbous phenom’s next announced headliner.
The platform also reports that there is a 33% chance that Gaga will headline the Sphere next year. This is all for entertainment purposes and (probably) idle chit-chat.
Sphere officials have continued to respond to questions about upcoming headliners with the usual response: “We do not comment on artists performing at Sphere beyond what has been announced,” a company representative said.
MGM Resorts is clearly keen to add Lady Gaga to its entertainment lineup; her combined productions of Jazz + Piano and Enigma rank eighth all-time among Las Vegas permanent shows. Lady Gaga’s two shows grossed $110,041,261, with 376,652 tickets sold, an average of 5,231 per night, and an average ticket price of $292.16.
That means MGM Resorts executives are blinded by dollar signs.
Against this backdrop, Sphere Entertainment Chairman and CEO James Dolan said during the company’s most recent earnings call last month that the company is exploring announcing a female artist as the next Sphere headliner.
โThe funny thing about the Eagles show, as you may have noticed, is that they basically play for two weeks and then have two weeks off,โ Dolan said, โโฆ I think the two weeks that theyโre not playing will be filled with another high-profile, premiere-time artist, possibly a female.
“That’s all I have to say about that.”
The Eagles are off for two weeks after this weekend, before returning on October 11 and 12. It’s highly unlikely that a big name like Lady Gaga could fit in two weeks of shows on that schedule.
But the list of superstars who could artistically and financially sustain multiple shows at the Sphere is short, and one of them is Lady Gaga.
What’s clear is that the “Paparazzi” singer has multiple options on the Strip — I’m all for promoting a jazz format that’s different from any other show — but it’s significant that the headliner’s latest work is pop-related, and that her partner and fiancรฉ, Michael Polansky, is encouraging her to return to that path.
Of course, the Sphere show will be something special, but we’re hoping to see even more from the Harlequin co-stars in 2025. The Joker’s partner holds all the cards.
Wilson’s 2
Hart has announced that the second show of his rebooted “Royal Flush Tour” will take place at Fontainebleau’s Blue Live Theatre on March 1, following the original February 28 date of the tour’s return.
The legendary rock band, founded and led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, was removed from the schedule in July due to Ann Wilson’s cancer treatment. Heart was originally scheduled to play the Blue Live Theatre on December 15th.
Scorpions (WTF!) 60 years old
The band, who once said, “I don’t wanna know! I just want to get out! Black out!” will celebrate their 60th anniversary with PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort for five nights, February 27-March 11. (Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday at ticketmaster.com; see The-Scorpions.com/RockZone for pre-sale information.)
Frontman Klaus Meine said in a statement (edited for effect): “We’re going to stab you!” And he was right.
Wayne, Mars, Flave, etc.
Monday was, as always, a glorious night on the Vegasville scene. I caught up with Wayne Newton at Monday’s Dark at The Space, where Mr. Las Vegas took part in the show’s Roadcase Conversations segment. Host and venue founder Mark Schnock and Monday’s Dark Entertainment Director Paige Strafera reflected on Newton’s history in Las Vegas.
Schnock hopes to post these conversations on the Space’s website by the end of the year, which is a great idea.
Newton also smiled when he heard he’d be performing in a Tom Jones show at the Encore Theater on Saturday. Jones is one of the few headliners to catch Newton’s early days on the Strip. “Tom Jones!” Newton said. “That’s great.”
Newton continues his performance at the Flamingo, where he appeared on Monday before stopping off at The Space.
Then I headed to The Pinky Ring at the Bellagio, having heard about OMA, a young hip-hop ensemble from the UK that plays a ’90s and 2000s sound. Mars is a big supporter, which is why he was in the club for the first time on a Monday night before departing on tour to Brazil.
On Saturday night, I bumped into Flavor Flav again near the entrance, having just seen him at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Flav was decked out in US Olympic gear, including a bejeweled watch necklace. He took to the stage for a furious five minutes, lighting up the room with chants of “You say Bruno! I say Mars!”
Mars and Gaga had a hit with “Die With a Smile,” and Flav is living off his hits.
Cool Hang Alert
The House on Watch Hill, the latest production from Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor with a musical theater vibe, will preview at 7 p.m. Friday at the Vegas Theatre Company in the Arts District.
It’s a coming-of-age story about a group of misfits (not the OMA band) who set out to create the most haunted house in the neighborhood. The story takes place in the summer of 1984, and the production is accentuated by 1980s-inspired music and a live band.
VTC Artistic Director Daz Weller will direct. Oberacker previewed some of the work at a composer showcase at Myron’s on Wednesday. It’s worth a watch. For more information, see theatre.vegas.
John Katsilometes’ column appears daily in Section A. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow us! Johnny Katz @JohnnyKats1 on X and @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.