Concert residency#Highest-grossing concert residencies

The concept of a concert residency was established by pianist and singer Liberace with a 1944 debut in Las Vegas.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/jan/19/jennifer-lopez-las-vegas-shows-concerts-nightlife |title=Jennifer Lopez and the changing face of Las Vegas |first=Michael |last=Cragg |date=January 19, 2016 |work=The Guardian |access-date=December 4, 2017}} Nearly ten years later, Liberace had his own show at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, which reportedly earned "Mr. Showtime" around $50,000 per week. After years of pursuing other projects in Los Angeles, he returned to his Vegas residency and earned around $300,000 a week, until his death from AIDS-related complications in 1987.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Notable-Las-Vegas-performance-residencies-5655292.php#photo-6658840 |title=Notable Las Vegas performance residencies |date=July 29, 2014 |publisher=sfgate.com |access-date=December 4, 2017}}

File:The Sands Hotel and Casino in 1959.jpg (1959), where Frank Sinatra was its headlining resident performer.]]

Liberace's 1944 debut was followed by Frank Sinatra with the Rat Pack, as well as Elvis Presley. In April 1956, Presley began a two-week concert residency at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, following the release of his self-titled debut album. His shows were poorly-received by the conservative, middle-aged hotel guests{{Gilliland|show=7|title=The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies}}—"like a jug of corn liquor at a champagne party," wrote a critic for Newsweek.{{cite news |last=Guralnick |first=Peter |title=How Did Elvis Get Turned into a Racist? |date=January 8, 2004 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/11/opinion/11guralnick.html |access-date=August 11, 2007}} Nevertheless, between 1969 and 1976, Presley would perform 837 consecutive sold-out shows at the (formerly) Hilton Las Vegas, which has since been renamed the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Notable-Las-Vegas-performance-residencies-5655292.php#photo-6658841 |title=Notable Las Vegas performance residencies |website=sfgate.com |date=July 29, 2014 |access-date=December 4, 2017}}

In previous decades, many artists in high demand would perform multiple-show runs in various cities, such as the British pop group the Spice Girls; as part of their Spiceworld Tour, the group played to over 100,000 people over the course of eight sold-out shows at London's Wembley Arena between 14 April and 26 April 1998, with an additional two concerts—each one accommodating 55,000 fans—at the much larger Wembley Stadium. After their successful run in London, the group did a "mini-residency" of six performances at the Birmingham NEC Arena, from 28 April to 6 May 1998.

Kurt Melien, vice president of entertainment at Caesars Palace, explained that "Historically, Vegas residencies were more a loss leader event – famous artists playing in small showrooms just to draw in the gambling crowds."{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10477772/Why-is-Las-Vegas-gambling-15-million-on-Britney-Spears.html |title=Why is Las Vegas gambling $15 million on Britney Spears? |first=Chris |last=Bell |date=November 29, 2013 |work=Daily Telegraph |access-date=December 4, 2017}} In the music world, Las Vegas was known as the place where singers went to "die"—if their careers hadn't suffered already—and where they could earn a comparatively meager wage in their "twilight" years, entertaining tourists on the Strip alongside magicians like David Copperfield, illusionists and Siegfried & Roy's tigers. Music journalist Jim Farber stated, "There used to be a certain element of cheesiness to playing in Vegas. I talked to Cher about that, and she referred to it as an 'elephant graveyard where talent goes to die' — and she was speaking of herself."{{cite web |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-multimillion-dollar-reason-mariah-carey-is-going-all-in-on-a-las-vegas-residency-2018-04-30 |title=The multimillion-dollar reason Janet Jackson is going all-in on a Las Vegas residency |first=Nicole Lyn |last=Pesce |website=MarketWatch |access-date=June 20, 2019}}

Celine Dion revitalized residencies in the 21st century, with the resounding success of her A New Day... residency between 2003 and 2007. In 2011, she would begin another successful run at Caesars Palace, with a contract through 2019. Her residencies introduced a new form of theatrical entertainment; with a fusion of song, choral ensemble, orchestral accompaniment, performance art, innovative stage craft, state-of-the-art technology, and even a tribute to her friend and idol, Michael Jackson, Dion managed to popularize the Las Vegas residency as a desirable way for top artists to essentially tour in place, letting their most dedicated fans come to them. Kurth Meline explained, "Céline was a pioneer without question. Twenty years ago, we couldn't have got someone the stature of Britney Spears to appear in Vegas. Stars like her would never have considered it if Céline hadn't paved the way. She changed the face of modern Vegas." Dion's second residency, Celine, saw her perform a record-breaking 1,000th show at The Colosseum on October 8, 2016, which she dedicated to the memory of her late husband and manager, Rene Angelil.{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/Celine-dion-las-vegas-husband-rene_uk_57fba3cfe4b04e1174a5395f |title=Celine Dion Pays Emotional Tribute To Husband At 1000th Las Vegas Gig |date=October 10, 2016 |website=HuffPost UK |access-date=June 20, 2019}}

Since the 2010s, many other major performers have followed suit and accepted residency offers.{{Cite web |title=Jennifer Lopez heading to Las Vegas for residency in 2016 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-jennifer-lopez-las-vegas-residency-2016-20150513-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date = 2016-01-12}} This includes a variety of top acts, such as EDM DJs Tiesto and Calvin Harris,{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/17/las-vegas-gamble-dance-music |title=Las Vegas's gamble with dance music |first=Alexis |last=Petridis |date=July 17, 2014 |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 20, 2019}} pop and R&B performers (including Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Diana Ross, Katy Perry, Usher, and Mariah Carey), and rock bands (such as Def Leppard and Aerosmith).{{cite web |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/def-leppard-to-rock-the-las-vegas-strip-for-12-shows-1596098/ |title=Def Leppard to rock the Las Vegas Strip for 12 shows |date=February 13, 2019 |publisher=reviewjournal.com |access-date=June 20, 2019}} Towards the end of the decade, there were even shows by hip hop acts such as Drake and Cardi B.{{cite web |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/drake-and-cardi-bs-las-vegas-residencies-are-a-massive-win-for-hip-hop-news.70609.html |title=Drake & Cardi B's Las Vegas Residencies Are A Massive Win For Hip-Hop |website=HotNewHipHop |date=February 2019 |access-date=June 20, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/22/newstalgia-how-vegas-went-from-pop-retirement-village-to-the-home-of-rap-royalty |title=How Vegas went from musical retirement village to the home of Cardi B |first=Michael |last=Cragg |date=February 22, 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 20, 2019}} By 2017, a tenth of Forbes Celebrity 100 had signed a residency contract in Las Vegas.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccalerner/2017/06/14/meet-the-celeb-100-stars-cashing-in-on-the-vegas-residency-boom/ |title=Meet The Celeb 100 Stars Cashing In On The Vegas Residency Boom |first=Rebecca |last=Lerner |website=Forbes |access-date=June 20, 2019}}

For decades, Las Vegas has been the central destination for concert residencies. New York City has also grown as a residency destination, beginning with Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden in 2014.{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/04/the-eternal-unbearable-greatness-of-billy-joel/522126/ |title=The United States of Billy Joel |first=Adam |last=Chandler |website=The Atlantic |date=April 21, 2017 |access-date=December 4, 2017}} In 2022 Harry Styles performed 15 nights at Madison Square Garden from August 20 to September 21.{{cite news |title=Harry Styles Celebrates Historic 15-Show Run at Madison Square Garden With Banner Raising |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/harry-styles-madison-square-garden-banner-raising-1234597708/ |access-date=24 March 2023 |work=Rolling Stone |date=September 22, 2022}} American rock band Phish also performed a 13-show residency at the same venue, from July 21 to August 6, 2017. Bruce Springsteen held his 2017–18 residency, Springsteen on Broadway, at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City. In August and September 2007, the O2 Arena in London held 21 concert series titled 21 Nights in London: The Earth Tour by Prince.{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/prince-kicks-off-21-show-l-a-residency-with-epic-three-hour-show-20110415 |title=Prince Kicks Off 21-Concert Residency With Epic Three-Hour Show |website=rollingstone.com |date=April 15, 2011 |access-date=December 4, 2017}} From January to March 2009, Luis Miguel played a run of 25 shows at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. Michael Jackson had scheduled 50 concerts series titled This Is It from July 2009 to March 2010 at The O2 Arena in London, but they were cancelled due to his death. Mexican rock band Maná signed a residency tour at the LA Forum in Los Angeles, CA. "Maná: LA Residencia", exclusively at the venue starting March 2022 and will continue until the end of the year or until ticket sales drop.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/mana-la-forum-residency-2022-9659836/amp/ |title=Mana Will Play 'Unprecedented' Exclusive Residency at LA Forum in 2022 |magazine=Billboard}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/mana-forum-residency-1257905/amp/ |title=Maná on Their Historic Los Angeles Residency – and the Surprises They Have in Store |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 15, 2021}}

File:Caesars Palace Las Vegas 01.jpg generated $681 million, more than any other acts in history.]]

One of the most successful residencies in history was Elvis Presley's 636 consecutive shows at the International and Las Vegas Hilton from July 1969 through December 1976.{{cite web |url=https://lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2015/apr/26/was-number-elvis-consecutive-sold-out-shows-vegas-/ |title=Was number of Elvis' consecutive sold-out shows in Las Vegas 636 or 837? – Las Vegas Sun Newspaper |first=John |last=Katsilometes |date=April 26, 2015 |website=lasvegassun.com}} However, the box-office data for his residency is unavailable. Celine Dion's A New Day... is the most successful concert residency of all time, grossing $385.1 million and drawing nearly three million people to 717 shows.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_KhQEAAAAMBAJ |magazine=Billboard |title=Full House |date=October 18, 2008 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |via=Internet Archive |last=Waddell |first=Ray |page=38}} Her second residency, Celine, is the second most successful one, generating $296 million from a total of 427 shows between 2011 and 2019. These two residencies made Dion the highest-grossing resident performer of all time.

Following Celine Dion, Elton John has become the second-most successful concert resident performer; his Red Piano residency grossed a reported $169 million between 2004 and 2009,{{cite web |url=http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/music/sir-elton-rockets-back-to-victoria-1.11339928 |title=Sir Elton rockets back to Victoria |first=Mike |last=Devlin |website=timescolonist.com |access-date=December 4, 2017}} and his Million Dollar Piano residency grossed $131 million between 2011 and 2018. Another top-selling residency was Britney Spears's Britney: Piece of Me, which began in December 2013 and ended in December 2017,{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/09/britney-spears/ |title=Britney Spears Announces Las Vegas Show Live on 'GMA' |author=Katie Kindelan |work=ABC News |date=September 17, 2013 |access-date=November 16, 2013}} grossing $137.7 million.{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7677996/britney-spears-piece-of-me-las-vegas-ticket-sales |title=Britney Spears Piece of Me show top $100 million in ticket sales |magazine=Billboard |access-date=2017-02-03}} From 2023 to 2024, U2 staged a residency called U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, which grossed $244.5 million from just 40 shows;{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/u2-final-sphere-shows-february-2024-boxscore-report/|title=U2 Leads February Boxscore Report With Final Sphere Shows|website=Billboard|first=Eric|last=Frankenberg|date=28 March 2024|access-date=28 March 2024}} Billboard described it as the "fastest grossing residency in Boxscore history".{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/u2-shows-sphere-110-million-ticket-sales/|title=U2's First Batch of Shows at the Sphere Generated Nearly $110 Million in Ticket Sales|website=Billboard|first=Eric|last=Frankenberg|date=28 November 2023|access-date=28 November 2023}}

Outside of Las Vegas, Bruce Springsteen grossed over $113 million with 236 shows of his New York residency Springsteen on Broadway.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/theater/broadway-grosses-hamilton-record.html |title='Hamilton' Leads a Record-Breaking Holiday Week on Broadway |first=Michael |last=Paulson |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 2, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/grossesshow.cfm?show=SPRINGSTEEN-ON-BROADWAY&year=2018&allall=on |title=SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY Broadway Grosses – 2018 |website=www.broadwayworld.com |access-date=May 12, 2018}} Billy Joel grossed $266.8 million with his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden since 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/top-grossing-concert-residencies-all-time/u2-u2-uv-achtung-baby-live-at-sphere-2023-24/|title=25 Biggest Concert Residencies of All Time|website=Billboard|first=Eric|last=Frankenberg|date=September 12, 2024|access-date=September 13, 2024}}

Michael Jackson sold a record-breaking 750,000 tickets in four hours on March 13, 2009 for his 2009–2010 This Is It residency at the O2 Arena, London, which was ultimately cancelled due to his death.{{cite web|date=March 13, 2009 |title=750,000 Tickets for Jackson Concerts Sell in 4 Hours|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/13/michael.jackson.concerts.tickets/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627062239/https://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/13/michael.jackson.concerts.tickets/index.html |archive-date=June 27, 2023|access-date=September 2, 2023|publisher=CNN}}

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Category:Music performance