15 November 2019
Marco Gandolfi
Fans of the hit TV series The Voice were jumping for joy earlier this month when legendary vocalist Kelly Clarkson announced that she would be embarking on her first-ever Vegas residency. The singer behind such mega smash-hits as "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "Breakaway" will be performing at the Zappos Theater at the Planet Hollywood Casino on the Vegas Strip between April and September 2020.
Little has been revealed about what we can expect from her residency, apart from the fact that she will only be doing 16 shows across its duration, meaning that competition for tickets will be fierce. It has also not yet been revealed how much Clarkson will be paid for her residency, and whether it will top the previous record-breaking sums awarded to other female pop icons who have taken up a stint in Vegas.
The last high-profile residency in the city was Lady Gaga's Enigma show at the MGM Grand, for which the pop icon was reportedly paid over $1 million per show, bringing her total earnings up to $100 million after one year. This eye-watering sum still pales in comparison to the fees received by the queen of Vegas herself, Celine Dion, who received a staggering $385 million for her three-year stint at the Ceasar's Colosseum, as part of her A New Day residency.
Similarly, Britney Spears managed to take home some serious cash with her Piece of Me residency at Planet Hollywood, the same casino where Clarkson will be setting up shop. Spears' two-year show consisted of almost 250 performances and netted the singer over $100 million.
With Clarkson only agreeing to perform 16 shows, it will be interesting to see whether this will pay off for the Vegas casinos. Part of the reason why fees for high-profile performers have skyrocketed in recent years is that land-based casinos need to fend off the competition from elsewhere.
Obviously Clarkson has the star power necessary to boost ticket sales, and the huge amount of buzz generated by her residency announcement tells us that Planet Hollywood shouldn't have much trouble selling out the few dates she has scheduled. It's also clear that Clarkson's other professional commitments, including her contract with NBC for The Voice and her family, mean that cramming in a grueling 100-date residency might be expecting too much.
We don't know how much Clarkson will be getting paid by Planet Hollywood yet, but it will likely be a lot less than the likes of Gaga and Celine. Tickets are on sale now, so make sure to grab em while you can.
