Resorts World officially confirmed a cavalcade of performers who will have residencies at the new resort.
The list of resident performers include Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
DJs Tiesto and Zedd were previously announced.
You heard right! Celine Dion is back. Or will be. Possibly in 2022.
You say “diva” like it’s a bad thing.
This announcement came as no surprise to readers of this blog, of course, because we “ruin” everything.
We originally shared Celine Dion would have a residency at Resorts World 444 days before the official announcement. Yes, we counted.
Confirmation of these long-rumored residencies came in the form of a strange but visually compelling commercial featuring all the A-list talent, most doing things completely unrelated to performing.
Katy Perry grappled with weight gain following her recent pregnancy, so watch closely for this clever inside joke.
Please watch this video multiple times, because it cost Resorts World a metric ass-ton and they need to get their money’s worth.
If you think we were kidding about the expense of the ad, here’s what Resorts World said about it in their news release, “Utilizing the most sophisticated virtual set designs, the video merges virtual reality and CGI elements, using game-engine technologies to blur the line between the physical and digital worlds.”
Fun fact: This video technology was used in “The Mandalorian” and “The Jungle Book.”
To avoid accusations of sexism, we will note Luke Bryan also grappled with weight gain following his recent pregnancy.
Our only real criticism of the ad is it doesn’t identify who these folks are. This is a common pitfall of creatives who may be too close to their subject matter. It’s entirely possible a lot of people won’t recognize Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Tiesto Zedd or even Carrie Underwood. Most will know Celine, but it’s a misstep to assume these other performers are easily recognizable.
We trust the ad was mainly directed at existing fan bases, but even we wouldn’t have been able to identify several of these performers, and we tend to know everything.
In the video, Carrie Underwood wrangles virtual butterflies, many of which grappled with weight gain during their recent pregnancies.
No details were given about when these residencies might start, and although Resorts World opens June 24, 2021, it’s likely the headliners won’t kick off their shows until months later.
The theater and Zouk nightclub aren’t expected to be live right off the bat, but Tiesto and Zedd will perform starting July 4, in the resort’s Ayu dayclub.
We hear some live entertainment will be available at Resorts World, but in the ballroom. The theater seats 5,000, the ballroom accommodates about 1,000.
We’ll once again be the first to share early word is performers in the ballroom are likely to include Uncle Kracker and Darius Rucker.
Is anyone going to mention the giant severed ear? Why do we have to do everything?
Resorts World, built at a cost of $4.3 billion, has spared no expense to make a splash with its list of resident performers.
It seems entirely possible some of these headliner gigs have been pushed back because deferred payment would be beneficial to the enterprise.
Resorts World is owned by Genting Group, a company with lots of hospitality assets, an industry especially hard hit by the pandemic.
Resorts World Catskills alone, for example, is $400 million in debt. That’s peanuts compared to the cost of Resorts World Las Vegas, but it would make sense for the company to pace itself when it comes to issuing big paychecks.
Zedd and Tiesto, for example, are likely to make $250,000 or more per show, a business model that went terribly wrong for Kaos nightclub at Palms.
Epic Tiesto shot, video production wizards.
But reality checks aren’t fun, glitzy headliner announcements are!
We’re rooting hard for Resorts World, a throwback to the golden days of Las Vegas megaresorts, a time when “Build it and they will come!” was actually true.
The hope is Las Vegas will welcome Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Tiesto and Zedd with open arms and (critically, to the success of Resorts World) purses.
And wallets. Sexism is everywhere!
Icons like Celine Dion don’t just sell tickets, they draw guests of a certain age and income bracket, customers likely to take advantage of the resort’s other amenities and boost the bottom line.
There’s more to come from Resorts World, and once Las Vegas is unmasked, this summer’s going to be an absolute blast.
