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Vegas Residencies

Sphere rules Billboard’s Top Venues (15,001+ capacity) chart for 2024, with a monstrous gross of $420.5 million from 1.3 million tickets sold. Not only does that secure the top spot among venues in its capacity range, but it’s also the highest gross for any venue of any size this year. Beyond the scope of the year-end charts, it’s the biggest annual gross for any venue in Boxscore history.

Sphere is the first venue to register a year-end gross of more than $300 million and $400 million. Only four artists ever grossed more than Sphere’s total in one year-end period: The Rolling Stones in 2006, Ed Sheeran in 2018, Beyonce in 2023, and, based on overall finals for The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift in 2023 and 2024.

The Las Vegas room attracts residency acts just like The Colosseum at Caesars Palace or Dolby Live, pushing high ticket prices for stadium artists in a more intimate setting. But unlike those theaters’ four-digit capacity, which ultimately keeps total grosses within the stratosphere, Sphere is a full-sized arena, selling 15,000-17,000 tickets per show. With a floor-to-ceiling wrapround LED screen, 4D physical effects and immersive audio, it’s a high-ticket attraction for once-in-a-career productions.

U2 launched Sphere’s calendar in September 2023, kicking off with a 17-show run that brought in $109.8 million from 281,000 tickets sold. Two more legs followed on U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, ultimately closing in March with $244.5 million and 663,000 tickets. That makes it the fourth highest-grossing residency in Boxscore history, despite running for just six months with 40 shows. Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden tenure, above it at No. 3 on the all-time tally, played for 10 years with 104 shows.

Phish followed with a long weekend of shows from April 18-21, bringing in $13.4 million and selling 66,700 tickets.

Dead & Company was next, with a seasonal residency, playing 30 shows between May 16 and Aug. 10. Ultimately, it earned a spot in the top 10 of the all-time residency list, with $131.8 million and 477,000 tickets. That’s a bigger gross than any of Dead & Co.’s annual tours, dating back to its 2015 inception.

Sphere’s current residents are the Eagles, in the middle of an ongoing stint that is scheduled well into 2025. The band’s first eight shows scored $42.2 million and sold 131,000 tickets.

The Top Venues chart is not the only place where Sphere shines on Billboard’s year-end report. U2 lands at No. 7 on the Top Tours list, exclusively from its Vegas shows. Bono’s boys are joined by Dead & Company on Top Rock Tours, with both acts in the top 10 — U2 at No. 4 and Dead & Company at No. 8. On Top Boxscores, which measures individual shows, or a run of shows at the same venue, U2 blocks out the top three with its Sphere legs.

In all, including shows by U2 and the Eagles that fit into the 2023 and 2025 Boxscore tracking periods, and an additional non-music event, Sphere’s 83 reported shows have brought in $452.3 million and played to 1.4 million fans.

Each year, an uncountable number of recording artists transform their discographies into live shows, going on tour to super-serve their biggest fans around the world. But a select few have the power to bring their fans to them, staging extravagant productions in one city as the masses travel to see a once-in-a-career performance. Here, we’re […]

Kelly Clarkson is breaking down her weight loss journey piece by piece. During her Chemistry: An Intimate Evening with Kelly Clarkson Las Vegas residency, the “Breakaway” singer poked fun at her wardrobe evolution amid her recent body transformation. In a Jan. 2 TikTok, an audience member asks Clarkson to take a shot with them, prompting […]

Sure, Prince Harry and Céline Dion both showed up to the final performance of Katy Perry‘s Play Las Vegas residency, but the most adorable high-profile appearance had to be from Perry and Orlando Bloom‘s daughter Daisy Dove. The 3-year-old made her public debut at her mom’s grand finale — and got to hear how she […]

The slow dance between Usher and Keke Palmer set the world on fire last month, and now the Grammy-winning R&B icon is finally revealing his thoughts on the whole ordeal. “Every night I’m thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I’ll have with whoever I’m choosing to sing […]

With two decades of steady pop radio hits under their belts, Maroon 5 are a perfect fit for a Las Vegas residency, breezing through a tight 20-song setlist during night 2 of their Dolby Live at Park MGM opening weekend on Saturday (March 25).

Adam Levine drives the energy of the hour-and-a-half show — never staying in one place for too long as he constantly moves across the stage and darts closer to the crowd on an X-shaped catwalk, wearing a series of tattoo-bearing outfits (or just no shirt at all). But it’s truly a full-band showcase, with spotlights on founding guitarist James Valentine’s shredding solos, a jamming song led by keyboardist PJ Morton, and a trio of brass players adding vibrant horns throughout.

Even if you don’t know Maroon 5’s catalog front and back, the most casual pop fan will recognize the Billboard Hot 100 mainstays that make up the setlist, including a host of collaborations that Levine takes on solo, whether he’s singing the Christina Aguilera verse on “Moves Like Jagger,” pulling double-duty on the SZA duet “What Lovers Do,” or performing rap-free versions of songs with Wiz Khalifa (“Payphone”) or Gym Class Heroes (“Stereo Hearts”). The one rapper we did hear on Saturday night was Cardi B, whose intro to the seven-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Girls Like You” was broadcast ahead of the second track of a three-song encore.

What else can you expect from Maroon 5’s new M5LV residency? Below, find Billboard’s five favorite moments from opening weekend.

The Greatest-Hits Setlist

Maroon 5 have 32 Hot 100 hits — including four No. 1s and 15 top 10s — so they had a deep bench of music to choose from. In the end, the 20-song setlist was heavy on their hits, aside from two covers (we’ll get to those in a second) and one showcase for keyboardist PJ Morton, a Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter in his own right. The result was a nonstop string of songs that anyone who has listened to pop radio in the last 20 years would instantly recognize regardless of their level of fandom, which made for the perfect communal Vegas dance party in the crowd. (According to setlist.fm, there were a couple of small changes between the first two nights, with the night 1 crowd getting the 2017 Future collab “Cold” and 2012’s ‘Daylight,” while night 2 included the 2017 SZA team-up “What Lovers Do.”)

A Pair of Sky-High Covers

Levine picked two cover songs tailor-made to show off his famous falsetto, starting with “Wanna Be Your Lover” by Prince (whose “Kiss” was also the last song fans heard before the concert kicked off) and ending the pre-encore setlist with the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.”

The Tribute to Their Late Manager

The most poignant moment of the night was when the band remembered their late manager Jordan “Jordi” Feldstein, a childhood friend of Levine’s and the brother of Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein who died in 2018 at age 40 from a heart attack. A video package showed photos of Levine and Feldstein as small kids and then in their early days as a band guided by Feldstein’s management.

Ahead of playing “Memories,” their 2019 tribute to Feldstein that peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, Levine explained the mission behind the track. “My goal is that every crowd who sees this residency fully understands that that song is about that man right there,” he said. “And that’s what that song is about for us. But what I think is so beautiful about the song, as it gained popularity over the years, it meant something different, it’s for a different person for everyone who loved the song. So it’s an extremely special song that we can have as a band that we can share with everybody. So we just want to say thank you for sharing it with us. Sometimes it’s not the easiest thing, but it makes it all that much more easy when we share it together.”

The In-Crowd Moment & A Note to Usher

When Levine and guitarist James Valentine emerged to kick off the three-song encore, they weren’t onstage anymore; they were sauntering through the crowd, between the first and second sections of fans in the lower level. They ended up settling into a particular spot in the aisle that just happened to have a small platform for the frontman to stand on. Levine acknowledged that the space was originally created for Usher’s Vegas residency but that he would borrow for the night. He even brought out a Sharpie to leave Usher a note for when he returns to the Dolby Live theater for new residency dates in April.

“What should I say?” he asked the crowd before beginning his permanent-marker message. “‘Dear Usher: You’re so, so, so, so, so, so cute. Thanks for letting me use your little stumpy stair thing. I love you and you’re sexy. Love, Justin Timberlake.’ Perfect! I really did sign it Justin Timberlake.” We’ll see if Usher gets the message next month, As Levine said: “If they erase it I’ll be pissed.”

‘This One’s Always for You, B’

On Saturday night, Levine made a small shout-out to his wife of almost nine years, model Behati Prinsloo, introducing the 2013 top 10 Hot 100 hit “Love Somebody” by saying, “This one’s always for you, B.” Levine steered clear of referencing the texting scandal that made headlines last fall, but during Friday’s opening night, Prinsloo and the couple’s three children were in the building, with Levine saying onstage, “They’re everything, all that matters to me in the whole world. I love you guys. My kids have never been up this late in their entire f—ing lives. They’re falling asleep.”

The Full Setlist for Night 2

AnimalsOne More NightThis LoveStereo HeartsHarder to BreatheSunday MorningPayphoneWhat Lovers DoMakes Me WonderWanna Be Your Lover (Prince cover)Heavy (PJ Morton with Adam Levine)MapsMemoriesDon’t Wanna KnowLove SomebodyMoves Like JaggerStayin’ Alive (Bee Gees cover)ENCOREShe Will Be LovedGirls Like YouSugar

Upcoming Dates for Maroon 5’s M5LV Residency

March 29March 31April 1April 5April 7-8July 28-29Aug. 2Aug. 4-5Aug. 9Aug. 11-12