Lady Gaga Negotiating Return of Her Las Vegas Residency: Report

Posted on: September 20, 2022, 06:23h. 

Last updated on: September 21, 2022, 02:17h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

On the spiked heels of her just wrapped “Chromatica Ball” world tour, Lady Gaga representatives are said to be “deep in talks” to resume her Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM, British tabloid The Sun reported today.

Gaga’s residency ran from 2018 through May 2022, taking in a whopping $78 million at the box office and drawing almost nothing but critical praise.

It consisted of two distinctly different shows: “Enigma,” which included the pop icon’s greatest hits, and “Jazz & Piano,” which alternated material from the Great American Songbook with unplugged versions of Gaga hits. The final leg of Gaga’s residency consisted of nine “Jazz & Piano” shows from April 14 to May 1, 2022.

If and when Gaga’s residency resumes sometime in 2023, it is expected to incorporate her “Chromatica Ball” show but not her previous “Enigma show.” The residency is also expected to reprise “Jazz &  Piano.”

Coming to Terms 

With Katy Perry’s “Play” residency at Resorts World ending Oct. 22 and Britney Spears on indefinite hiatus after scuttling a planned Park MGM residency back in 2018, it would seem the negotiating force is with Gaga. However, wiggle room may be in short supply, considering that Gaga’s last deal was the most lucrative ever struck for a Las Vegas residency.

A 2018 Variety article reported that Gaga scored a guarantee of $1 million per show for the 74 initial shows of her residency. That was more than double what Celine Dion or Spears ever earned.

Industry insiders contend that the Gaga numbers don’t add up in a way that makes financial sense for MGM Resorts,” Variety wrote at the time. “At the reported Gaga rate, a seat in the 5,200-capacity Park Theater would cost the ticket buyer at least $200 just to clear Gaga’s take-home, a steep price, her production value notwithstanding.”

This analysis didn’t consider VIP meet-and-greet packages, for which Gaga commanded $6,000 a pop, some of which she presumably split with MGM. Merchandise sales were reportedly split 50-50 between Gaga and MGM.

Also, Gaga’s top ticket price was $650, not $200.

Health No Longer an Issue

“For a long time, Lady Gaga wasn’t sure if she would ever perform again because of health problems, but ‘Chromatica’ has helped build her back up,” The Sun quoted an unnamed source. The 36-year-old, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, suffers from fibromyalgia, which causes widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue.

Gaga was forced to cut short her final “Chromatica Ball” date on Sept. 17. It wasn’t because of her health, but it allegedly involved fan safety. Freak lightning had repeatedly struck near Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

The tabloid’s source didn’t have much more news to break about Gaga’s Vegas comeback other than adding: “Gaga is the biggest star on the planet once more, so it makes perfect sense.”