Las Vegas

VEGAS MUSIC NEWS: Riley Green and ACM Tix, Backstreet for More Sphere, Rare Norah Jones Appearance

Posted on: February 23, 2026, 05:19h.

Last updated on: February 23, 2026, 05:20h.

Written by

Corey Levitan Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas...
Click for more

Backstreet Boys will return to the Sphere, where they closed out their most recent stretch of 35 shows on February 15.

The Backstreet Boys, who have sold over 130 million records, became the Sphere’s first pop headliner when they began their ongoing residency in July 2025. (The Sphere)

The boy-to-men band has added July 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 to their open-ended residency. General on-sale ticket sales start 9 a.m. PT Feb. 27 via backstreetboys.com. (For presale deets, see ticketmaster.com/backstreetboys).

Reportedly, the group earns $4 million per show, and its shows have helped boost a lackluster 2025 for tourism in Las Vegas.

Cowboy Grammys Return

Country star Riley Green in December 2025. (Image Winslow Townson/Getty)

The Academy of Country Music Awards are gearing up for a May 17 return to Las Vegas, and seats for the production at the MGM Grand Garden Arena go on sale 10 a.m. PT Friday, Feb. 27 via AXS.com, with a round of presales opening 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The hosts and performers of the 61st annual ceremony — which will stream live on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch — will be announced in the coming weeks. However, Riley Green will kick off the festivities that weekend by hosting “ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends” on Friday, May 15 on the green at Topgolf Las Vegas.

Tickets for that, starting at $150, go on sale 10 a.m. PT Friday, Feb. 27 at AXS.com, with presales starting 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25. Proceeds benefit ACM Lifting Lives.

Jonesing for Norah?

Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar) is the daughter of late Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. (Image: The Venetian)

Norah Jones will perform a rare Las Vegas show at the Venetian Theatre on May 9, 2026. It’s part of the singer-songwriter’s “Visions 2026” tour.

Jones — winner of 10 Grammys and seller of more than 52 million albums — hasn’t played Las Vegas since a show at the Pearl at the Palms in August 2010. And her first time at the Venetian is appropriately timed, since her latest single is a cover of the Frank and Nancy Sinatra classic, “Somethin’ Stupid,” and the Venetian is built on the site of the Rat Pack’s former home, the Sands.

Tickets, starting at $59, go on sale 10 a.m. PT Friday, Feb. 27, with presales running throughout the week.

No Parking on Mars

That Bruno Mars street-renaming we told you about we told you about at Park MGM last December has a date. On April 7, Park Avenue near T-Mobile Arena will be unveiled as Bruno Mars Drive.

Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas.

Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city’s history. (For “Fear and Loafing,” he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.)

Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post.

Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook.

Contact Corey at corey@casino.org.