VEGAS MUSIC NEWS: From 0 to 2 Sick New Worlds, Babyface & Kenny Chesney Return (Not Together)

Posted on: October 20, 2025, 03:02h. 

Last updated on: October 20, 2025, 03:11h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Vegas Myths Busted.

This year’s Sick New World (SNW) nu metal festival — which was supposed to be headlined by Metallica and Linkin Park at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on April 12 — was canceled due to poor ticket sales.

Singer Serj Tankian System of a Down performs at the inaugural Sick New World heavy metal music festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on May 13, 2023. (Image: Bridget Bennett/Getty)

So why not schedule two SNW festivals in 2026, right? That’s what Live Nation is thinking.

A sign in Las Vegas advertises the two new Sick New World festival dates next year. (Image: X/@rocksound)

By December 2024, the monolithic promoter reportedly sold only 20,000 of the 60,000 tickets required to pay the $5 million it promised each of its mega-famous co-headliners. But to do so, tickets had to start at $472 for general admission, which kept all but the richest fans away.

At the time, Live Nation characterized this conundrum as “unforeseen circumstances that we are unable to overcome.”

This weekend, signs went up around Las Vegas announced that SNW would not only return to Las Vegas (on April 25, 2026) but that a second festival would be added in Fort Worth (on October 24, 2026).

The SNW website is asking fans to register for updates without the slightest hint of who might perform at these festivals, but Casino.org can report that one of the Vegas bands will be System of a Down, which played the festival in both 2023 and 2024.

Also, we can report, with certainty, that they didn’t cost Live Nation $5 million to book.

Baby Boomerang

R&B superstar Babyface (real name: Kenneth Edmonds) will continue his ongoing residency at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort next year. His eight just-announced dates fall across four holiday weekends:

  • Valentine’s Day Weekend: February 13-14, 2026
  • Mother’s Day Weekend: May 8-9, 2026
  • Labor Day Weekend: September 4-5, 2026
  • Veteran’s Day Weekend: November 13-14, 2026

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, October 24 via AXS, with an artist presale starting 10 a.m. PT Tuesday, October 21 (use the code “BABYFACE”).

Kenny Chesney as rendered by A.I. on a cowboy-hatted Sphere in a cowboy hat. (Image: CoPilot)

A presale for Citi cardholders will occur simultaneous at citientertainment.com.

Babyface (Kenneth Edmonds) will close out this year on Nov. 14-15.

Welcome (Back) to the Fishbowl

Kenny Chesney will return to Vegas for more Sphere dates next year. The country superstar closed out 15 shows at the globular marvel in June.

The news was teased by the Sphere itself, which read #summertime26 beneath the words “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems.” An official announcement will be made soon.