VEGAS MUSIC NEWS: Roth v. Hagar in Vegas, No KISS Reunion, Did Katy Fail?

The second living museum of Van Halen nostalgia arrives in Las Vegas Sept. 8, when original singer David Lee Roth swings a new tour into the BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau.

Though most hardcore fans consider the “Van Hagar” era of pop-rock hits inferior to Van Halen’s Diamond Dave-era gutter rock, Sammy Hagar is an inarguably bigger Vegas draw than his predecessor. He’s currently  about to cap his nine-show “Best of All Worlds” residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM on May 17.

In contrast, a 1995 Roth residency at Bally’s (now Horseshoe) struggled to sell tickets and closed within three months, according to Rolling Stone at the time. And speculation ran high that low ticket sales were behind the cancellation of a nine-show residency Roth announced at the House of Blues in late 2021 and early 2022 — though the official reason given was “an abundance of caution” over the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, since it includes bassist Michael Anthony, Hagar’s re-creation of Eddie and Alex Van Halen‘s band presents half of an original group lineup to Roth’s mere quarter. And though he’s seven years Roth’s senior at 77, Hagar still manages to look and sound younger than his predecessor.

If you still want Roth tickets after reading that, they go on sale 10 a.m. PT Friday, May 23, here. A presale starts 10 p.m. Wednesday using the code “FREESTYLE.”

KISS That Dream Goodbye

Though it was announced in March that the band would perform at “KISS Army Storms Vegas” — the 50th anniversary celebration of the band’s fan club set for Nov. 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas — that performance will be an intimate set featuring only band leaders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

Simmons told ABC News the performance will be “more conversational” than a concert, “like we were in their garage, at a local place.”

“I make the distinction because we promised … once we put on the last shows here in New York City at Madison Square Garden, afterwards we said we will never do a KISS show ever again,” Simmons continued.

In addition to Simmons and Stanley, KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer and former guitarist Bruce Kulick will be performing separate sets at the convention, Simmons said, adding that founding guitarist and drummer Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were invited, but “we don’t know if they’re going to attend or send greetings or anything.”

Katy Perry Played Out?

According to News Nation, Katy Perry’s “Play” residency — which ran at Resorts World from 2021 to 2023 — lost tons of money because the new property entered a bidding war with Caesars Entertainment that ended up netting the pop superstar between $750K and $900K a show.

News Nation went on to call the show “a complete failure” and claim that Perry, 40, is “no longer wanted in Vegas.”

That’s a little harsh. While ticket sales weren’t enough to recoup costs — which also included millions spent on an army of dancers plus animatronic, interactive set pieces including dancing mushrooms and a 16-foot orange toilet — Perry was well-received and her show was a perpetual sellout.

So she’ll be back if she wants to be — just not so expensively.