Adele? Lady Gaga? Who Should Go to Vegas Next?

January 12, 2017 Andrea Dresdale

Alasdair McLellanThese days, Las Vegas can boast residencies — or at least mini-residencies — from artists of many genres: Carlos Santana, Boyz II Men, Britney Spears, Elton John, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez are just some of the stars who perform regularly in Sin City, and the Backstreet Boys will start their residency this spring. But who’ll be part of the next wave of Vegas performers?

Jason Gastwirth, the senior vice president of marketing and entertainment at Caesars Entertainment Corporation, is instrumental in making many of these residencies happen. Asked to name some starts who he thinks should consider Vegas, he tells Forbes, “Adele is a great example: three albums in, very dedicated fan base, there is that intensity there, and when she wants to do it, she’s a great choice.”

“One of the measures we have is can you name them by one name,” he adds. “And across the board…you think of Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, these are the pop stars. I even look at the trajectory Ariana Grande has [though] it’s early for her now.”

Gastwirth also said that the success of Britney Spears’ residency led to the Backstreet Boys’ upcoming stint at the same venue: the Axis at Planet Hollywood.

“I will tell you that on the pop side Britney definitely took a chance with us,” he says. “She’s a pioneer, she deserves all the credit and it really is the first pop residency….she said, ‘Okay, I’m gonna push into this.’ And from there it cleared the path, where we had interest from Jennifer Lopez, Backstreet Boys [and] Pitbull.”