How’d you fancy living where you work for a while? While that might sound like what many of us are doing this decade – WFH or working from home – it’s the opposite of what touring musicians usually do. As an example, US prog titans Dream Theater have nine cities in six states still to visit in 2025 on their Parasomnia tour, before starting all over again in January.

It’s an exhausting endeavour, even if it’s been your day job for decades. So, how about taking a seat for a while?

Liberace Ave

Concert residency is something generally reserved for high-profile musicians and, oddly enough, magicians, e.g., David Copperfield. Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, Cher, and Elton John have all taken up the mantle over the years.

It all began with pianist Liberace in 1944, a performer with such vast appeal that he was paid the equivalent of $5,522,318 ($300,000) a week. He was recently gifted another boon, albeit posthumously, a street named for the Wisconsinite at the site of his longest residency – Liberace Ave.

The ‘Live from Las Vegas’ moniker has a way of attracting attention. The Billboard website lists The Eagles, Mariah Carey (so close to Christmas, who else would it be?), Dolly Parton, and Jennifer Lopez at various sites in Las Vegas before the end of 2025.

Of course, Las Vegas has a strong association with casino gaming, an industry that relies on the pulling power of the Live from Las Vegas trope. The UK’s Sun Bingo website has casino online live games straight from Sin City including roulette and blackjack. A rather more emphatic game, Mega FireBlaza Blackjack, adds multipliers to the classic formula – but it still comes Live from Las Vegas.

Celine Dion

Canadian singer Celine Dion has two of the longest residencies in history, racking up more than a thousand shows between 2003 and 2019. Dion will reportedly start a new residency in 2025, despite a battle with a neurological condition called stiff-person syndrome. Parade Magazine credits her with reviving Las Vegas’ economy single-handedly.

The obvious question to ask is – why? Apart from the millions of dollars performers stand to earn, the free food and drink, transport, and the legions of adoring fans, why do musicians abandon their tour buses for the same scenery day in, day out?

The answer is as simple as, ‘it’s an easier life’. Dream Theater, mentioned earlier, recently abandoned their planned return to Europe due to what sounds like strain. The band’s social media page listed a recent run of shows on the continent as at least part of their decision to stay Stateside.

Mötley Crüe

As evidenced by the names listed throughout this article so far, not everybody gets the chance to wear the Live from Las Vegas cloak. Bands don’t get much heavier than 80s rockers Mötley Crüe, for instance, with even metal titans Metallica existing in a permanent position of ‘will they/won’t they?’ on the Strip.

So, expect more current pop stars and those in career twilights to feature in residencies. It’s really too lucrative a thing to turn down, whatever your opinion on whether artists should tour or not.