x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

House rules: The O2’s roaring residency trade

The O2 has hailed the ‘return of the residency’ as it reports its busiest-ever year for runs of four nights or more.

By the end of 2023, London’s flagship venue will have hosted five concert and comedy residencies including Peter Kay (12), Elton John (10), Micky Flanagan (9), Madonna (6) and Chris Brown (6), compared to just two residencies in 2022.

“Residencies are something that are becoming more and more important in the way we programme the venue,” says Emma Bownes, vice president of venue programming at The O2.

“There is a huge demand for live music at the moment at arena, stadium and outdoor level, so artists are realising they can serve the amount of fan demand by sitting down at The O2. We’re lucky that we’re in London and there’s a huge catchment area of really active music fans. I can see that an artist will opt to play potentially 10 shows at The O2 rather than looking at a stadium or a festival headline slot.”

Robbie Balfour, director of marketing and brand at the AEG venue, also points out that “with the economic situation that touring finds itself in, there are some efficiencies with being in one venue for a longer period”.

Madonna is one such artist who has opted for the advantages of an arena residency over stadium shows or headline sets at festivals (though she’s rumoured to play Glastonbury 2024).

“Residencies are something that is becoming more and more important in the way we programme the venue”

Tonight, the Queen of Pop returns to the 21,000-capacity venue to perform the penultimate London show on her Madonna: The Celebration Tour, having delivered four in October (14, 15, 17, 18).

Across the six concerts, the 65-year-old has shifted 85,000 tickets, with prices ranging between £47.55–432.25 for general admission and up to £1,307.75 for VIP.

With ticket prices rising, giving fans more value for their money is something Balfour is wary of when enhancing the fan experience around residencies and concerts.

“People expect a lot more and need to see the value of their investment in a ticket,” says Balfour. “We want to repay them and make sure that from the moment they arrive, it feels like a big day out and not just the two or three hours that the show is taking place.

“As a venue, you could think you’ll invest in the fans until they’ve bought their tickets and then that’s where you stop. We have a policy to invest in the fans after they become a ticket holder.”

The extended period of time a residency offers enables The O2 to go the extra mile for both fans and artists – an opportunity they’ve consistently seized upon.

“I can see that an artist will opt to play potentially 10 shows at the O2 rather than looking at a stadium or a festival headline slot”

For the Queen of Pop, The O2 commissioned the Royal Family’s flagmakers to create a bespoke Madonna-themed flag that flies from the venue’s roof to signify that she’s in residence.

For Drake’s 2019 residency, The O2’s sign was altered to an ‘O3’ in honour of the rapper’s single God’s Plan, in which he raps: “And you know me/Turn The O2 into The O3.”

The O2 also paid homage to BLACKPINK during their two headline shows in 2022 by lighting the tent pink, and to comedian Mo Gilligan during his 2021 homecoming show at the ‘MO2′.

“It’s about working with [artists’ team] to make sure it’s an authentic activation and ultimately if you do it right it’s a win for the artist and the venue because it’s an extra spotlight and a win for the fan because it’s a better experience,” says Balfour. “We are obviously so much more than just a rented space… we want to create a sort of festival destination for a fan base for a period of time.”

Bownes adds: “We don’t want artists to ever feel like they’re just another artist coming through the venue. We want to show the artists and the fans that we’re grateful and excited to have them at the venue.”

Musical artists aside, the venue’s longest run in 2023 belongs to comedian Peter Kay. The British stand-up act is the first-ever artist to hold a monthly residency at The O2, performing a show at the venue every month between November 2022 until April 2025.

“We don’t want artists to ever feel like they’re just another artist coming through the venue”

“The demand for Peter Kay was utterly off the scale,” says Bownes. “We were genuinely really lucky to get him to agree to become the first artist to play a monthly residency at the O2… we’ve been trying to find an artist who could do that for years.”

Kay’s 29-show run secures him second place in The O2’s all-time longest residencies (of which there are 92), coming second only to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) which turned the London venue into a training facility for 44 days.

It has also earned him a place in the 21 Club, a hall of fame launched after Prince’s iconic 21-night run in 2007 to honour the artists who have performed 21 or more shows at The O2.

Prince, Take That, Drake, One Direction, Micky Flanagan, Michael McIntyre, Young Voices and Michael Bublé are among the members, all of whom have been presented with a symbolic ‘key to the venue’.

While 2023 is by far The O2’s busiest-ever year for residencies, 2024 looks to rival that with five already announced. Take That (6), Olivia Rodrigo (4), Liam Gallagher (4), The 1975 (4) and Michael McIntyre (4) will all grace the hallowed stage for multiple-night visits, with more to be announced according to Bownes.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

AEG Presents/Concerts West celebrate 20 years in Vegas

AEG Presents and its subsidiary Concerts West are marking 20 years of events and residencies in Las Vegas, US.

Two decades ago, AEG Presents and Concerts West (founded by Tom Hulett in 1967) launched the first-ever modern-day residency with superstar Celine Dion, whose 16-year run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace remains the most successful Las Vegas residency of all time.

Dion performed 1,141 shows for over 4.5 million fans, paving the way for artists including Elton John, Cher, Bette Midler, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Reba and Brooks & Dunn and Rod Stewart.

Concerts West booked and operated The Colosseum from 2003 to 2019, and welcomed over 10.3 million fans to the venue which exceeded $1.4 billion in ticket revenue.

In 2009, the promoter launched the first-ever rock ‘n’ roll residency in Las Vegas with Santana at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, for 71 performances at the venue through 2011.

In the decade that followed, they welcomed a number of extended rock engagements to the legendary venue, including Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, before becoming the exclusive booker and operator of the rebranded Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (established Sept. 2021).

In 2019, AEG Presents extended the residency model at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, with marquee artists such as Lionel Richie, Bryan Adams and Sebastian Maniscalco helping to put the venue on Billboard’s annual list of highest-grossing venues in the world in its category.

“We’re so grateful to have been such a part of the long history of entertainment in this remarkable city”

In 2021, in a joint development with Resorts World Las Vegas, Concerts West/AEG Presents became the exclusive booker and operator of the Resorts World Theatre, the newest and most technologically advanced venue on the Las Vegas Strip. It has since launched the residencies of Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and David Blaine.

In 2022, Resorts World Theatre was named the highest-grossing venue in the world for a capacity of 5,000 or less in Billboard’s year-end boxscore charts.

In addition to opening these venues, Concerts West/AEG Presents has also consistently booked performances at several other popular Las Vegas Strip venues, including properties such as Wynn Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Park MGM/ Dolby Live, Venetian Las Vegas, the Michelob ULTRA Arena, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, The Beach at Mandalay Bay and others.

“We’re so grateful to have been such a part of the long history of entertainment in this remarkable city,” says John Meglen, president and co-CEO of Concerts West. “We’re thankful to all of the artists who have trusted us to help them build such an important part of their performing careers, and we are proud of all of our employees who have helped us achieve this…many of them from the very first day, twenty years ago.”

In celebration of their 20th anniversary in Vegas, entertainment fans will have the opportunity to enter to win a Grand Prize to win a pair of tickets to twenty shows playing now through April 1, 2024. That includes concerts from the likes of Katy Perry, Brad Paisley, Sabrina Carpenter, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Adele adds New Year’s Eve shows to Vegas residency

Adele has expanded her Las Vegas residency with the addition of two shows from December 30-31.

A presale for the newly announced concerts, powered by Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan programme, takes place tomorrow (23 November).

The singer’s 30-plus show Weekends with Adele run is scheduled to conclude on 25 March 2023. Fans who previously registered for the events must re-register for the chance to buy tickets to the added shows.

In a Twitter post, the 34-year-old singer tells fans: “New Year’s Eve has always been a let down for me, I seem to always end up spending it in a car on my way to or from somewhere! But not this year!! I’ll be ringing 2023 in on stage!!”

Due to the limited number of tickets available, if demand for tickets from Verified Fans exceeds supply, there will not be a public onsale.

“I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience and any disappointment that I’ve caused, but we’re here tonight and together”

Ticket prices have ranged from US$85 to $685 for the Live Nation-promoted run, which was postponed just 24 hours before opening night in January and finally kicked off last Friday (18 November) at The Colosseum (cap. 4,100) at Caesars Palace.

“I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience and any disappointment that I’ve caused, but we’re here tonight and together” she said from the stage on the opening night, according to Variety. She added that delaying the run “was the best decision I ever made”.

Other acts with current or upcoming residencies at The Colusseum include Rod Stewart, Garth Brooks and Sting.

Adele, who is represented by Lucy Dickins and Kirk Sommer at WME, returned to the stage over the summer for two sold-out nights at AEG’s BST Hyde Park concert series in London.

Adele’s 25 Tour was the fifth highest-grossing tour of 2016 according to Pollstar, grossing $167.7 million from 107 shows.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.