Comedy great Dave Chappelle set for Strip headlining show

MGM Grand Garden Arena returns to concert headliners with a comic who can fill the room.

“Dave Chappelle and Friends” are set to perform July 2, with tickets onsale 10 a.m. Friday at AXS.com. Chappelle is the first star headliner to play the room after the pandemic reopening. Harry Styles the next scheduled show Sept. 4. Currently Jabbawockeez are performing in the 16,000-seat venue, but their run is scheduled to end May 17 as shows begin returning to their home venues.

Chappelle’s show is the first event at full capacity at Grand Garden Arena since the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder heavyweight title bout on Feb. 22, 2020.

Chappelle typically sells out his arena dates, and fast. He has previously played Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Events Center (now Ultra Arena) in May 2017, with Kevin Hart at Hart’s “Hartbeat Weekend” at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan on Labor Day Weekend ‘017, and again alongside recording star and friend John Mayer at T-Mobile Arena in December 2018.

Chappelle is again enforcing a no-cell-phones policy, requiring phones to left behind or locked in Yondr-brand “pouches” for the performance. Anyone who brings a cell phone will be required to place it in the locked pouch. Everyone is subject to a pat down and wanding. Anyone caught with a cell phone inside the venue will be immediately ejected.

In his previous headlining shows, Chappelle has enforced this policy. He was the first to do so on the Strip, at Mandalay Bay. Madonna (the Colosseum at Caesars), Bruno Mars (Park Theater), Amy Schumer (Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan), Chris Rock (Park Theater) and Jack White (Brooklyn Bowl) have also required “pouching” at shows. Given the long break between shows at MGM Grand, fans are likely to view surrendering phones for a couple hours a small price to pay.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.