Lady Gaga shelves all Park Theater shows, but she’ll be back
Lady Gaga’s Las Vegas Strip shows are down, but not out.
The pop superstar’s shows through May at Park Theater at Park MGM have been postponed. The dates moved off the schedule are May 13, 15 and 16, a move reflected in updates Monday night on the Ticketmaster website. All of Gaga’s spring dates on the Strip have been pushed back because of the coronavirus outbreak.
MGM Resorts International confirmed the postponed dates in a statement: “Lady Gaga’s Vegas residency shows this April and May at Park MGM are no longer able to happen, in accordance with recommendations from the CDC regarding hosting events for over 50 people. MGM Resorts International apologizes for any inconvenience this causes ticket holders.”
At the moment, Gaga is not scheduled to perform at all at Park Theater. But this development is an anomaly: MGM Resorts officials say they plan to announce additional residency dates “in the near future.” Gaga’s original “Enigma” and “Jazz + Piano” dual residency opened in December 2018; she has off-handedly commented from the stage that she wants to extend through 2021.
MGM Resorts says that tickets for all of Gaga’s postponed shows in April and May will be refunded at the point of purchase, and ticket holders will be offered a presale for first access to purchase tickets for her new dates. Also dropped from the schedule are Brian Newman’s “After Dark” shows through May. Newman’s dates have coincided with Gaga’s performances at Park MGM.
Earlier Monday, Gaga announced she was heading up the “One World: Together at Home” worldwide all-star concert set to air at 5 p.m. April 18 on ABC, NBC and CBS and several online platforms. Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon are co-hosting the event, which is to feature an array of rock and pop superstars and is organized by Global Citizen.
Gaga appeared on Kimmel’s homebound version of his late-night ABC show to promote the event and the cause to celebrate and support the World Health Organization and front-line health workers. In just a week, Gaga has spearheaded a fundraising campaign that has brought in $35 million for Global Citizen’s Solidarity Response Fund.
“We’re really excited about the show, and we want people to put their wallets away and sit back and enjoy the show,” Gaga said in a split-screen chat with Kimmel. “I just did a call with 68 corporate executives, and I’ve had other calls with philanthropists and tech companies. … We won’t be asking for money during the special.”
Global Alexon
Global Citizen has presented a string of online, in-home concerts as a component of its World Health Organization charity campaign. The organization has built toward its April 18 telecast with shows by Train, Gloria Gaynor, OneRepublic, Chris Martin of Coldplay and John Legend. All have performed in the ongoing #TogetherAtHome series.
This week, Global Citizen is showcasing multilingual singer and Las Vegas performer Angelina Alexon at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Find it on her Facebook fan page. Alexon, originally from Greece, had been appearing regularly at Lift at Aria, Le Cabaret at Paris Las Vegas and Casbar at the Sahara Las Vegas through early March. She sings in seven languages (bueno!), has a five-octave range and can hit the sky-high, Mariah Carey “whistle” notes.
Alexon has issued a series of original songs, and up next is “All We Need,” in five languages. She also performs vocal impressions of such superstars as Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Iggy Azalea, Selena Gomez and Shakira for her “One Girl 15 Voices” video that has collected 30 million Facebook and YouTube views.
And Alexon’s comedy-skit video “What It’s Like To Have a Greek Friend” has amassed 22 million views across social media, including Facebook and YouTube. It’s all great fun; and catch the Global Citizen #TogetherAtHome performances here.
Stefani calls it
As anticipated, Gwen Stefani has pulled her May dates from Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort, yet another move prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The May shows were originally set to close out her “Just A Girl” residency, but Stefani says she will be back.
— Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) April 4, 2020
“I was so looking forward to the upcoming shows but right now there’s nothing more important than everyone’s health and safety. I will be returning to Vegas for additional residency dates, so I look forward to seeing you then.” Refund policies are the same as the Gaga shows: available at point of purchase, with first access to presales for upcoming shows.
Smith Center applies
The Smith Center President Myron Martin reports that he has applied for relief through the small-business Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The U.S. Treasury initiative provides small businesses funds for up to eight weeks of payroll, including health benefits.
“The PPP will help in the short term,” says Martin, who calls The Smith Center staff “among the best in the world.” “I only hope we can get back to inspiring audiences soon.”
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.
