Cowboy up: Blake Shelton finds a second home in Vegas residency
In his first foray into a Las Vegas residency, Blake Shelton played his cards close to the vest. Maybe too close.
“Last year, I was nervous. I dreaded it a little bit, because new things are hard for me to wrap my head around,” Shelton says during a VIP meet-and-greet at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. “A residency was out of the normal for me, so I only did a limited amount of dates. And that was partly Caesars going, ‘We’re not sure about you guys.’ ”
But by the end of the run …
“I was going, ‘Man, I screwed up! I wish I was doing 40 of these a year,’ ” Shelton says, after playing just six shows last February. “So, I started getting my foot back in the door by the last weekend of that last run, because I had so much fun.”
More Vegas dates?
Fun is the premise at the Shelton show, which is part spectacle, part hoedown. He returned to the Colosseum on Jan. 15 for a run that continues through Jan. 31.
“It may be Thursday night, but every night is Saturday in Vegas, so let’s get this one started!” the 49-year-old Shelton told the hard-partying crowd in his return.
This run covers eight shows — emphasis on “this run.” I’d be stunned if Shelton didn’t add dates. His rock star wife, Gwen Stefani, is in town with No Doubt at Sphere from May 6 to June 8. That residency qualifies as an incentive for Shelton to extend his own dates.
“I’ve seen some of the stuff they’re working on, just as an outsider,” Shelton says of No Doubt’s Sphere production. “It’s going to be incredible.”
On opening night at Caesars, Stefani appeared in a black-and-white video with Shelton for the duet medley “Happy Anywhere” and “Nobody But You.”
Shelton mixed old and new, his own cuts and some classic covers. He’s issued 30 No. 1s on Billboard’s country charts (No. 2 to Kenny Chesney, with 33). Shelton dipped into that well with “Some Beach,” “Austin,” “Home,” “Hillbilly Bone,” “God Gave Me You” and his most recent chart-topper, “Stay Country or Die Tryin’.”
Shelton’s favorite radio-play gems from country icons included George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and Alabama’s “Mountain Music.”
The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign glows prominently on the big screen, as if to remind the revelers where they are.
Shelton’s only Vegas-inspired element is still the “glitter strips” on his navy blue, Western-styled shirt. “For me, this is a lot,” he says. Always feeling in the moment, Shelton mops his hair with a towel on stage, leaving his head a sweaty mess.
But he’s not here to win a beauty contest.
“There are a lot of beautiful people that perform here,” Shelton says, laughing. “I know nobody comes here to look at me. They want to hear me. I’m not worried about my hair.”
‘I think cowboys’
Similar to pairing a Bluetooth connection, Shelton’s music interests are tuned into his business interests. His Ole Red Las Vegas rocks the corner of the Strip and Flamingo Road at Grand Bazaar Shops.
Shelton’s life-size cutout greets visitors at the four-level party fortress. The real Shelton has ducked into the scene, most recently in May. Shelton’s rowdy pop-in was the same day he and Stefani recorded their appearance on the American Music Awards at BleauLive Theater, which led to a burst of controversy on social media after fans learned the performance was not live.
Shelton unleashed “Ol’ Red” that day, and it’s still in his set list at the Colosseum. There was a time in Vegas, pre-superstar status, when Shelton would hop on stage at a club or lounge without making national news.
In a slice of downtown Las Vegas lore, Shelton once joined Frankie Moreno at the Rush Lounge at the Golden Nugget for a 2 a.m. spin through Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses.”
“Back then, I looked forward to coming to Vegas for the same reasons everyone looks forward to coming to Vegas,” Shelton says. “After you do it for so many years, you kind of get over that. You get over the gambling, the parties and all that.”
Shelton says Vegas has an Old West flavor. And Wild West, in his hands. The National Finals Rodeo and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association have a lot to do with the cowboy element in Vegas.
“I think you see it with Vegas and the NFR leaning into each other. Vegas and the PRCA leaning into each other have helped drive the country vibe in Vegas,” Shelton says. “Without question, when I started coming here 25 years ago as a touring artist, I felt a lot more like a tourist than somebody coming here to do a show. I felt like there wasn’t really a place for a new country artist, only if you were a superstar could you come to Vegas.”
And now?
“I swear, when I think of Vegas,” the cowboy favorite says, “I think cowboys.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
