It seems Taylor Sphere or bust for Swift’s ‘Showgirls’ future

Taylor Swift uses Las Vegas imagery and an iconic reference for her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Inevitably, this strategy has sparked speculation internationally that Swift is interested in a residency here, specifically at Sphere.

The tabloid, The U.S. Sun, posted swiftly after the superstar announced the album title this week that Swift is in discussions about such a production. No formal confirmation that there are any such talks.

But the anticipated demand would be a Sphere-sized variation of “Weekends With Adele,” which ran 100 shows at the Colosseum. Swift at Sphere would be “Weekends” on steroids.

Swift had announced “The Life of a Showgirl” on a tease clip for the “New Heights” podcast at 12:12 a.m. Tuesday, revealing the cover on the show, co-hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason on Wednesday. The full album is due for Oct. 3 release.

The series of photos of Swift in classic “Jubilee”-style showgirl costumes only fueled conversation that the superstar was interested in a Las Vegas residency production. Laying out why Swift-at-Sphere makes sense:

— She is finished touring. “The Eras” tour ran for 149 shows from March 2023 to December 2024. There is no indication Swift is planning to tour stadiums or arenas behind “The Life of a Showgirl.”

— She has incredible ticket demand. In a very conservative estimate, Swift easily could have sold out Allegiant Stadium two dozen times (enough tickets to headline an Allegiant Stadium residency, if there were such a thing). Instead, she packed the place twice in March 2023, 50,000 fans a night. She could have similarly filled SoFi Stadium (360,000 over six performances) for at least 30 shows. Three dozen sold-out shows at Sphere for Swift would be no problem.

— She has always been in the wish list for a Vegas residency. Reportedly, only her decision to tour has prevented her from entering into serious discussions for an extended engagement on the Strip, even before Sphere was built.

— “The Life of a Showgirl” dropped a lot earlier than anyone expected. She could seize the album’s enormous momentum entering the winter to announce a residency by the end of the year. The next step, a spring-summer run in ’26.

As it is, Swift would not be the first female to ever headline at the Bulbous Wonder. The techno-DJ Sara Landry plays the Insomniac-Tomorrowland “Unity” electronic music festival on Oct. 17.

We remind that there is no confirmation from Swift or her camp about residency plans. Sphere officials don’t comment on unannounced headliners. And until Swift’s longtime promoter, Louis Messina, opens Las Vegas as an option, none of this can happen.

Messina promoted “Eras” and has been Swift’s promoter since her “Fearless” tour in 2008. Messina Touring Group also promotes Kenny Chesney (whose 15 shows at Sphere closed in June), and Zac Brown Band (opening six dates at Sphere on Dec. 5). Going back to another groundbreaking residency, Messina promotes George Strait, who was the first and only resident headliner at T-Mobile Arena.

Swift would not be playing Sphere simply for the money. “Eras Tour” made more than $2 billion in ticket sales. Swift would make about a fraction of what she could make on a stadium tour with a headlining residency in Vegas.

Sphere is a lift, too, requiring a custom production, created just for the venue’s unique shape and extensive video and audio technical capabilities. A $50 million cost for a 30-show run is not out of the question, with months of planning and development.

Another roadblock to Sphere, Swift is especially sensitive to high ticket prices for her fans, and the secondary market ticket prices would explode for her shows. A $600 face-value ticket would skyrocket to several thousand on the resale market.

Would Swift want to answer to those market trends, just to play Vegas? The show would have to be monumental. Swift described her passion to perform for the “Swifties” during “New Heights,” revisiting “Eras Tour.” Swift had summoned ballet, opera and theatrical elements.

“I wanted it to be references that I thought were really high concept and really high value for fans and for them to see things they hadn’t necessarily seen before all in one concert,” Swift said. “But I wanted to do it at the highest intensity, rapid fire, ‘You’re seeing something new every 15 to 30 seconds, and so it feels like you’re scrolling in an algorithm.” And Sphere is known for presenting things we haven’t seen before, all in one concert.

Cool Hang Alert

The youthful crooner Michael Nugent headlines El Cortez’s open lounge from 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays. The venue is a component of the hotel’s recent $20 million renovation, and Nugent has a million-dollar voice. No cover, gratuities welcome, and I’ll bet he sings something you know.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.