When arena-sized shows might return to the Vegas entertainment scene

 Since the only other event currently listed on the stadium calendar is the NFL Pro Bowl in 2022, it’s safe to assume at this time Brooks’ Stadium Tour stop this summer should be the first event with a large audience at the 65,000-seat stadium.

Some Las Vegas production shows and live music events have resumed on and off the Strip since COVID restrictions were relaxed in the fall, but other than a few hundred fans that watched UNLV football games at Allegiant Stadium, the big entertainment venues around town have remained empty and postponed or cancelled planned programming.

T-Mobile Arena, the second largest indoor facility at a capacity around 20,000, has been hosting Vegas Golden Knights hockey games this year without fans. The next events on its schedule are the Professional Bull Riders Global Cup tournament on April 16 and 17, and Justin Bieber’s rescheduled concert tour stop on June 4. Other musical events featuring Michael Bublé, Luke Combs and My Chemical Romance are set to visit the Strip arena this fall, and last week, another pop music tour stop was announced for T-Mobile, the Weeknd on April 23, 2022.

At MGM Grand Garden Arena, All Elite Wrestling Double or Nothing is the next event on the calendar slated for May 29, followed by Harry Styles on September 4, Grupo Firme on September 10 and a postponed concert from Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin on September 25. In theory, summer shows could pop up there if vaccination efforts and travel patterns improve.

The WNBA has not yet announced a start time for its 2021 season so it’s unknown when the Las Vegas Aces, recently sold by MGM Resorts to Raiders owner Mark Davis, might return to their homecourt at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The next event planned at that venue is the Psycho Las Vegas music festival on August 20-22, followed by the rescheduled heavy metal concert from Megadeth and Lamb of God on September 10.

What about the three major musical residency rooms on the Strip? Those types of shows aren’t the only programming at Park MGM’s Park Theater, Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theater or Caesars Palace’s Colosseum, but recurring concert spectaculars from the likes of Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey and Keith Urban have been among the biggest draws in all of Vegas entertainment in recent years in those spaces.

Sting’s delayed “My Songs” residency is now set for an October 29 opening at the Colosseum, after the debut of Usher’s new show on July 16 and Morrissey’s postponed limited engagement running from August 28 to September 5. Like Sting, Kelly Clarkson was unable to open her Vegas show due to COVID, but she’s still waiting to announce makeup dates at Zappos Theater, which is set to be occupied by the Scorpions and Queensryche May 8-30. And Park Theater is the quietest room of all, with nothing currently scheduled.

And then there’s the brand-new 5,000-seat Theater at Resorts World, which officials have stated will open sometime this summer along with the entire resort on the Strip across from Wynn Las Vegas. Celine Dion is just one of the big names that has been rumored to be headed to this new Vegas venue.