In July, Lady Gaga surprised her legion of fans by announcing she was once again kickstarting her Las Vegas residency…one of them, at least. The singer’s Jazz + Piano show, which sees her performing a mix of American songbook classics and jazzed-up versions of some of her own hits, was set to return for only a handful of nights.
There was a lot about the reveal that was odd, but one number makes it clear why the superstar would find her way back to Sin City for the extension.
Gaga initially announced Jazz + Piano alongside a second residency titled Enigma, back in 2017. The run of shows began in early 2018 and continued into 2022, with a long break in the middle due to the global pandemic. After several legs, it seemed like both were done in mid-2022, perhaps for good. But then that changed when she revealed she was going back to Vegas for 12 more concerts (to start) only about two months from when she shared the news on social media.
After completing dozens of concerts and making millions from her two residencies and seemingly moving on to work on more music and film a new movie, what could bring her back? A hefty paycheck, that’s what.
When Gaga’s residencies were first announced half a decade ago, Variety reported that she was guaranteed at least $1 million per night. That sum grew even larger when merchandise sales and other extras were included, making these shows incredibly lucrative for Gaga.
While some artists might be tempted to stay in the city and play to sold-out crowds forever, she had other artistic ventures to attend to, but that doesn’t mean she had to say goodbye forever. The Grammy and Oscar winner recently wrapped filming the sequel to Joker, in which she stars and has reportedly written music. She also has not yet announced a new album or tour, so she seemingly has time in between projects. An enterprising business person like Gaga knows that time is money, and if she has the time, she can make more money.
If Gaga is being paid the same guarantee as she was in the beginning of her residency, which seems likely, as the venue is happy to have her back, she’s going to earn at least $12 million from these additional shows. Perhaps several hundred thousand or more on top of that as well, taking into account all revenue sources.
Gaga can pick this back up where she left off and keep bringing in huge sums of money while she plans her next move and writes her next album, so why wouldn’t she want to keep finding her way back to Las Vegas?
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