Acclaimed British artist Ed Sheeran made an unexpected announcement mere 90 minutes prior to his scheduled performance at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, September 9, leading to a poignant moment of disappointment for nearly 40,000 anticipatory fans. Let it be noted, a majority of them had journeyed into Las Vegas specifically to witness Sheeran’s live brilliance.
Sheeran, increasingly somber, shared an earnest apology on Instagram at 5:45 p.m. PT, expressing his deep regret. A daunting equipment challenge during the load in had unfortunately rendered the performance unfeasible. “I can’t believe I’m typing this but there’s been some challenges encountered during the load in of our Vegas show,” he stated, acknowledging the long distances travelled in by his massive admirer base.
A silver lining, however, came in the form of a rescheduled date – the concert was postponed to Saturday, October 28, ensuring validity of the originally purchased tickets for the new date.
A speculative explanation emanating from an unattributed source pointed fingers at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials, suspecting a stage shutdown following a collapse blamed on a local Las Vegas contractor. The veracity of this claim has not yet been confirmed.
Giving the fans a much-needed consolation, Sheeran himself interacted with a small group in the deserted stadium, clicking selfies and offering personal apologies. This spontaneous encounter lasted for about half an hour.
In another intriguing update from Voltaire at The Venetian, celebrated vocalist Christina Aguilera is purportedly launching her residency after Kylie Minogue. The residency previews with dual shows on New Year’s Eve this year, with an assumed 16-20 dates on the calendar. This stint aligns aptly with Minogue’s 20-date tenure at the 1,000-capacity theater, catering to a harmonised target audience, mainly featuring members of the LGBTQ community.
Meanwhile, pop classic Barry Manilow is poised to surpass ‘The King’ himself – Elvis Presley’s record-breaking 636 sellout shows during the weekend of September 21-23, a record set at the International, known now as the Westgate, and the Las Vegas Hilton.
Country music legend Leann Rimes brings holiday cheer to The Venetian Theatre on December 15 and 16 with her “Joy: The Holiday Tour,” where tickets are currently available on Ticketmaster.
Finally, it’s of some interest to point out that while tickets for the premiere Las Vegas residency of Erika Jayne from “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” are being offered at their original price of $69 through ticket vendors Ticketmaster and Live Nation, resale websites such as Stubhub and Vivid Seats have tickets for her House of Blues show starting as low as $7.
