Blake Shelton is rapidly becoming a honky-tonk man about town on the Las Vegas Strip as of late. He performed for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest from his Stripside music venue/restaurant Ole Red on Dec. 31, then turned his attention to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to make his debut as a resident headliner. Blake Shelton: Live in Las Vegas may be long overdue, but the country superstar has only recently managed to make room on his perpetually full plate for the six performances.
Shelton previewed two songs likely to be part of the Live in Las Vegas set at the New Year’s Eve show. His latest single, “Texas,” almost seems like a long-awaited follow up to “Austin,” the song that launched his career and gave him his first No. 1 country hit in 2001. His guest vocals on Post Malone’s “Pour Me a Drink” put him back on top of the country airwaves and became a Top 5 hit.
Further plans for the show remain unspecified. It’s probable that the setlist will draw on his 14 No. 1 hits from Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and 29 top airplay singles. It’s possible that there might be a guest or three, most notably Gwen Stefani. Shelton made a surprise appearance at his wife’s Just a Girl residency at Planet Hollywood in February 2020, right about the time their duet “Nobody but You” was the most popular country song on radio. They could duet on “Purple Irises” from Stefani’s 2024 album Bouquet or “Happy Anywhere” from Shelton’s 2021 album Body Language.
Live in Las Vegas probably wouldn’t have happened at all if Shelton hadn’t resigned from his coaching positions on talent competition series The Voice in 2023. Shelton had been with the program since it launched and fatefully met fellow coach Stefani after both were bouncing back from divorces, but he wanted to spend more time with Stefani and his stepsons than a television gig would allow.
Shelton’s career has been a roller coaster ride for most of its duration. The musically talented youth emerged soon after Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” had caused mainstream audiences to view country music as good for little more than an occasional novelty hit. Shelton grabbed the reigns of traditionalist country as practiced by George Strait, Randy Travis and George Jones, and set out for a long ride.
He moved to Nashville at 17 and released “Austin” through Giant Records in April 2001. He followed that up with “All Over Me” and “Ol’ Red,” with the latter becoming his signature song. He still had long locks when he released The Dreamer in 2003, followed by Blake Shelton’s Barn & Grill in 2004.
It was 2011’s Red River Blue that promoted him to superstar status, with songs such as “Honey Bee,” “Over” and “God Gave Me to You” becoming No. 1 singles and concert staples. Now Shelton is a living country legend with a residency worthy of his accomplishments in a town ideal for his outsized, charismatic personality.
Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. Feb. 5, 7-8, 12, 14-15, starting at $89 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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