JLo sets Las Vegas Strip ticket sales record in final show
It was JLo and LL Cool J and Ja Rule and A-Rod and Diddy at Zappos Theater on Saturday night.
We could have called it the Celeb Dance Party, but it was, in fact, Jennifer Lopez’s finale at the Planet Hollywood theater. Lopez’s finale was a box-office hit, generating $1.43 million in ticket revenue. If that seems like a lot for one show, it is.
According to Caesars Entertainment officials, the figure is a revenue record for a single-night residency in Las Vegas. Britney Spears previously held the single-night record with her $1.17 million take in her finale in the then-Axis Theater (now Zappos Theater) on New Year’s Eve.
Lopez also is reportedly the fastest performer to reach more than $100 million in ticket sales at the venue since it began its run of star residencies with Spears’ “Piece of Me” in December 2013.
Lopez and her beau, former big-league home run champ Alex Rodriguez, welcomed the above-mentioned stars along with Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, Ashley Graham, Vanessa Hudgens, Gayle King, AJ McLean, Evan Ross, Ben Baller, Adrienne Bailon, Mat Franco and Sunny Hostin.
Ja Rule and LL Cool J both rushed the stage (to perform) in unbilled appearances. Ja Rule and JLo summoned “I’m Real,” the same song they performed when Lopez opened at the venue in January 2016. Lopez sang “I Hope You Can Dance” as the song slowed to a ballad, and her backing dancers ushered her twins, Max and Emme, to the stage.
LL Cool J followed with a rowdy revival of “All I Have.”
As part of the closing-night frivolity, Lopez’s friend and manager Benny Medina, introduced Caesars Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Frissora, who presented the superstar with a plaque of the show’s promotional image. Lopez said, “How lucky am I that I have something that is so hard to say goodbye to.”
The party closed out at Mr. Chow at Caesars Palace, where the headliner’s costumes were displayed throughout the restaurant and she was presented a nine-tier cake.
Caesars Entertainment employed some bold language in sending off JLo to what might be a residency at a competing property within the next couple of years (specifically The Park Theater): “As the third largest promoter in the world, Caesars Entertainment is known for revitalizing the modern era of entertainment in Las Vegas with its record-breaking headlining residencies.
“The company has consistently been at the forefront of entertainment and has set a high standard for Las Vegas, forcing others in the industry to follow.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.