Bruno Mars is setting records at Dolby Live. But Lady Gaga’s plans are unclear.
Mars set a record for highest-grossing shows among Las Vegas theaters in his New Year’s Eve performance. His show sold 5,314 tickets for a $3.278 million gross, as reported by the Touring Data industry platform.
Mars’ figures have been confirmed by MGM Resorts officials. He regularly sells out the venue, and is returning for seven shows May 21-June 2.
Gaga, in the meantime, has no specific blueprint to return in residency to Dolby Live or anywhere else in Las Vegas. Don’t expect her to be performing a show here this year, having just released her latest album, “Mayhem.”
Gaga has been on a media blitz since that release. She scored a double-duty appearance on “SNL” over the weekend, hosting and performing “Abracadabra” and “Killah” from the new album. These were full production numbers, as refined as official videos.
The show was Gaga’s first hosting appearance since 2013, and was one of “SNL’s” most entertaining shows in recent memory. The Gatsby-themed, celebration-of-life sketch was an all-timer.
In her series of interviews, Gaga performed “Perfect Celebrity” on “The Howard Stern Show” Tuesday. She described the cut from “Mayhem,” “I think in a way, when I was writing, I was feeling like there was the real me and there was the clone. It’s kind of one of the more angry songs I’ve ever written.”
Gaga also told The New York Times’ The Interview podcast she has suffered psychosis as recently as five years ago, which would have covered her “Jazz + Piano” series at Dolby Live. She met her fiancé, Michael Polansky, during that period.
“I was not deeply in touch with reality for a while. It took me out of life in a big way, and after a lot of years of hard work I got myself back,” Gaga said. “It was a hard time, and it was actually really special when I met my partner because when I met Michael, I was in a much better place, but I remember him saying to me, pretty early on, “I know you could be a lot happier than you are.”
We captured the couple’s first public kiss, midnight NYE 2019. We didn’t know who this unknown figure was at the time, but were educated real quick.
Word
Las Vegas author Amanda Fortini is writing the introduction to Jan Kerouac’s autobiographical novel, “Baby Driver,” due this fall from independent publisher NYRB Classics. “Her father was kind of famous,” Fortini posts. Kerouac is the daughter of Beat Generation literary pioneer Jack Kerouac (“On The Road,” “Visions of Cody” and “Dharma Burns”). “Baby Driver” is Jan Kerouac’s first novel.
Cool Hang Alert
Comic vet Carlos Mencia starts his latest residency this week at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club at 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Gabe Lopez hosts. Mencia had formerly performed in rotation with ventriloquial star Paul Zerdin at Harrah’s Showroom.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
