Janet Jackson has announced a Las Vegas residency at the 5,000-capacity Resorts World Las Vegas, set to launch at the end of this year.

The Janet Jackson: Las Vegas residency, presented by AEG Presents, will kick off with back-to-back performances on 30 December and New Year’s Eve.

These shows will be followed by eight additional performances in 2025, including Valentine’s Day weekend, with tickets to all 10 shows available from 28 August.

The residency announcement comes two months after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee wrapped her 37-date Together Again Tour, which earned nearly $51 million and became the biggest gross of any tour in Jackson’s Billboard Boxscore history.

“Janet Jackson is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in pop music”

“Janet Jackson is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in pop music,” says Bobby Reynolds, senior vice president, AEG Presents Las Vegas. “We could not be more thrilled to close out 2024 with her return to the Las Vegas Strip and her venue debut at our award-winning Resorts World Theatre and to kick off 2025 with a run of sure-to-be-unforgettable shows. This is a residency fans won’t want to miss.”

Jackson added: “This is going to be a lot of fun and I look forward to spending the start of the New Year with you!! We truly can’t wait!”

Prior to the Vegas residency, the five-time Grammy Award winner will embark on an 11-date arena tour of Europe between 25 September and 13 October.

See all 10 dates of the Janet Jackson: Las Vegas residency and her announcement post below:

December 2024: 30, 31
January 2025: 3, 4
February 2025: 5, 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15

Check out the latest edition of IQ, which investigates how Las Vegas has become the hottest entertainment market in the world.

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US festival Lovers & Friends was cancelled less than 15 hours before it was scheduled to begin due to “dangerous weather”.

Promoted by Live Nation, the one-day festival was supposed to kick off on midday Saturday (4 May) in Las Vegas, US, with headlining sets from Usher, Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys.

However, an overnight statement from organisers said they had been “monitoring the weather for several days and proactively preparing for a windy Saturday,” but decided it was too unsafe after advice from public officials and the National Weather Service, which warned of high winds and “gusts potentially more than 60 mph.”

“This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have travelled from all over the world to enjoy this incredible lineup of superstars and have been looking forward to this event for several months,” the statement said. “We’ve worked hard to create an amazing event for you, and we are just as disappointed as you are.”

Ja Rule, Ashanti, Gwen Stefani, Monica, Brandy, Nas, M.I.A., Snoop Dogg, Ciara and Ludacris were also featured on the 90s-centric lineup.

“This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have travelled from all over the world”

Tickets ranged from $325 (€302) to $695 (€645). Organisers said those who purchased tickets through official channels will receive a refund within 30 days.

Since launching in 2020, Friends & Lovers Festival has experienced its fair share of upsets. When it was first announced in 2020, several artists on its lineup denied their involvement. That year’s event was later cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The festival finally debuted in Vegas in 2022 but three attendees later sued organisers, claiming they failed to provide adequate safety and security measures when rumours of gunfire at the event caused them to be trampled in a stampede. The case is still pending.

Lovers & Friends is the latest festival impacted by extreme weather, following the recent cancellation of California’s Sol Blume.

In the US, adverse weather coverage has “increased significantly” in the last five years, according to Jeff Torda from Higginbotham. Backing this point, a recent Billboard article claimed premiums in North America had tripled in recent years.

The latest edition of ILMC also saw industry leaders discussing ways to cope with the impact of weather on festivals and open-air live music events.

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Janet Jackson, Blink-182 and Slipknot are among a raft of A-list artists lining up tours for 2024.

Jackson has announced a European arena tour for this autumn, with multiple dates across the UK.

The Together Again tour marks the star’s 50th anniversary in the industry as well as 35 years since her landmark 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814.

It will be the American artist’s first major event in the UK since 2019, when she performed at Glastonbury as part of her world tour for the 30th anniversary of her hit record.

Produced by Live Nation, the 10-date European leg will kick off in Paris on 25 September and conclude in Amsterdam on 10 October.

Support comes from The Fugees member Wyclef Jean, except for the London date for which a supporting act is yet to be announced.

It will be the American artist’s first major event in the UK since 2019, when she performed at Glastonbury

Blink-182 are also returning to the road this summer, touring stadiums and arenas throughout North America.

Produced by Live Nation, the 30-city trek includes stadium performances at Petco Park in the band’s hometown of San Diego, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Citi Field in New York, Fenway Park in Boston, and Rogers Centre in Toronto, as well as 25 arenas.

The One More Time outing will kick off on 20 June in Orlando, Florida, and wrap up on 15 August in Toronto, Ontario.

Support comes from Pierce The Veil, jxdn, Live Without, Drain, Hot Milk, Landon Barker, EKKSTACY, and Astronoid.

Elsewhere, Slipknot have announced a North America tour marking the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album.

The Here Comes The Pain jaunt will run between 6 August and 21 September, visiting arenas and amphitheatres in cities such as New York City, Toronto, Ridgefield, Inglewood, Austin, Dallas and their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa.

Knocked Loose, Orbit Culture and Vended will lend support on select dates.

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Saudi Arabia’s largest-ever music festival, Jeddah World Fest, is taking place today (18 July), with the last-minute additions of Janet Jackson, 50 Cent, Chris Brown and Future.

The artists will perform alongside Liam Payne, Steve Aoki and Tyga at the 63,241-capacity King Abdullah Sports Stadium in Jeddah.

The newly added acts replace rapper Nicki Minaj, who cancelled her appearance at the sold-out music festival last week, following pressure from human rights organisations.

The president of the Human Rights Foundation – the principle organisation urging acts to boycott shows in Saudi Arabia – says it is “profoundly distressing that they [the artists] have chosen money over morals.”

“These individuals constantly make public statements of support for LGBT rights and women’s rights, except, apparently, when a seven-figure check is attached”

“These individuals constantly make public statements of support for LGBT rights and women’s rights, except, apparently, when a seven-figure check is attached,” Halvorssen told the Associated Press.

Jeddah World Fest is part of the Saudi government’s campaign to open up the live entertainment market, following a US$2.7 billion investment in the sector in 2017.

K-pop stars BTS were the latest act to add the country to their touring schedule, announcing an October show in Riyadh. Mariah Carey, Jason Derulo, Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas and Tiesto are among international acts to have recently played in the country.

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Janet Jackson has once again postponed her ill-fated Live Nation-backed Unbreakable world tour – this time to have a baby.

In a video message, the 49-year-old singer revealed that she and her husband, Qatari entrepreneur Wissam Al Mana, are “planning our family”. “I’m gonna have to delay the tour,” she explained, “[so] please, if you can, try and understand that it’s important that I do this now. I have to rest up –doctor’s orders.”

The Unbreakable tour, which began in Vancouver last August, was due to relaunch on 14 May in Last Vegas after a spring European leg of the tour was cancelled last month without explanation (although it was speculated that poor ticket sales were to blame) less than two weeks before Jackson was due to appear in Birmingham. In October she cancelled a show in Las Vegas to rest her vocal chords – doctor’s orders again – and in December postponed a string of US dates to undergo unspecified emergency surgery.

In the video Jackson also thanks Live Nation and promises fans: “I have not forgotten about you. I will continue to tour as soon as I possibly can.”