When Marc Anthony kicks off his first-ever Las Vegas residency Friday (Feb. 13), he’ll be “singing songs I’ve never performed live because I haven’t been able to,” he tells Billboard. “It’s duets, it’s English, it’s ballads, it’s salsa. All No. 1s, all songs people have embraced over the years that I haven’t been able to perform live. And it’s more intimate, more storytelling.”
Related
By his own account, Marc Anthony has played more than 10,000 shows in his lifetime. But this time, “I’m mounting a show I’ve never seen before, a show I’ve never done before, with this combination of songs. It’s a challenge, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Marc Anthony: Vegas…My Way! at the BleauLive Theater at the Fontainebleau will play for five days in February, then returns for an additional three days in the summer as a prelude to a 100-date stint in 2027. The show marks the first time Marc Anthony, one of Latin music’s most successful and prolific touring acts, has a residency anywhere.
“I’m over the moon,” he says, revealing that the repertoire will include a lot duets, with for which many of those featured acts recorded special videos tailored for the residency.
“The Malumas of the world, India, ‘La Gozadera’ [with Gente De Zona],” he adds, rattling off song titles. “It will be a coming together of songs that have changed my life; songs in English like ‘You Sang to Me,’ ‘I Need to Know.’ I threw everything in the bucket that I always wanted to do.”
Marc Anthony has long been courted for a Las Vegas residency, as much for his star power, as for his long history with the city and with the icons associated with it, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. But he never seriously considered the option until he met Jeffrey Soffer, the chairman and chief executive officer of Fontainebleau Development, who invited him to stay at the hotel.
“When I saw what Jeff Soffer did here — it’s six stars, brand new, brand new theater. … Plus, his father was friends with Frank Sinatra. This is what Vegas should be,” says Marc Anthony.
His fans will be able to see the star, who usually plays arenas and stadiums, in a completely different, intimate setup. Regardless, as ever, the star will be Marc Anthony’s voice and his incredibly tight band. So tight, in fact, that to date, the singer admits he still doesn’t warm up, or do sound checks.
“I just have a beer and a cigarette. Just give me a microphone and I’ll figure it out,” he chuckles. “You never know what’s going to happen that night. After doing more than 10,000 concerts, it’s all about staying on your toes and telling a story. One song she broke his heart, then the next they’re getting married. It’s about telling those stories and being in the moment.”
