More than a decade after premiering a hit residency on the Strip, Boyz II Men are back with four shows at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan.
The name of Lady Antebellum’s upcoming residency at Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms is “Our Kind of Vegas.” A simple enough title, as a Vegas-ized play off the band’s 2007 single, “Our Kind of Love.”
But deep into a phone conversation about that residency, which launches Feb. 8, singer/songwriter Hillary Scott hits on a catch phrase, “A Different Level of Cred.”
It’s a great fit for an album, or single, or even a return engagement. It also fits the band’s attitude, as it relentlessly works to advance its songwriting, musicianship and stage show.
“We want to do something special to make the Vegas locals and natives want to come check us out,” Scott said during a phone chat Tuesday morning. “That would be a whole different level of cred.”
At the suggestion that would be the great name for a future Lady A project, Scott laughed and said, “That would be totally amazing.”
For now, Scott and Lady A have announced a 16-show spree at the Pearl running from its five premiere shows Feb. 8-16, and continuing for select dates May 10-18 and Aug. 23-31. (Tickets start at $34.95 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 2 through Ticketmaster.)
Scott’s life and career have long been intertwined with Las Vegas. She points to the obvious — Lady A has picked up an octet of Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena, including their first two, the top Vocal Group of the Year and top New Duo or Vocal Group in 2008.
Scott has also celebrated all of her birthdays over the past 10 years in VegasVille.
“I have an April 1 birthday, which is always right around the ACMs,” she said. “My birthday is always part of that event in Las Vegas. A big part of my life and our career is rooted there, in a way.”
Scott said she and band mates Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley are developing a song-story-song approach to headlining the Pearl.
“We are songwriters, first and foremost, before we ever performed together,” she said. “We will have a balance of big moments and stories, how and why we wrote these songs, and hopefully bring our songwriting friends to the stage with us.”
Scott seems open to taking requests, live, at the theater.
“We’re talking about a place that has 2,500 seats, and you can hear people in the 10th row shout song titles at you,” Scott said. “We have had that happen before in our career (laughs), a lot.”
Scott considers the list of recent headliners at the Pearl, which was refurbished late last year and relaunched in January. The Killers, Adam Ant, Blink-182 and Simple Minds (just last weekend) are among those who have played there in the past year.
“That is really an honor, to be able to play a place like that, and I would see all of those artists,” Scott said. “When I get there, one thing I really want to do aside from hunkering down and playing in one place for a while, is see as much live music as possible. Some of my favorite artists in the whole wide world are there.”
The set list is still being constructed, but Scott said, “We will have the familiar songs, and a combination of where we are in our lives and careers. It’s an overall, who-we-are-as-a-band-after-10-years show, different layers of who we are as artists, and some songs you’ve probably heard on albums but never onstage before.”
Expect “Love Don’t Live Here,” “Need You Now” and “American Honey” and to be in the mix. If they’re not, try shouting them out.
Scott said she is “totally humbled” by the upcoming Vegas residency, produced by the concert-booking behemoth Live Nation. But she returns to the band’s roots, for a time and a gig that were humbling in a different sort of way.
Soon after forming in 2007, the then-unknown band was on a promotional FM-radio tour and booked at an event at a gas station/mini mart in suburban Milwaukee. The gig started at 5:45 a.m., and was also held on the first day of deer-hunting season.
“It was in the wee hours, and we were serenading guys who getting black coffee and heading out to hunt deer,” Scott said. “They showed up to get caffeine running through their veins, obviously not there to hear these three 20-somethings nobody’d heard of play in the parking lot.”
The story has become part of Lady A lore. Later that year, their self-titled album broke at No. 1 on the country charts. Now they’re award-winners, country superstars and Vegas headliners, achieving a whole different level of cred.
More than a decade after premiering a hit residency on the Strip, Boyz II Men are back with four shows at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan.
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