The Golden Age of Las Vegas entertainment has various definitions with its beginning ranging from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Most experts seem to agree that the 1960s was the end of that era.
Iconic singer Frank Sinatra in 1960 brought the legendary Rat Pack to the Las Vegas Strip at the Sands Hotel and Casino for several performances, during the filming of the motion picture “Ocean’s 11,” featuring Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.
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Several legendary comedians were also regulars in Las Vegas Strip showrooms in the 1960s, including Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles, Jackie Mason, Bob Newhart, and the first woman comic to headline on the Strip, Phyllis Diller.
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Elvis Presley filmed his 1963 motion picture “Viva Las Vegas” in Sin City, with some scenes filmed at the Flamingo Hotel on the Strip. The King of Rock and Roll later made his performance comeback in 1968 after spending most of the decade making movies.
Elvis launched his Las Vegas residency in July 1969 at the International Hotel and would perform 636 sold-out shows through his final performance on Dec. 12, 1976.
Las Vegas Strip’s top five residencies in ticket sales.
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Classic Las Vegas singer Wayne Newton, who is also known as Mr. Las Vegas, became a headliner for the first time in 1963 at the Flamingo on the Strip.
Newton, 82, continued performing in Vegas over the years and in January 2022 opened his “Wayne: Up Close and Personal” residency at the Wayne Newton Theater in Bugsy’s Cabaret at the Flamingo, which has been extended through Dec. 31, 2025.
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Pop superstar Barry Manilow in September 2023 took the baton from Elvis and broke the King’s record in the International Theater at the renamed Westgate Las Vegas.
Manilow, 81, took over 18 years to break the record, as he began performing at the International Theater in February 2005.
Barry Manilow has a lifetime residency agreement
The “Copacabana” singer will likely own the record for most sold-out shows at the International Theater forever as he signed a lifetime residency agreement in December 2024 to perform at the 1,582-seat International Theater.
Manilow will not perform at any Las Vegas casino other than the Westgate for the remainder of his career, but he could do another tour or perform at other venues outside of Las Vegas, according to the agreement.
Tom Jones returns to the Wynn Las Vegas Encore Theater in May 2025. (Photo by STARLITE/Redferns)
Legendary Tom Jones returns to Vegas Strip Â
Finally, legendary singer Tom Jones, who first headlined at the Flamingo in 1968, returns to the Wynn Las Vegas Encore Theater on the Strip for a “mini-residency” on May 14, 16, and 17, 2025.
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Amex, AEG, and Radio ticket presales are underway at Ticketmaster.com until Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. Pacific time.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Jan. 31 at 9 a.m. Pacific. Ticket prices range from $95 for a seat in the back of the mezzanine to $1,350 for a seat in the theater’s front row. The prices don’t include fees.Â
The Encore Theater engagement is the only multiple-show stop on Jones’ 15-City “Defy Expectations Tour,” which opens April 17 in Niagra Falls, Ontario, and concludes May 23 at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
The “It’s Not Unusual” singer last performed in Vegas at Wynn Resorts’Â (WYNN) Â Encore Theater on Sept. 27-28, 2024, on his “Ages & Stages Tour,” which ended on Oct. 12, 2024.
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