Looking ahead to Las Vegas’ must-see musical events of 2016

It will be tough to beat the musical offerings that 2015 brought to Las Vegas. But the promoters and properties have been hard at work and they're certainly off to a running start with shows from Morrissey and Beck in the first week of the new year.

While the full concert calendar for 2016 is barely beginning to take shape, a number of must-see musical events have been announced that you'll want to mark on your calendar. These are the concerts worth setting your sights on — you know, just in case you want to put your entertainment dollars in escrow right now. Here's what's on tap thus far:

RESIDENCIES

A number of high-profile artists are moving in for residencies all along the Strip. Britney Spears takes New Year's Day off but then gets right back to work Saturday. John Fogerty kicks off his eight-show "Fortunate Son in Concert" run at The Venetian on Jan. 18. Elton John returns to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for a series of shows beginning Jan. 19, and Jennifer Lopez launches her "All I Have" residency on Jan. 20 at the Axis at Planet Hollywood.

Mariah Carey is slated to return to the Colosseum on Feb. 2. Santana comes back to House of Blues for "An Intimate Evening with Santana," which is set to resume Jan. 29. Also at House of Blues, Billy Idol is scheduled to perform a series of shows beginning on March 16. Lionel Richie sets up shop at the Axis at Planet Hollywood for his residency, which starts April 27 with subsequent dates in May, September and October.

Country fans have reason to rejoice: Rascal Flatts is set to kick off its nine-show run at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Feb. 17. George Strait helps break in Las Vegas Arena with a string of shows beginning April 6. Garth Brooks pulls into the arena June 24 for the first of eight shows, and Reba and Brooks & Dunn are back at the Colosseum for more shows starting May 3.

FESTIVALS

Neon Reverb is set to make its triumphant comeback this spring. The lineup for the four-day festival, which kicks off March 10, hasn't been announced, but you can expect a local-centric bill, peppered with performances from special out-of-town guests. Extreme Thing is also back and has a confirmed date (April 2 at Desert Breeze Park), with a lineup that includes Saosin, Mayday Parade and Bayside, among others.

While Rock in Rio isn't slated to return until 2017, the festival grounds where the inaugural edition was held last spring, at Sahara and the Strip, are slated to be used this year for the Academy of Country Music's Party for a Cause, a three-day event in April featuring Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney and others.

Punk Rock Bowling will be back downtown over Memorial Day weekend, with a lineup that includes Flag, the Descendants, Flogging Molly and more.

As we head into the heat of the summer, dance fans will find the festival of their dreams again when Electric Daisy Carnival erects its empire at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The annual dance-travaganza takes place June 17 to 19. While a lineup has yet to be announced, expect Insomniac to have something extra special planned for EDC's 20th anniversary.

With any luck, the fall will once again be filled with the return of the iHeartRadio Music Festival, Life is Beautiful, Route 91 and Wine Amplified. Specific dates for those events haven't been announced. But you'll probably want to keep your calendar open toward the end of September and the beginning of October, if past years offer any indication.

KILLER CONCERTS

While there are a ton of concerts that are worth picking up tickets for, the one we're most looking forward to features The Killers at Las Vegas Arena with Wayne Newton and Shamir on April 6. There are so many reasons to be excited about this one. Aside from the fact that it marks the grand opening of the highly anticipated venue, the bill is a local celebration of sorts, highlighting entertainers from our town's past, present and future — and we'll finally get a full set from Brandon Flowers and company, after two teaser sets during iHeartRadio and Life is Beautiful.

There are plenty of other shows we're totally looking forward to, including Willie Nelson at the Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan on Jan. 8; three consecutive shows featuring the String Cheese Incident at the Brooklyn Bowl (March 18, 19 and 20); The 1975 at the Chelsea on April 23, followed by the Band Perry on April 29 and The Cure on May 19; and The Who on May 29 at the Colosseum.

If you're a pop fan, hold on to your hat: We've got Justin Bieber on March 25 at MGM Grand Garden; Janet Jackson at Las Vegas Arena on May 14; Twenty One Pilots at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on July 15; Ellie Goulding at Mandalay Bay on April 9, followed by Rihanna on April 29 and Selena Gomez on May 6; and Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas at MGM Grand Garden on Aug. 13.

Hard rock and metal fans have an embarrassment of riches in store this year. First the bigger shows: AC/DC at MGM Grand Garden on Feb. 5; Black Sabbath at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Feb. 13 (and Sept. 17 at MGM Grand Garden); Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies, Children of Bodom and Havok at The Pearl at the Palms on Feb. 26; Iron Maiden at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Feb. 28; and Slayer with Testament and Carcass at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on March 26.

Then there's the more intimate plays: Steel Panther, three dates at House of Blues, beginning Jan. 8; Queensryche at Hard Rock Live on Jan. 9; Europe at Hard Rock Live on Jan. 23; Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime on Feb. 6 at Count's Vamp'd; Cradle of Filth on Feb. 16, and At the Gates, the Haunted and Harm's Way on Feb. 18, all at House of Blues; Great White and Slaughter at East Side Cannery on Feb. 20; UFO on March 23 at Count's Vamp'd; and Tesla at East Side Cannery on April 9.

— Read more from Dave Herrera at reviewjournal.com. Contact him at dherrera@reviewjournal.com and follow @rjmusicdh on Twitter.