Gwen Stefani joins Las Vegas NYE superstar lineup

Sunday morning, New Year’s Eve … No matter the day or night, Gwen Stefani can rock the Strip.

The pop superstar headlines a pair of shows over New Year’s Eve weekend at The Venetian Theatre, the hotel announced Thursday. Stefani performs at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 30-31. This means, no countdown from the stage. Tickets start at $139.95 (not including fees), available at The Venetian box offices or at ticketmaster.com.

Stefani has previously fronted a hit Vegas show at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. Her show joins myriad superstar productions hitting town NYE weekend. Among them:

Kevin Hart at The Theatre at Resorts World, The Killers at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan, Bruno Mars at Dolby Live, Tenacious D at The Theater at Virgin Hotels, the Misfits at Michelob Ultra Arena, Steve Aoki at Omnia at Caesars Palace, Tiesto at Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World, The Chainsmokers at XS Nightclub at Wynn and Illenium at Hakkasan at MGM Grand.

This does not include the usual production shows across the city, nor the New Year’s Eve show on Fremont Street, the “Time of Your Life Festival” headed up by Bush, Sugar Ray, The Wailers ft. Julian Marley, Sugarhill Gang, All-4-One, Tag Team, DJ Skribble and others to be announced.

Shelton moving on Ole Red

Blake Shelton, Stefani’s superstar husband, is on schedule to open his Ole Red Las Vegas honky-tonk on the Strip in the fourth quarter of 2023. Ole Red is a 27,000-square-foot music club and restaurant at Grand Bazaar Shops in front of Bally’s/Horseshoe.

The music club is set for 686 seats. Shelton can, and we expect will, easily fill that room. I have a strong sense we’ll see Shelton, in some capacity, before the formal opening of Ole Red.

The Santana 300

Taking it in all stride in a most spiritual manner, Carlos Santana hits a major milestone at House of Blues at Las Vegas. His 300th show is Sunday night. The rock legend has performed more shows than anyone at House of Blues since opening in 2012. He also has played more concerts than any artist at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel (today’s Theater at Virgin Hotel) from 2009-2011. “Joy,” Santana’s collaboration with Chris Stapleton, is a comparatively new highlight in the show’s slamming set list.

Bono, continued

Bono had more verbiage than we previously reported from his interview on “The Brendan O’Connor Show.” We have reported U2’s anticipated Sept. 29-30 opening dates at MSG Sphere. Bono confirmed the focus of U2’s next live endeavor, without specifying where it will take place.

”It will center around ‘Achtung Baby,’ which we feel we need to really honor. But it will also, but we have to have the new songs out don’t we?” he said during the show. “There’s no place yet, big enough. If we can build one for our audience. But it will be, for us to go, it have to be like no one has ever gone before. That sounds a bit ‘Star Trek.’ Part ‘Star Trek,’ part traveling salesman.”

We’ll look forward to September, and hope he takes Venmo.

Felder to International

Don Felder has played with the Eagles and jammed on behalf of the Raiders.

Next, he is aligning himself with Elvis.

The guitar great is playing International Theater at Westgate on March 3. Tickets are onsale 10 a.m. Friday at Westgate’s box office, Westgatelasvegas.com or ticketmaster.com.

Felder performed with guitar great Orianthi at the Raiders-Cardinals game at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 2. He’s also co-headlined with Styx at The Venetian, but not played International Theater before. Westgate President and GM Cami Christensen came up with the idea of presenting him when she saw his performance at the Raiders’ game.

One Night goes exclusive

The days of ticketed, customized Cirque du Soliel productions for the One Drop Foundation’s safe-water initiative are over. At least, they are for this year. In place of those performances, One Drop is holding La Cuvée One Drop 2022 at Rivea by Alain Ducasse at Mandalay Bay.

The event is a benefit for One Drop’s benefiting its mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water to communities facing such challenges around the world. A year ago, One Drop celebrated in similarly scaled-back fashion at the Mansion at MGM Grand.

“Just as we did last year, we wanted to do something smaller and more exclusive,” One Drop Foundation board member Jerry Nadal says. “Alain Ducasse also hosted an event in Paris last year, so this was a natural opportunity this year.”

Nadal, a former Cirque executive, said it isn’t impossible to bring back the popular “One Night for One Drop” shows, as the event enters its 15th anniversary. But the shows have been working hard in their return from the pandemic shutdown, and the “One Night” productions were all-volunteer. The organization’s board feels it can sustain support without that heavy lift.

It will be a boost if they get market value for the auction items at Saturday’s event. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Timepiece One-of-One 2022 One Drop Unique Edition, available in the silent auction, should go for “high six-figures,” as Nadal predicts. The watch was designed by Audemars Piguet watch manufacturers specifically for the event.

Cool Hang Alert

The Docksiders dock it and rock it for good at 8 p.m. Friday at The Duomo at the Rio. The yacht rock band is ending its run long before it had expected and hoped. The show is free for veterans, honoring Veteran’s Day. Even this plug can’t save the Docksiders’ craft at this venue. But we endorse their next adventure, whatever it may be, ‘23.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.