Britney Spears in Las Vegas: Exclusive Details on Her Two-Year Residency

Beginning in December, Las Vegas will be the only place on earth where you’ll be able to see Britney Spears perform over the next two years. In this detailed interview, Caesars Entertainment’s Kurt…

Beginning in December, Las Vegas will be the only place on earth where you’ll be able to see Britney Spears perform over the next two years. After months of speculation, the pop superstar announced h

Beginning in December, Las Vegas will be the only place on earth where you’ll be able to see Britney Spears perform over the next two years.

After months of speculation, the pop superstar announced her two-year Las Vegas residency show, titled “Britney Spears: Piece of Me,” at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The approximately 90-minute performances will take place beginning Dec. 27 inside a 4,600-capacity planetarium-like theater with traditional seating, a dance floor, private tables and bottle service.

“This is a big Vegas-style production show, married with a dance club environment,” Kurt Melien, VP of entertainment at Caesars Entertainment, tells Billboard. “It’s 21 of her greatest hits, effectively, and some of the music from her eighth studio album (scheduled for release on Dec. 3). It’s a retrospective on some of the most iconic moments of her life, combined with the more contemporary stuff that she’s doing today.”

Spears’ Las Vegas residency show is being directed by award-winning lighting and touring director Baz Halpin, who has also worked on tours by Katy Perry, P!nk, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Swedish House Mafia, Billboard has learned exclusively. Spears is slated to perform 50 shows per year in 2014 and 2015, starting on Dec. 27. The first tickets go on sale this Sept. 20, with prices ranging from $59 to $179.

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In this detailed interview, Caesars Entertainment’s Melien divulges details about the production of Spears’ nightclub-like residency show, whether or not she’s permanently moving to Las Vegas, what the pop singer is (or isn’t) being paid for the two-year stint, why you won’t see her perform outside of Vegas for the next two years, additional information about Planet Hollywood’s planetarium-like theater that’s hosting the residency, and much more.

Billboard: What’s the backstory on how the Britney Spears Las Vegas residency came together?  

Kurt Melien: I’ve known [Britney Spears manager Larry Rudolph] for two or three years now. We started the conversation. It always made sense to us that she was potentially an ideal Las Vegas resident — for a couple of reasons. One, her catalog of music at is so deep that she appeals to a broad audience and demographic. She is also traditionally known to put on a big, Vegas-style production. The idea of her sitting down and building a big theatrical production was something that appealed to us.

Can you elaborate on how you think she appeals to a wide demographic?

When we look for residents, we look for folks who can sit down for long periods of time. So a pop artist with one or two albums doesn’t have the staying power to do a multi-year residency. But she has the catalog of music, for sure. And we love the idea that she appeals to a 30- and 40-something, but also to a 20-something. There are fans who loved her in the ‘90s and 2000s, and she certainly has a large fanbase of folks who follow her contemporary music. This is an artist that casts a wide net across demographics.

TMZ has reported that Spears will be paid $310,000 per show — or $15 million per year — for the residency. Is that true?

We’re in a partnership with her, so we’re building this deal together from the ground up. That’s the way we think about the financials. It’s one of these things where we’re in partnership together and it’s not really transactional. A quote like that feels transactional and that’s not what this is. A comment like that doesn’t reflect the level of joint partnership between our parties.

Can you provide any other specific details about the production of the Spears residency show?
The show is being directed by Baz Halpin [who’s also worked on tour production by Katy Perry, P!nk, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Swedish House Mafia]. They’re moving along quickly. The show is opening Dec. 27, so they’re deep into it now. It’s an exposé of her career. It’s 21 of her greatest hits, effectively, and some of the music from her eighth studio album [scheduled for release on Dec. 3]. It’s a retrospective on some of the most iconic moments of her life, combined with the more contemporary stuff that she’s doing today.

How long will each performance be?

The target is about 90 minutes. They’re still finalizing that. We don’t restrict it. But 90 to 100 minutes is probably likely.

It’s been speculated that Spears lip-syncs during live shows. Have there been discussions about how she’ll approach vocals during the residency performances?
We haven’t had that conversation. She certainly has been a singer and dancer her entire life, and she certainly has the chops today. There’s no doubt about it that she’s in the physical shape and vocal shape to sing the entire show. She’s working out a ton, training a ton and rehearsing a ton. She’s super pumped and really excited about this idea since it became real.