Las Vegas concert moments to remember from 2025

Las Vegas roared into the New Year with a slate of live, powerhouse performances — from Bruno Mars and Jennifer Lopez to Jelly Roll, Duran Duran, Tank, Backstreet Boys and Kings of Leon.

The celebrations sent a clear signal — if it was ever in question — that Las Vegas still prizes its standing as the Entertainment Capital of the World.

No disrespect to Nashville, Tenn., but in 2025 Las Vegas could have passed for Music City itself. The city’s venues were booked solid across the calendar. The Who staged its penultimate North American farewell show at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Allegiant Stadium hosted Paul McCartney, Coldplay, the Weeknd, Beyoncé, Post Malone and Jelly Roll, and Sza and Kendrick Lamar. Over at T-Mobile Arena, Lady Gaga and Hozier headlined sold-out nights, while the Sphere drew residencies from Kenny Chesney, Backstreet Boys and Zac Brown Band — and welcomed back the Eagles and Dead & Company for multinight runs.

Residencies on the Strip included Luke Bryan; The B-52s; Ringo Starr; Sammy Hagar; Earth, Wind & Fire; Mötley Crüe; Blake Shelton; Alanis Morissette; Scorpions and Lenny Kravitz.

The packed schedule could keep any concertgoer juggling their calendar, and it was no exception for yours truly. Picking my favorite concert of the year is akin to admitting to having a favorite child: I’m just not going to do it. But here, in descending order, are my 10 most unforgettable concert moments from 2025:

10. Lorde’s performance of “Ribs” to end her Ultrasound World Tour concert Oct. 17 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The then-28-year-old New Zealand electropop singer performed her popular coming-of-age anthem on a small B-stage in the middle of the crowd. The connection Lorde made and the energy she radiated in that moment sent the sold-out arena away in a frenzy.

9. Backstreet Boys’ performance of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” as the finale July 11 at Sphere Las Vegas.The finale on opening night of their Into the Millennium residency had the audience dancing and singing along as the fivesome closed on a high note. A dizzying mix of lasers and immersive graphics enveloped the Sphere, capped by the image of a spacecraft flickering and spinning overhead, keeping the crowd in an otherworldly state.

8. Kenny Chesney performing “American Kids” June 13 at Sphere Las Vegas. The Grammy Award-winning Tennessean’s rendition of his 2014 No. 1 hit reminded fans that we’re “a little messed up, but we’re all right.” The final verse, sung a cappella with everyone joining, made for an only-in-Vegas moment. “That right there is why we do what we do,” a grinning Chesney exclaimed.

7. Sza and Doja Cat singing “Kiss Me More” during Kendrick Lamar and Sza’s Grand National Tour stop May 31 at Allegiant Stadium. “Kiss Me More,” the Grammy-winning 2021 collaboration, was a huge hit for the two beauties, and Doja Cat’s surprise emergence onstage at the song’s start sent the crowd into a loud, extended frenzy. It was, Sza posted later, the two’s “first time performing together in soooo long” and gave audience members an unexpected moment to cherish.

6. Kendrick Lamar and Sza performing “Luther” during their Grand National Tour stop May 31 at Allegiant Stadium. The headliners’ chemistry sizzled on their romantic ode to the late, great Luther Vandross. The pair playfully circled each other near the top of the stage while performing the tender track, drawing a thunderous ovation.

5. Lenny Kravitz’s “Let Love Rule” during his Lenny Kravitz: Blue Electric Light Las Vegas residency Aug. 1 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Kravitz dedicated the 1989 hit to his high school sweetheart, Jane Greenberg, who was in the audience on opening night of the limited, five-night run. He fondly recalled how excited he was to play the song for her back in the day — then took his mic into the crowd, leading a 15-minute jam that turned the theater into one big sing-along.

4. The Weeknd performing “Faith” during his After Hours Til Dawn tour stop July 5 at Allegiant Stadium. The Grammy winner reflected on past struggles as he reimagined this song from his darkest period. Mid-performance, he altered the lyric “I lost my faith” to “I think I found my faith in Nevada.”At song’s end, the Weeknd theatrically removed the mask he was sporting, resulting in what may well have been the most thunderous ovation in the venue’s history.

3. The Who performing “Tea & Theatre” at their The Song Is Over tour Sept. 28 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Las Vegas date was the penultimate concert on the Who’s final tour of North America, and in a night full of emotions, the most touching came during the finale, “Tea & Theatre,” performed by the band’s only surviving original members, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. At song’s end, both waxed poetically about their iconic band’s 60-plus-year history, paying tribute to their deceased bandmates, John Entwistle and Keith Moon, and their many longtime fans in America before bidding Las Vegas a final goodbye.

2. Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” at their Music of the Spheres World Tour on June 6 at Allegiant Stadium. A few bars into the song, the band’s frontman, Chris Martin, asked the crowd to put away their cellphones and cameras. “This whole building is going to shake with joy,” he promised. And it did — 50,000 people and four band members uniting in a galaxy of their own.

1. Paul McCartney performing “Hey Jude” at his Got Back tour Oct. 4 at Allegiant Stadium. At 83, this surviving Beatle remains the consummate showman. On this night of highlights and in this year of captivating concerts, though, it was McCartney’s performance of the Beatles’ 1968 anthem that stood out. What could be better than a living legend singing one of the most recognizable rock hits of all time? McCartney’s answer was to ask the massive crowd to join in on the “na na na” refrain, which sent chills echoing throughout the stadium.

For concertgoers and performers alike, 2025 was more than a banner year — it was proof that in Las Vegas, the soundtrack never stops.