VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Metallica to Sicken New World, New Kids on the Strip, the Eff You F1 Festival

Superstar metallurgists Metallica will headline next year’s Sick New World festival on April 12, 2025, at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The festival will serve as the kickoff for a new leg of Metallica’s M72 World Tour, which it launched in 2023.

The last time Metallica performed in town, in February 2022, it headlined what became the largest metal concert in Las Vegas history when it sold out Allegiant Stadium

The other acts on the lineup won’t be announced for a few more weeks, along with ticket info.

New Kids on the Block will perform their first Las Vegas residency at Park MGM’s Dolby Live over 16 dates next year. Dubbed “The Right Stuff,” it will feature the entire original lineup: Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.
The last time NKOTB played in Las Vegas was July 10-13, 2014, in Planet Hollywood on their “Block After Dark” tour.
This time, the dates will be June 20, 21, 25, 27, and 28; July 2, 3, and 5; and November 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, and 15.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT Friday.

Let’s be honest. The Neon City Festival taking place November 22-24, is downtown Las Vegas’s eff-you to F1.

It was conceived of by Derek Stevens co-owner of Circa, the Golden Gate, and the D – only because last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix not only ignored downtown, but cut it and its usual gaming and entertainment revenue off entirely off from the rest of Las Vegas.

So if the headliners the festival announced on Thursday night don’t impress you because they’re not household names, just realize that this festival presented in partnership with all of the downtown casinos embodies the rebel, underdog spirit of rock n’ roll probably better than any concert staged in Las Vegas since the ‘60s.

OK, time to be unimpressed by the lineup. Its biggest names are Utah pop-rockers Neon Trees, Seattle rapper Macklemore, Australian DJ Alison Wonderland, country-pop crooner Russell Dickerson, and adventurous DJ/producer Seven Lions.

These and dozens of other acts will perform on four stages three on the Fremont Street Experience and one at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.

Neon City will be free and open to all ages. Visit neoncityfestival.com for more information.

Pitbull is staging “Vegas After Dark The Residency” at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau for eight nights: Nov. 8-9, Jan. 24-25, March 7-8 and March 14-15. Pitbull s last Las Vegas residency ran from 2015-19 at Planet Hollywood.

John Fogerty, ex of Creedence Clearwater Revival, returns to the Encore Theatre Jan. 22 and 24-5. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.