Carín León returned to Sphere as scheduled Friday night. This is news, because León missed Thursday’s show with a day-of call-out. His fruitless efforts to overcome faulty aircraft as he tried to return to Las Vegas from Mexico are well-chronicled.
León’s guests Friday were Latin legend Pepe Aguilar and José Guadalupe Esparza of the iconic Mexican group Bronco. León and Aguilar sang their collab “Lamentablemente” and Aguilar’s classic “Por Mujeres Como Tú.” Esparza came with the classics “Si Te Vuelves A Enamorar,” “Oro,” and “Libros Tontos.”
Selling out rather than calling out will serve León well through balance of this run, which closes Sunday and returns in September 2027 (when the postponed show is rescheduled).
But while León’s night-of postponement was rare, it was not the first time a superstar’s show has been pulled, last-minute, in Las Vegas. A list of a half-dozen of the more memorable such moments:
— Ed Sheeran, Allegiant Stadium, Sept. 9, 2023. Yes, nearly three years to the day before León dropped his show at Sphere, Sheeran was forced to pull his performance at Allegiant about 90 minutes before its scheduled start. “A safety issue” in the show’s staging (rubber tiling to secure the production’s tall towers had become “unstuck”) forced the postponement. Sheeran learned of the issue only after serenading newlyweds that afternoon at A Little White Wedding Chapel in downtown Las Vegas. He returned for the makeup show Oct. 28, 2023, with Brandon Flowers his unbilled guest.
— Adele, Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Jan. 20, 2022: The “Rolling in the Deep” superstar was scheduled to roll out her Colosseum residency Jan. 21, 2022. But she shut down the production the day prior, explaining in her famous “I’m gutted” speech the show was undercut by pandemic-related operational issues. She moved “Weekends with Adele” to the following November. She went on to sell out 100 shows over two years.
— Barry Manilow, Aug. 20, Westgate Las Vegas: Manilow has called out on short notice a few times at Westgate, citing health and production concerns. Most recently he abruptly halted his Aug. 20 performance just 40 minutes into the show, citing technical malfunctions. Following that truncated appearance, his team officially canceled his Aug. 21 and 22 shows, citing “technical and vocal problems.” Manilow is halting all live performances to continue building strength after undergoing cancer surgery on his left lung in December. He plans to return to the Westgate on Oct. 8.
— Kelly Clarkson, July 4-5, 2025, Colosseum at Caesars Palace: Clarkson was set to kick off the opening weekend of her residency as part of the July 4 weekend. But she dropped her opener just 2 1/2 hours before showtime. She offered, “The prep and rehearsals have taken a toll on my voice.” She returned to packed houses the following weekend.
— Christina Aguilera, Feb. 28, 2020, Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood: We were actually in a stalled line outside the venue for Aguilera’s canceled “Xperience” performance at what is now PH Live. After a lengthy delay, we were told, “Unfortunately tonight’s performance has been canceled due to severe technical difficulties that could not be remedied.” Similar to León’s call-out, this show was spiked 30 minutes after its scheduled start time. Aguilera returned the following night, on 2020’s Leap Day and less than a month before the COVID shutdown.
— Rod Stewart, May 29, Colosseum at Caesars Palace: A morning-of notice as Stewart cited a sinus infection that knocked out his May 29-30 performances. The 81-year-old knighted rock legend has postponed and rescheduled a few shows at Caesars while battling health concerns. Stewart subsequently pulled nine dates in August for a “routine coronary stent procedure.” He has no shows on the books, says he’s looking forward to “getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.