Kelly Clarkson’s Vegas Residency: Her Setlist, What She Wore and What It Was Like originally appeared on Parade.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s what Kelly Clarkson belts out in her hit “Stronger,” and boy does she mean it.
After being forced to postpone her highly anticipated Studio Sessions residency’s July 4 opening night in Las Vegas due to illness, the singer, 43, took to the stage around 8:10 p.m. for her July 12 show to take fans on a ride through her greatest hits inside her studio, and Parade was in the house.
Dressed casually in a crystal black tee with Willie Nelson‘s face on it, Clarkson looked fresh and happy, and she immediately addressed her absence from the weekend before.
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“Last weekend I got sick, and it sucked,” she said before finding a fan in the crowd who gave her a shot of tequila the night before. Admitting she doesn’t really drink, she giggled, saying, “That tequila shot sat in my chest … all night long!”
Clarkson’s set lived up to the residency’s name. From her handheld microphone to the neutral backdrop, there were no theatrics, no crazy dance moves, extravagant costumes or lights, a refreshing change from the typical Las Vegas spectacles. It really compared to being in the recording studio with the talk show host herself and focused on the vocals.
The mom of two (she shares daughter River Rose, 11, and son Remington Alexander, 9, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock) promised to deliver “all the hits,” and she did just that in her 22-song setlist. From upbeat tracks like “Walk Away” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes” to the slower ballads like “Beautiful Disaster” and “Sober,” there was something for everyone throughout the nearly two-hour show.
Although she only changed once ahead of the three-song encore, Clarkson did admit to a wardrobe issue she dealt with involving some pasties that wouldn’t sit still on her chest.
“I’m cold, but I’m a slip and slide underneath,” she said, joking about the pasties moving around under her shirt. “I’m not going to lie. I have these pasty things under here. You might all the sudden see boobs here because I’m so hot!”
Clarkson didn’t miss a beat and sounded nothing short of perfection as she sipped on her version of a “hot toddy” in between songs, noting that the evening was also a family affair.
“My kids are here tonight, River and Remy,” Clarkson, who said it was her kids’ first time seeing their mom during the residency, shared. “I’m completely going to embarrass you with things I say. You’re welcome. It builds character.”
While Clarkson didn’t get into any details of her personal life, she wasn’t afraid to get real about it, either.
“Oh sh–, you can make a lot of money off of heartbreak!” she said when talking about some of her biggest ballads about love.
The most emotional moment in the show came during “Beautiful Disaster” when Clarkson introduced her musical director, Jason Halbert, who’s been with her since American Idol. She slightly choked up as she gave Halbert credit for being the person in her career who’s helped her get to where she is, even referring to him as “the bar of a man in my life.”
But it wouldn’t be Las Vegas without a little glitz and glam, and Clarkson delivered in her emerald green, Las Vegas-esque jumpsuit adorned with sparkles and feathers galore to close out the night with “Where Have You Been,” a nightly-rotating Kellyoke cover, and her dance party break-up anthem “Since U Been Gone.”
“It’s Vegas, so I had to look fabulous!” she said of her green get-up.
It was clear to see Clarkson loves her fans and, despite having to push back her start date, she made it worth the wait. There was something for everybody, and her personality, energy and musicality were on fire from start to finish.
“If you had tickets for last weekend, we’re so sorry,” she said at the end of the show before telling the crowd one more time how much she appreciated them coming out.
Clarkson’s residency runs various Fridays and Saturdays at The Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas through August and again through mid-November.
Kelly Clarkson’s Vegas Residency: Her Setlist, What She Wore and What It Was Like first appeared on Parade on Jul 15, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
